OLIVE OIL AND ALMOND CAKE TOPPED WITH WINTER FRUITS
Author: Susan Murray, www.awomancooksinasheville.com
Ingredients
FRUIT TOPPING
2tbsbutter
¼csugar
2tbspDemera sugar
Zest of one lemon
4-5Winter citrus fruits
CAKE
¾cflour
½calmond flour
¼csugar
1tspbaking powder
½tspsalt
¼tspbaking soda
2eggs
½csugar
2tbspgrated orange peel
1tspvanilla
¼tspalmond extract
½cgood quality olive oil
2tbsplemon juice
Instructions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees
MAKE THE FRUIT TOPPING
Brush the sides and bottom of a 9” cake pan with melted butter.
Mix the two sugars and the zest of one lemon together in a small bowl. Use your fingers to rub the zest into the sugar until it is moist and fragrant. Sprinkle the sugar mixture all over the bottom of the prepared pan. Pick up the pan and move it so the sugar also gets on the sides.
Peel the fruits and slice thinly. Remove any seeds. Arrange the fruit on top of the sugar in the pan in a decorative pattern.
MAKE THE CAKE
In a bowl mix together the flours, ¼ cup of sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking powder.
Put the eggs, ½ cup of sugar and the orange zest in the bowl of a mixer and whisk until the mixture turns a very light yellow and is quite thick. Whisk in the vanilla and almond extract. Add the olive oil in a thin stream while the mixer is on medium. Continue to whisk until the oil is well mixed in. Stir in 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. Add the flour mixture and whisk until it is just combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
Pour the batter into the pan on top of the fruit. Use a spatula to spread the batter evenly if needed.
Back the cake for 35-40 minutes until the top springs back when touched and an instant read thermometer placed in the center of the cake reaches 200 degrees.
Cool the cake for ten minutes in its pan then turn out on a plate to cool completely.
Recipe Notes
Notes: Any combination of winter citrus fruit will work. I used pink grapefruit, navel oranges and Cara Cara oranges. The cake will keep on the kitchen counter, well wrapped, for a day or two. Any longer and it should be stored in the refrigerator.