Olive Oil Cake

I know...how good could it be?

I mean, it's olive oil.  Not even extra virgin.  Just olive oil.  Sure, it's perfect for saute-ing veggies, dressing salads and just about everything savory.  But a cake?

But why not a cake is better question.  I have seen several variations of olive oil cakes, and while I have been curious about them, I never really had the desire to make one.  I've always been more like oh olive oil in a cake.  How interesting and how very Italian.  I can trace my apprehension to olive oil and baked goods back to my freshman year in high school, when my mom told me that substituting olive oil for regular vegetable oil in a Ghiradelli cake mix was as right as rain.  And I know that I've told this story a million times (that's how much the memory has been burned into my brain), but it was a terrible and complete disaster.  Canned $9.95 olive oil from Costco + Ghiradelli brownie mix = the brownie debacle of 1998, aka a lifetime of brownie humiliation.  And a pan of inedible brownies.  That smelled and dripped of canned, mega-warehouse olive oil.

So you can understand that when I see the words olive oil and cake put together, I normally pass.  But as girls have been known to do from time to time, I changed my mind about it.  Rather suddenly, too, and really for no apparent reason, except that I spied this recipe for an olive oil cake involving spelt flour.

Spelt is similar to wheat, and is in fact a type of wheat and is quite healthful with lots of protein and fiber.  And well, I guess now would be a good time to admit that I'm not the biggest fan of wheat products.  Wheat pasta?  Meh.  Whole wheat bread?  Mehhhh.  I mean, I eat it because it's good for me, but really it's just not texturally satisfying.  It's harder, denser. And-so-sue-me, but I like my bread to be fluffy and pillowy.

But I've never worked with spelt flour and the thought of making something new with something I've never used, was just too exciting to pass up.  And so far, we have a cake that I thought I'd never bake with an ingredient I scarcely heard of.  And then there was the rosemary.  Which, if I had to rate my favorite herbs on a scale of 1-10, rosemary would probably be a dismal 2.  It's just so intensely pine-y and lemon-y, which I'm sure is the reason why so many people adore the stuff.  It's just not for me.  Curiously enough, I had a few sprigs of the pine-y stuff lying around...remnants from a Greek phase I had on Sunday.

So now that I'm done complaining about olive oil cake and the ensuing ingredients, let me tell you about how completely wrong I was about everything.  Because this cake is awesome.  It is light, delicate and subtle...even with the rosemary!  It is clean tasting, and will make your kitchen smell fruity and herby.  It's just barely sweetened, and I think would do well with a sprinkling of powdered sugar, if you know you're into those sorts of things, which I totally am.  And most importantly, this cake makes you feel like you're eating something kinda healthy.  And yeah, kinda healthy counts. 


Olive Oil Cake
adapted from Good to the Grain

Like I said earlier, this cake surpassed all my expectations and judgments.  I used a plain olive oil from Trader Joe's, which I think worked well because it wasn't too heavy, but the olive oil flavor was still pronounced.  I don't think it's necessary to splurge here, but I would stay away from bulk olive oil in a can.  This could just be the brownie experience talking, but well, I just can't endorse such things.  Also, I was surprised to notice that the original recipe did not include any citrus!  Many olive oil cakes usually do contain a citrus component, no doubt to highlight the natural fruity-ness of the oil.  I used a Meyer lemon here because California is wonderful and has these by the bucketful.  But, a normal lemon or orange...or combo would work just fine.  And I know, I normally don't like lemon anything, but Meyer lemons are truly a thing of citrus amazingness...and I really hope to have a little Meyer lemon tree one day.  I also decreased the rosemary from 1 1/2 Tablespoons to 1/2 Tablespoon, but that's just my preference/tolerance for pine-y tasting things.

Ingredients:

Olive oil for brushing the pan
3/4 cup spelt flour (I found mine at the bulk bins at Whole Foods)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1 cup olive oil
3/4 cup whole milk
1/2 Tablespoon rosemary, finely chopped
1 Meyer lemon, zested and juiced
5 ounces dark chocolate, chopped (I used Valrhona couvertures I had around, but I think any chocolate will work, even chocolate chips)

Preheat oven to 350-degrees.  Brush a 9" fluted tart pan with olive oil.

In a large bowl, sift together the spelt flour, all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, olive oil, milk, rosemary, lemon zest and juice.  Add the wet mixture into your dry ingredients, and using a rubber spatula, fold until just combined.  Fold in the chocolate chips.

Pour batter into prepared tart pan (which should be on a lined cookie sheet), and smooth the top (so your's won't bake up lop-sided as mine did). 

Bake for 40 minutes or until the top is golden brown and a tester comes out clean. 

Ok...it's not golden brown.  Ugh, I know, I know.  I blame this on my oven that hates me the only way it knows how...by not browning anything.  I don't know why it insists on being this way.  It's a rebel without a cause.  And while I respect that, I hate this oven and it's paled baked goods...the only thing it's every browned...excuse me downright burned to a crisp is bread.  My oven is very much aware of my ill-feelings towards it.  I know, it doesn't make it right or bake better, but it does in my mind make it fair.