It’s hard to believe Lo-Fi Gourmet is turning four this year! As I do every year, I’ve baked the blog a cake for the occasion; this one is a loose adaptation of a recipe from Missy Robbins’s wonderful cookbook Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner . . . Life. In my variation I reduce the sugar by a lot and simplify the candied orange steps quite a bit, making the recipe a little healthier and a little easier. Use a good quality extra virgin olive oil here, as the flavor is really prominent. I hope you enjoy this cake as much as I do. Here’s to another year of cooking and blogging!
Olive Oil Cake with Candied Orange & Whipped Cream
for the olive oil cake
- 2 cups plus 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tsp coarse salt
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup plus 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus more for the pan
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 1 1/4 cups whole milk
- 3 eggs
- zest from 2 oranges
- zest from one lemon
for the candied orange
- 1 organic orange, sliced very thin crosswise, seeds removed
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup water
for the whipped cream
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 tsp sugar
- Lightly oil a 9-inch round cake pan and line with a circle of parchment paper. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 325°. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda and stir well.
- In medium bowl, combine the olive oil, orange juice, milk, eggs, and zests and stir well. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Bake for one hour or until cake is set.
- Meanwhile, make the candied orange. In a small saucepan, cover the orange slices with cold water. Bring to a boil, remove from heat, and strain. (This removes some of the bitterness from the peel.) Return the orange to the saucepan and add the sugar and 3/4 cup water. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until orange peel is softened and liquid is reduced to a light syrup, about 20 to 30 minutes.
- Make the whipped cream. In a medium bowl, combine the cream and sugar. Using a whisk or hand mixer, whip the cream until it hold light peaks.
- Serve slices of the cake with candied oranges and whipped cream on top.
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