Organic Orange Olive Oil Cake
Organic Orange Olive Oil Cake
All year round, there’s a citrus fruit in season. In September, it’s the Valencia varietal, which is typically used for making orange juice. Make a classic Italian dessert that melds the flavors of sweet oranges, robust almonds, and rich olive oil. This cake calls for a light homemade organic Orange Whipped Cream for dessert.
Servings
8
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cup organic sugar
- 2 cup water
- 2 organic valencia oranges
- 1 organic lemon
- 1 2/3 cup organic almonds, toasted
- 1 cup all-purpose organic flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 large organic eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Directions
- Combine 2 cups of the sugar to equal parts water in a medium saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. When the sugar dissolves, add the whole oranges and lemon to the mixture. The mixture should cover at least ⅔ of the fruit. If it doesn’t, add more sugar and water in equal parts. Cover the pan and lower heat to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the fruit can be easily pierced with a toothpick, around 40 minutes. Transfer the cooked fruit to a plate, and the syrup to a jar (the syrup will be used later to flavor the whipped cream).
- Put almonds in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until finely ground. Transfer to a bowl, and whisk in the flour and baking powder. Set aside.
- Oil a 9-inch-round by 3-inch-tall cake pan with some olive oil. Position a rack in the center of the oven, and heat to 350 degrees.
- Cut the fruit into quarters and remove seeds and large pieces of fruit membrane. Put fruit in the food processor and pulse until smooth.
- Put the eggs and salt in a bowl, and beat on medium-high with a whisk attachment until light and foamy, around 3 minutes. Gradually add remaining 1 ½ cups sugar, and beat until thick and white, around 4 minutes more. Add olive oil with whisk attachment running. Add the puréed fruit and mix just until blended. Gradually fold in the flour mixture until smooth.
- Pour the batter into the greased pan. Bake until the cake is dark golden brown, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes, and run a knife around the edges to loosen the cake. Turn out onto a rack, and cool completely.