Give olive oil a chance when baking your next cake.
Olive oil in baking is best in cakes, where it produces a moist, tender crumb with a nice crust. It can be used in recipes that call for melted butter or other oils. Séka Hills olive oil take the cakes to another level, including this recipe from San Francisco-based pastry chef Emily Luchetti.
Serves 10 – 12
Nonstick cooking spray
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan
1 cup sliced almonds, toasted
2 large eggs
1½ cups granulated sugar
1 cup plain, full-fat Greek yogurt
1 cup good-quality fruity extra-virgin olive oil (preferably Séka Hills)
2 teaspoons baking soda
⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
Grated zest of 4 lemons, about 3 tablespoons
Sliced strawberries and whipped cream, for serving
Move a rack to the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Thoroughly coat a 9-cup (10-inch) Bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray. Turn the pan upside down to drain off any pooling spray. Coat the sides, bottom, and tube with flour, rotating and tilting the pan to coat well. Invert the pan to let excess flour fall from the pan.
In a food processor, process the almonds with 1 cup of the flour until finely ground. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs with the sugar until combined. Whisk in the yogurt and then the olive oil. Add the flour-nut mixture, the remaining 1 cup of flour, baking soda, salt, and lemon zest; stir until well combined. Spread the batter into the prepared pan, inserting a bamboo skewer or toothpick toward the middle of the cake. Bake until the bamboo skewer or toothpick comes out clean, 35 – 45 minutes. Let cool on a rack for about 20 minutes.
Unmold by giving the pan a sharp tap on the counter to help release the cake, then invert the pan onto a cake plate or platter. Cool fully before slicing with a serrated knife, and serve with sliced strawberries and whipped cream.
Recipe courtesy Emily Luchetti, Chief Pastry Officer, Big Night Restaurant Group in San Francisco (The Cavalier, Marlowe, Park Tavern).
