Olive Oil and Orange Cake

Name: Olive Oil and Orange Cake
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Total time: 1 h 45 min
Cuisine: Italy
Ingredients: 3 large eggs (about 150 g without shells), at room temperature; 200 g (1 cup) sugar, plus 15 g (1 tbsp) for the top; 2 oranges, zest finely grated, plus 80 ml juice from them; 180 ml (¾ cup) extra-virgin olive oil, a mild, fruity one; 120 g (½ cup) plain whole-milk yogurt; 80 ml (⅓ cup) orange juice, from the zested oranges; 220 g (1¾ cups) all-purpose flour; 8 g (2 tsp) baking powder; 3 g (½ tsp) fine sea salt; olive oil, for the pan

A tender, fragrant, one-bowl cake with a crackly sugared top

Makes: 1 cake (23 cm / 9 in)
Hands-on: 15 min
Total: 1 h 45 min
Level: Easy

A simple everyday cake made with fruity olive oil, orange zest and juice and a little yogurt. It has a fine, moist crumb that stays soft for days and a crisp, sugary top, and it takes ten minutes to mix by hand.

Ingredients

3large eggs (about 150 g without shells)at room temperature
200 gsugar (1 cup)plus 15 g (1 tbsp) for the top
2oranges, zest finely gratedplus 80 ml juice from them
180 mlextra-virgin olive oil (¾ cup)a mild, fruity one
120 gplain whole-milk yogurt (½ cup)
80 mlorange juice (⅓ cup)from the zested oranges
220 gall-purpose flour (1¾ cups)
8 gbaking powder (2 tsp)
3 gfine sea salt (½ tsp)
olive oilfor the pan

Diet: Vegetarian
Allergens: gluten, egg, milk
Origin: Italy
Season: Winter, Spring, All

Method

Heat the oven to 175°C (350°F). Oil a 23 cm (9 in) springform or round pan and line the base with baking paper.
In a large bowl, rub the 200 g sugar with the orange zest until fragrant and damp. Add the eggs and whisk hard for 2 minutes, until pale and slightly thickened. 2 min
Slowly whisk in the olive oil in a thin stream, then the yogurt and orange juice, until smooth.
Sift over the flour, baking powder and salt and fold until just smooth.
Pour into the pan, tap it on the counter and sprinkle the top evenly with the remaining 15 g sugar.
Bake 40–45 minutes, until golden, crackly on top and a skewer comes out clean. 43 min
Cool in the pan 15 minutes, then remove and cool on a rack at least 30 minutes. 45 min

Why it works

Olive oil coats flour more completely than butter and stays liquid when cool, giving a supple, moist crumb that doesn't firm up or dry out over a few days. Rubbing zest into sugar releases the orange oils into the batter, and the yogurt's acidity tenderizes the crumb. Sugar sprinkled on top before baking forms a thin, crisp shell.

Common mistakes

Using a harsh, peppery olive oil; it can taste bitter. Choose a mild, fruity one.
Adding the oil all at once, which can split the batter. Stream it in while whisking.
Overmixing after the flour.

Variations

Lemon and rosemary: Use the zest of 2 lemons and 1 tsp finely chopped rosemary; replace the orange juice with 40 ml lemon juice and 40 ml milk.
Blood orange: In winter, use blood oranges and top with thin slices of blood orange before the sugar.

Make ahead and storage

Keeps 4 days wrapped at room temperature; freezes for 2 months.

Notes

Fan oven: 155°C (310°F). Dairy-free: replace the yogurt with a plant yogurt.