I have made this cake (recipe here) exactly once and have become completely obsessed with it. No joke. I made it Sunday, finished it Wednesday, and have been waiting what I estimate the appropriate amount of time is before I can make it again (I think one week, so three days to go).
You could use regular oranges of course. I'm not sure it would make that much of a difference. What is important is having decent olive oil, because it calls for quite a bit--2/3 of a cup. Sounds like a lot, and it is, but on the bright side, the cake is butter-free. So, if you're reading things like this these days, which advocate the olive oil-based Mediterranean diet, you can feel reasonably good about this as a dessert choice...minus the fact that it calls for a cup of sugar, which I must concede is quite a lot for a single layer cake.
I baked the cake in 9-inch springform rather than a loaf pan (I don't care for cakes shaped like bricks--so homely!) and it baked for 38 minutes and came out perfectly. Tweak your baking time according to the pan shape/size. I also skipped the blood orange compote, although not because it didn't sound delicious. I just ran out of blood oranges. This cake would also be nice with a little citrus glaze, but it's not necessary. (Neither was the whipped cream I whipped up while alone with the cake one afternoon, but it just seemed like the thing to do. Is whipped cream for one the ultimate luxury or the hallmark of depression?)
In addition to being dead simple to make and incredibly delicious, this cake also scored in the longevity department, staying totally moist (sorry to use the most abhorred word in the English language but there really isn't a synonym for it) for FOUR DAYS. All things considered, this cake is perfect.
It does look MOIST! Actually it looks incredible and delicious and I'm so happy that it can also be considered healthy! I love springform cakes, they look so European.
ReplyDeleteUltimate luxury, all the way. :) I've long been intrigued by olive oil cakes, but have yet to make one. I did finally get around to trying an olive oil ice cream last summer, which I loved. Oooh, what if you put them together?
ReplyDeleteSue: I've got Europe on the brain right now, maybe that's why I chose it...
ReplyDeletecamille: Thank you for validating my whipped cream addiction! And, I love the idea of olive oil cake + olive oil ice cream. How bad could it be?!
that's so fluffy! and one can't look at it without thinking that it's moist, even if one hates that word and refuses to say it out loud. :)
ReplyDeleteGod, I love cakes like this one. I have never made one myself but, have had the pleasure of eating a couple of slices...It is amazing!
ReplyDeleteVelva
Whipped cream for one isn't a sign of depression but BRILLIANCE.
ReplyDeletegrace: I know, it's the only apt word.
ReplyDeleteVelva: You should give it a try!Though having a whole cake like this around the house is a bit risky, I admit...
Jary: I thought you might approve.
This looks so pretty. I'm surprised the blood orange didn't make the cake look more pink. I love the orange color, though. I made an olive oil cake once too and it is super moist, but I used almost half a bottle of this $34 bottle of good olive oil! That's an expensive cake!
ReplyDeleteBen: I know--I also thought the beautiful red color would be very dramatic and pronounced. You can see some of the little orange pieces running through the cake but that's it. Oh well.
ReplyDeleteWhen we were doing the Game Changer series, I made some recipes that I thought I'd swoon they were so good. But cooking for one, I hate to repeat some of those recipes, knowing I need new posts. But I want to post them again and say to my readers....listen up! This was really good and I bet you never tried it.
ReplyDeleteOh well...I'll make your olive oil cake as soon as I have someone to share it with. And I agree with Ben, thought it would be redder.
Yum, yum, yum. I blame my insane work schedule for missing this posting. I can now use my brand new springform pan (thanks to the Kaelins) for this recipe this weekend. Sweet!
ReplyDeleteBlood Oranges are long gone where I live. But I kept a few in cold storage (don't ask why!). If they're still edible, I would love to throw this cake together this weekend. I *love* olive oil cakes - the last one I made was Nigella's chocolate olive oil cake. Have you tried the recipe?
ReplyDelete