Living in California, it’s only natural to cook nearly everything in olive oil -it’s local, delicious, and the health benefits are countless. Every olive oil has its own unique flavor notes. Some are bold and grassy, while others are light and fruity. Unlike many oils, olive oil tends to assert its presence in a dish, which is why it is important to taste your olive oil before putting it to use.
We all know that butter dominates the baking world, and I am not one to harp on it – because the flavor is delicious. However, knowing that olive oil has monounsaturated fats with lots of antioxidants and vitamin E makes it a refreshing substitute. When it comes to baking, it is best to go with a good quality olive oil with flavor notes that will come through but not over power the dish. For this recipe we used Frog Hollow Farm's olive oil. The combination of the olive oil and the low sugar content helps the subtleties of the orchard ingredient really ring through.
To brighten the savory and floral elements of this cake we decided to pair it with Chef Becky’s citrus compote. The acidity of the oranges cut through the fat of the olive oil and the egg, while the sweetness and the body of the juice underscores the aromatics of the zest. This dish exhibits the essence of the winter orchard and makes for a most pleasurable culinary experience.
This is a perfect breakfast cake, as it has protein from the eggs, healthy fats from the olive oil, and vitamin C from the citrus compote. The cake and the compote can be stored in the fridge and removed when hungry!
Ingredients:
5 eggs (room temperature)
1 tbsp of orange zest
1/3 cup and 2 tbsp. of Frog Hollow olive oil
½ cup Sauterne (you can substitute other sweet wines such as Riesling or a White Zinfandel)
¾ cup sugar
1 cup of flour
2 egg whites (room temperature)
½ tsp cream of tartar
¼ tsp of salt
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 335 degrees. Line the bottom of a springform pan with parchment paper and brush with butter.
2. Beat egg yolks at medium speed with half of the sugar until you have a three second stream.
3. Slowly stream in olive oil and Sauterne or other sweet wine. Then sift in dry ingredients until well combined
4. Beat whites with cream of tartar and sugar until you get soft peaks.
5. Fold the whites into the yolks.
6. Pour batter into the springform Pan and place it in the oven for 20 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 300 degrees for the next 20 minutes. Turn oven off and let the cake sit in oven for 10 minutes.
7. Take cake out of the oven and let it cool.
While the cake is baking or cooling you can make the citrus compote.
Ingredients
3 blood oranges
3 navel oranges
2 grapefruit
Over medium heat cook the sugar with the water or juice until it’s dissolved.
Set aside to cool.
To supreme the citrus:
Cut the stem and blossom ends off the oranges. With a sharp knife, remove the peel from the top curving around the orange. Have the serving bowl handy, hold the peeled orange over the bowl and cut into the orange on each side of the segment dropping the segment in the bowl. Do this until all segments are removed. Then squeeze the juice from rest of the orange over the bowl. Repeat with the rest of the citrus. Peel the mandarins or more blood oranges in the same manner but slice them horizontally, about 1/4inch thick, add lay them on top of the compote after you have added the sugar.
To make the syrup, take 2 Table spoons of the juice from the compote and add to ½ cup sugar in a small sauce pan. Over medium heat cook the sugar with the water or juice until it’s dissolved. Set aside to cool.
Add the syrup to the compote to taste. Add a little Prosecco if you like.
Can be made 4 hours ahead, add sugar only 1 hour before serving.
8. Remove cake from springform pan and sprinkle with confectioners sugar. Serve with citrus compote.