Extra Virgin Olive Oil Orange Cake

Have you tried olive oil in baking? It has a surprisingly fruity and spicy flavor profile that makes everyday baking feel like The Great British Bakeoff. You'll steal the show with this upside down orange olive oil cake. Recipe adapted from @food52.

Ingredients:

For the candied orange:
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
2 cardamom pods, crushed or 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
3 oranges, thinly sliced

For the cake:
2 eggs
²/₃ cup sugar
¹/₂ teaspoon kosher salt
¹/₃ cup plus, 2 tablespoons Chefs Life Finishing Oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 cardamom pods or 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
2 teaspoons orange zest
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
¹/₈ teaspoon baking soda
¹/₂ teaspoon baking powder
³/₄ cup plus, 2 tablespoons all purpose flour

Method:

Start by washing the oranges, then cut 3-5 mm or 0.15-0.20 inch thin slices crosswise. A sharp knife is key here! If you cut some thicker slices by mistake, save them for another dish. In a saucepan on medium heat, combine 1 cup of sugar, 1 cup of water and 2 crushed cardamom pods. Once the mixture comes to a boil, turn the heat to medium low, add the sliced oranges to the saucepan and let them simmer for 15 minutes.

While the orange slices are simmering, preheat the oven at 345°F. Beat 2 eggs, 2/3 cup of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt using a whisk or an electric mixer, until the mixture becomes pale, light and fluffy. Slowly drizzle the Finishing Oil in the egg mixture, while constantly mixing everything together. Add the vanilla extract, orange zest, orange juice, cardamom, and baking soda to the mixture mix them in using a spatula.

In a separate bowl, whisk the baking powder and flour together. Sift them in the egg mixture, then gently fold the dry ingredients using a spatula.

Brush a 20 cm or 8 inch diameter springform pan with oil, then line the bottom and the sides of the pan with parchment paper. Next, arrange all the syrupy orange slices on the bottom and on the sides of the pan. Gently pour the cake batter in the pan, over the orange slices, then pop it in the oven. Place another tray underneath the springform pan to catch any potential sugar syrup drops. Bake the cake for 30-35 minutes or until a cake tester or a skewer comes out clean, once inserted in the middle of the cake.

Allow the cake to cool off for at least 10 minutes before taking it out of the pan. Brush some of the remaining orange cardamom syrup on top of the cake. We also like to drizzle a tiny amount of Finishing Oil directly on the cake slices, right before serving them.