Olive Oil Cake

A cup of oil goes into this and there is nowhere for it to hide. Use one you would eat off a spoon.

Serves 8 to 10. 1 hour.

Ingredients

• 1 cup MOC Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cups whole milk
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp salt
• Zest of 1 orange
• 2 tbsp orange juice

Method

1. Heat the oven to 350F. Oil and line a 9-inch round tin.
2. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
3. In a second bowl, whisk the sugar and zest together first, then the eggs, milk, orange juice and MOC Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
4. Add the dry to the wet in two additions. Whisk to just combined. Overworking builds gluten and the crumb turns tight.
5. Bake 45 to 55 minutes, until a skewer comes out with a few moist crumbs rather than clean.
6. Cool 15 minutes in the tin, then turn out.

Why it works

• Oil stays liquid at room temperature, butter does not. The cake is still soft on day three, which is the entire argument for making it with oil.
• Rubbing the zest into the sugar first releases its oils. Adding zest to the batter later gets a fraction of the same flavor.
• A skewer that comes out clean means it is already overbaked.