There are a lot of reasons why I like olive oil cakes, not the least of which is that they're quite tasty. Most of the time that's enough. And if that were all they had to offer, it would be plenty. But these cakes have something more going for them. Simply glance over the list of mega-health benefits from olive oil, and suddenly making (and eating) a cake feels almost virtuous.
Then there are those times when I need* to make a cake and I find myself without a dab of butter in the house. Olive oil to the rescue.
These cakes are dense, moist and flavorful, but not so sweet as to make your teeth ache. Even with a sugary glaze poured over the top of them, they are restrained in their sweetness, making them equally at home after dinner, for breakfast, or mid-afternoon with a mug of tea.
**Info regarding the new U.S. Olive Oil Standards
Then there are those times when I need* to make a cake and I find myself without a dab of butter in the house. Olive oil to the rescue.
These cakes are dense, moist and flavorful, but not so sweet as to make your teeth ache. Even with a sugary glaze poured over the top of them, they are restrained in their sweetness, making them equally at home after dinner, for breakfast, or mid-afternoon with a mug of tea.
- Rosemary Olive Oil Cake at 101 Cookbooks intrigues me beyond measure
- Orange-Scented Olive Oil Cake from Saveur uses whole oranges
- Orange Almond Cake from page 722 of Mark Bittman's How To Cook Everything
**Info regarding the new U.S. Olive Oil Standards
an olive oil cake might make be the perfect antidote to all of the overly sweet baking this time of year. xo
ReplyDeleteHi Maya!... Wait a minute, I must have missed something, we need an antidote for that? Hee hee! You're right though, around the holidays I start thinking about making these cakes.
ReplyDeleteOh, and FYI, I'm making your pumpkin muffins right now! How cool is that? :)
I love olive oil in a savory cake or pizza dough but I don't find it a great substitute for butter in sweet recipes.
ReplyDeleteKristin... There is no substitute for butter! "It's the secret of life" (Gerard Depardieu to Queen Latifah in Last Holiday).
ReplyDeleteI paraphrased the movie quote above. It actually went like this:
ReplyDelete"You and I, we know the secret to life...it's butter."