Olive Oil cake, Lemon glaze

I am always looking for new recipes and ideas. I found this from one of my magazines on my travels. I decided to try it. It was simply delicious and can be adapted to a number of different  flavors.

This cake is popular in many parts of  southern Europe. The stronger the virgin olive oil you use the more pronounced the flavor. Its really easy to add a citrus (orange, lemon) flavor and use the zest in the batter to enhance it, and then drench it in syrup to go over the top. Drench it in syrup instead of the glaze. If you use pure olive oil you can even drench it in a rum syrup – for a very adult version.

For a very different take you could use a little ground up fresh rosemary and then serve the cake with sweetened whipped cream. Its all up to your imagination and your palette.

Ingredients

For the cake

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs (room temp)
• 1 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup whole milk yoghurt

For the glaze

• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 cups confectioners sugar
• 1 tablespoon whole milk yoghurt

Method

For the cake

Pre-heat the oven to 350F. Grease and flour your Bundt (I used a heritage Bundt) pan. I use the Pam butter and flour spray and then use a pastry brush to make sure that I have all the edges and crevasses well greased.

Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Using a stand mixer whisk the eggs and sugar until light and frothy mixture is play and frothy. Whisk in the oil and yoghurt until well blended. Fold in the flour mixture until combined.

Pour the batter into the pan. Tap the pan gently on the table to settle the batter. Pull the batter gently up the sides of the pan. This will prevent a big rise in the center of the cake.

Bake the cake for 40 – 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven and let it rest on a wire rack for about 10-12 minutes. Then gently tap it out of the mold. Let it cool completely before glazing. If you are going to use rum you would brush it on right after you tap the cake out.

For the glaze

Whisk the lemon juice and sugar together until smooth. Add the yoghurt and whisk till blended. Add more lemon juice if you need the glaze to be a little more pourable or you need a more lemony flavor

Pour the glaze over the cake before you are ready to serve.

 

Spiced Roasted Eggplant

Spiced Roasted Eggplant

My love for roasted vegetables has grown over time. I have been trying different vegetables and so many of them roast so well. Here is one of my favorites. This one is spicy, if you do not want to have it spicy – you can reduce the amount of sambal olek. The brown sugar caramelizes really well and is a really nice balance to the spice.

In addition, you can roast other vegetables along with this – green beans, thinly sliced onions etc.

Ingredients

• 4 Japanese eggplants
• 3 tablespoons Sambal Olek (use less for a less spicy version)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Method

Turn your oven to 350F. Line your baking tray with foil.

Wash and dry the eggplants. Cut the tops off and then split the eggplants in half. Using a sharp knife, make diagonal cuts in the inside of the eggplant. Do not cut all the way through.

Make a paste of the sambal olek, olive oil, brown sugar, olive oil and salt. Spread this paste on the eggplant.

Drizzle olive oil on the panko crumbs to moisten and then distribute evenly on the tops of the eggplants.

Bake for 30 minutes. Serve warm.