Bitter orange and olive oil cake recipe

I bet you have never heard of a Bitter orange and olive oil cake recipe?

There’s nothing like a little bit of snow to reinforce that preconception that we as humankind are obsessed with the weather.

Almost every conversation I’ve had this week, whether with friends, family, colleagues or total strangers, has been preceded with a discussion about the snow, the subsequent and inevitable transport chaos and our general inability to cope with any kind of weather at all really.

The only brightness in the last few weeks has been the arrival of the season’s citrus fruits bringing with them the scent of Mediterranean sunshine.

For some reason, the woman in the fruit and vegetable shop looked at me like I was slightly unhinged when I bought a brown paper bag full of Seville oranges. She asked me several times if I knew how bitter they were (yes, that’s why I want them) and that you couldn’t eat them (why would I want to when I could make them into a cake?).

I like things that are slightly (or quite a lot) bitter or sour or just have another dimension other than ‘sweet’. And Seville oranges, most often used to make marmalade, definitely are bitter enough to add that extra dimension. The crunchy, sugary glaze stops the cake from being too sour but there is still that wonderful catch when you take a bite; it almost makes you wince with enjoyment. A taste of warmer climes to brighten up even the most gloomy of days.

If you make my Bitter orange and olive oil cake Recipe, be sure to take a photo and tag me @onlinefoodblog on Instagram or Twitter. I would love nothing more than to see your creations!

How do you make Bitter orange and olive oil cake

Print This

Serves: 8 Servings Prep Time: 25 Minutes Cooking Time: 45 Minutes

Ingredients

The original recipe calls for blood oranges, a chocolate glaze and an orange compote. All of these things sound wonderful but this version is a little more simple. I can imagine this cake would work well with a lot of different types of citrus fruit – the bitterness of Seville oranges is particularly welcome but lemon or grapefruit would also be good. You might want to check the tartness of your glaze if you’re using a different type of fruit and adjust the ration of sugar to juice accordingly. This cake works best when pleasingly sour.

For the cake:

Zest of two Seville oranges
225g (1 cup) unrefined caster/granulated sugar
120ml (1/2 cup) juice from 1 1/2 – 2 Seville oranges
120ml (1/2 cup) plain yoghurt
3 eggs
160ml (2/3 cup) extra virgin olive oil
200g (1 3/4 cup) white spelt flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teasppon baking soda/bicarbonate of soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

For the glaze:

Juice of 1Seville orange
55g (1/4 cup)unrefined caster/granulated sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F (fan). Grease and line a 2lb loaf tin with non-stick paper.
2. With your fingers, rub together the zest and sugar in a large bowl until it becomes fragrant.
3. Add the yogurt and orange juice and whisk to combine.
4. Add the eggs, one at a a time, and the oil and whisk again until everything is combined.
5. Fold in the dry ingredients until the mixture is smooth.
6. Pour into the load tin and bake for 40 – 50 minutes until the top is firm and golden.
7. While the cake is baking, mix together the juice and the sugar for the glaze. Set aside until needed.
8. When the cake is ready, take it out the oven but leave it in the tin. While it is still hot, make a few holes in the cake with a fork and pour over the glaze.
9. Leave to cool in the tin for about half an hour until the juice is all absorbed before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

Try out our Bitter orange and olive oil cake recipe and post your results below in the comments…