In my house, olive oil, zest and the juice from citrus, generally means – marinate the chicken breasts and light the BBQ. However, today, I used these few ingredients in a whole new way. In a cake!
The fusion of the citrus zest and the olive oil, mixing around in my kitchen aid, permeated my kitchen with the most wonderful scent. I could not wait for this cake to emerge from the oven. I am going to make this cake over and over again.
Next time, mini olive oil citrus cakes, anyone?
Olive Oil Citrus Cake
Adapted from rustic fruit desserts
1 8″ cake
Ingredients for the Cake:
1 1/4 cups unsifted cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
3 eggs, at room temperature
1 tablespoon plus 3/4 cup sugar
zest of 1 grapefruit
zest of 1 orange
zest of 1 lemon
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Glaze:
3/4 – 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Using a paper towel, coat a 8″ round baking pan with olive oil, then sprinkle with one tablespoon of sugar. Set pan aside.
For the cake:
Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt, twice.
Using your mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs, sugar, and the zests on high speed for 5 minutes, until the eggs thickened.
Add the vanilla, turn the mixer down to low speed and add the olive oil into the batter, pouring slowly along the edge of the bowl.
Add the flour and mix on low speed until incorporated. Pour into prepared pan.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the cake is golden and has domed in the center. cool to room temperature.
For the glaze:
Sift the confectioners’ sugar into a bowl. Whisk in the grapefruit juice to combine. Pour over the cooled cake.
Susan Salzman writes The Urban Baker blog to explore her dedication to good food in the hope of adding beauty to the lives of her family and friends.