Loaf cakes are basically the best things in the world. They’re easy to make, they freeze well (making them an excellent solution when you’ve got a lot of parties to go to and not a lot of time)…and you can pretend that they are “bread” and eat them for breakfast. Which is what I just finished doing.
I’ve never actually made an olive oil cake before, but I’ve always wanted to try it, partially because it sounds delicious and partially because it sounds weird (and those two things are not, to my mind, mutually exclusive). As it turns out, it is delicious, but it’s totally not weird – just a super-moist version of a traditional cake. You can make a plain version of this cake minus the chocolate and orange, or you can try swapping in lemon zest or topping it with a fruit coulis (try strawberry or plum). If you do that you can call the coulis “jam”, plant a cup of coffee next to it, and happily consume it at 7 o’clock in the morning. And then again at 7 o’clock at night. And maybe again while laying in bed a couple of hours later, with a side order of Joel McHale. All good.
Try it. You’ll like it.
Recipe adapted from Nadia G’s Pound Cake*
What You Need:
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups whole-milk ricotta cheese, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/3 cup extra-virgil olive oil (good quality)
Zest of 1 orange (I used a tangelo, which was amazing)
1/2 tsp vanilla
3 eggs
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
What You Do:
1. Preheat oven to 350F and grease a loaf pan.
2. Mix together (you’re technically supposed to sift, but I am lazy and never ever ever do that) the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.
3. In a stand mixer set to low speed, beat together butter, ricotta, sugar, olive oil, orange zest and vanilla. Gradually add the dry ingredients and continue to beat for about three minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
4. Fold in the chocolate and pour the batter into the greased loaf pan. Bake for about 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool before serving. (Really do your best to let it cool, or the cake will fall apart when you cut into it. I speak from experience here, because I was starving and wanted to try it immediately…and: mini-disaster. I had much better luck with the slices I cut an hour or so later.)
*Because the original recipe was for 8 mini-cakes and this is for one loaf cake, you may end up with slightly more batter than you need. Be sure not to over-fill the loaf pan; about 2/3 of the way up is good.
Early-morning Cake And Juice For Three
