I am very simple when it comes to sweets I make myself at home. Perhaps it is because I do not have the patience to spend hours putting together elaborate desserts, but when I am in the mood to bake something, it can usually be put together quickly and without too many fancy ingredients. I like desserts that can be enjoyed at breakfast as well as after dinner and probably most of all, I love a good fruit flavored olive oil cake. Heck, I think I just plain love olive oil and would put it in my morning coffee if I could get away with it, but that's another story altogether!

I first tasted an amazing orange flavored olive oil cake when we dined in Panzano at Dario Cecchini's butcher shop. When you order coffee after lunch, it comes with a square of moist orange flavored olive oil cake that is really delicious. I knew after the first taste of Dario's cake that I would have to duplicate the recipe at home and started to look online for something similar. Most of the olive oil cake recipes I found used the zest from many oranges but didn't use the pulp or juice which just didn't make sense to me. I remember long ago making an orange flavored quick bread where I threw the entire orange into a food processor and used that mix of juice, pulp and skin to flavor the bread with so I decided to simply play around in the kitchen and see if I could get the flavor and texture I was looking for. I was very lucky that I came up with a winner on my first try, but this cake has everything I wanted. It is sweetly flavored with orange without being too bitter which can happen if you use too much of the zest, the olive oil kept it very moist, and the 4 eggs I added helped to keep the cake nice and light.

 

This cake was just what I had hoped for and turned out so well that it will certainly be one I'll make for my farmhouse guests next summer. Just do not use extra virgin olive oil for this cake as the flavor of the oil can be too much for the orange flavoring. A basic, simple olive oil works best for this cake. Dario sprinkles granulated sugar on top of his cake before baking which is another option you could try instead of using the powdered sugar after. You could also fancy this cake up a bit by serving it topped with some wine poached fruit and a dollop of cream, but really, why mess with a good thing?

2 Small Seedless Oranges

1/3 Cup Olive Oil (Not Extra Virgin!)

2 Cups All-purpose Flour

1 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder

1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda

Dash of Salt

4 Large Eggs

1 1/2 Cups Granulated Sugar

Powdered Sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9 inch spring-form pan. Cut off a small slice of the thicker top and bottom parts of each orange and then cut them into chunks. Place them in a food processor and puree until blended but with some texture left. Add the oil to the oranges and pulse until blended. Mix together the flour, baking powder and soda and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl beat the eggs until they are light and fluffy and then slowly add in the sugar. Begin to add the egg mixture in three parts alternating with the orange mixture just stirring until combined. Be careful not to over mix which will deflate the eggs and create a dense cake. Pour the cake batter into your prepared pan and bake for 50 to 60 minutes or just until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool before dusting with powdered sugar and slicing.  

 

 

 

Buon Appetito!

Deborah Mele