Chef Dario Cavaliere writes a weekly food column for the Waterford News & Star
THIS is a delicious cake and by using olive oil in place of butter it contains less saturated fat and the oil makes the cake have more of a textured crumb, and also taste delicious with an unusual olive oil flavour. Olive oil in baking also adds antioxidants and contains vitamin E, so it naturally gives your baking a heart healthy boost.
Ingredients
150g nibbed almonds
150g plain flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
325g caster sugar
4 eggs
120ml olive oil
Juice of 2 oranges
Zest of 1 orange
Pinch salt
Method
Lightly grease a 9” loose-bottomed cake tin with some olive oil and line the base with baking paper.
Lightly toast the almonds in a dry pan over a medium heat for 3 minutes or until slightly toasted and browned. Be sure to continuously move the almonds around the pan so that they do not burn.
Place the toasted almonds in a food processor and whizz until you have a toasted almond flour, similar to ground almonds. Remove and mix with the flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.
Whisk the eggs in the bowl of an electric mixer, and then add the sugar. When the mixture is light and fluffy, then add the flour mixture, one spoonful at a time. Then add the orange juice and rind. When completely incorporated, finally add the olive oil and mix well.
Pour the mixture into the cake tin and cook for 1 hour in a preheated oven at 180oC.
Check with a skewer to make sure that the centre is completely cooked.
