Serves 8
Olive oil, like sweetened condensed milk and brown butter, is one of my favourite ingredients to use in desserts. I love the peppery, savoury flavour that it lends. This cake is a great introduction to using olive oil in sweet dishes. It has a beautiful texture and is great served by itself, with mascarpone or even whipped ricotta.
Ingredients
- 275 ml (9fl oz) olive oil, plus extra for greasing
- 1 cup caster sugar
- 2 cups self-raising flour
- 1/4 tsp table salt
- 2 eggs
- 250 ml (9fl oz) whole milk
Method
- Preheat the oven to 170°C (315°F) fan-bake. Using a pastry brush or paper towel, lightly coat the inside of a 21cm (8in) cake tin with oil.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the oil and sugar until evenly combined. Add the flour and salt and whisk to combine. Add the eggs and milk and whisk to combine. Pour into the prepared cake tin.
- Bake for 35–45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Allow to cool in the cake tin for at least 15 minutes before turning out. You can serve this warm or at room temperature.
- I have decorated it with green basil olive oil and fennel fronds.
Recipe extracted from Alice in Cakeland by Alice Taylor, photography by Melanie Jenkins (Flash Studios) and Lottie Hedley, published by Allen & Unwin NZ. RRP $45.
