I’ve taken a leave for quite some time so the obvious post would be an irresistible cake with which to bribe you for forgiveness. After all, who in their right mind doesn’t like cake?! Only crazy people. Of course none of you fall into that category so join me in this indulgence.
Disclaimer: I take no responsibilty for the midnight sneaks into the kitchen for just one more wee little sliver. You were warned.
I liken this desert to a pound cake making babies with a syrup cake. At first it comes across as a dense pound cake. What’s surprising is that it’s still light and delicate on the palate, almost begging you to alllow it to slowly dissolve on the tongue. There’s earthy notes from the olive oil that ground it and a hint of lemon that keeps it fresh. The apricot brandy glaze is not only addicting but it also keeps the cake moist for days.
In fact, it’s the worst kind of cake. This cake just keeps you coming back for just one more sliver and another and another…In any case that’s what happened to me. Don’t judge. It could happen to anyone!
There will never be afternoon tea at my house but if I did, this would be my first choice. Grandma’s coming over? Yup! This is the cake. Maybe your hosting a dinner party and have a choclate hater amongst you? This is the cake. Honestly, I can’t think of a situation where this would not be fitting. I know because the only meal of the day that I could think of that might make this cake a questionable choice was a 7 AM breakfast. So I did what any reasonable blogger would do. I tried it, once or twice. Yup. It totally works.
Those of you who have been following me for a while, know that I rarely do fussy or complicated baking. To be quite frank, I simply do not have the patience or the aptitude for anything but no fail and easy desserts. First mix the dry ingredients. Then mix the wet ingredients. Mix it all together and bake. If I can make this, so can a 5 yr old.
I made this using a spring form pan but I would confidently recommend using just about any baking pan you have availble. It will require you to watch the baking time a little more closely if you decide to go that route.
Note: Honey causes the edges to brown faster then cakes using only sugar.
- 2 cup flour
- 1 cup sugar (organic cane or regular)
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1 1/8 cup milk
- 1/2 cup honey
- 3 large eggs at room temperature, beaten
- 1 1/2 tbsp lemon zest
- 1/4 of fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 1/4 brandy
- Preheat your oven to 325 F. Grease a 9 inch spring form pan (or pan of choice, but then you'll need to adjust baking time accordingly).
- In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, salt, baking power and baking soda. In another bowl mix together the oil, milk, honey, eggs, zest, lemon juice and brandy. You may notice that the milk will slightly curdle when you add the lemon juice. That's ok.
- Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stir only long enough to combine. A little flour here and there is fine.
- Pour batter into prepared baking dish. Bake at 325 F for 50-60 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- The top should be golden yellow, the edges a deep golden brown.
- Apricot Brandy Glaze recipe to follow.
- 1/2 cup apricot jam of choice
- 1/4 cup brandy (apple juice, whiskey, Grand Marnier can be used as subsitutes)
- Place both ingredient in a small pan. Stir to combine and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir frequently. Allow the cake and glaze to cool slightly. Top the cake with the glaze in an even layer.
The post Olive Oil Cake with an Apricot Brandy Glaze appeared first on The Restless Palate.