Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Olie-oil cake

Ok, I know how this looks but I have not gone crazy. I made this cake a few years ago and just thought of it now. I thought I might share its wounder with you. The olive oil can be fairly pronounced, just remember that if you don't want a strong olive oil flavor, just use light olive oil. However I really quite like the oliveness with the dark chocolate. It may seam odd if you have never tried it, but it truly is delicious.

I found this recipe (that looks fairly close enough to what I used) at finecooking.com. It has nutritional information at the bottom, I always like that. (generally when I make a cake I just throw everything in the bowl and mix it together. Once I even mixed it i the pan. (that only worked because I used stoneware that is very seasoned). I'm not quite as bad now, but almost. I simply put the wet ingredients in, mix, put the dry ingredients in, and mix. Never bothering with those silly sifters. Perhaps I should alter my ways, maybe when I have children so that I don't confuse them for life. Or not. Good luck, and I do hope you try this!

Dark Chocolate-Olive Oil Cake

Full of rich, deeply chocolate flavor, you'd never guess it's the olive oil that gives this cake such moistness and character. You can use a stencil design to dust the cake with confectioners' sugar, or if you have a favorite chocolate frosting, feel free to use it here. Be sure your 8-inch cake pan is at least 2 inches high; the batter almost fills it. The cake keeps at room temperature for up to four days, but it will disappear much sooner than that.Serves eight to ten.
Dark Chocolate Cake Recipe
Click here to find out more!

Olive oil and flour for the pan 
1-1/4 oz. (1/2 cup) Dutch-processed cocoa powder 
1 tsp. vanilla extract 
1/2 tsp. almond extract 
4-1/2 oz. (1 cup) all-purpose flour 
1/4 tsp. salt 
1/4 tsp. baking soda 
3 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk, at room temperature 
2/3 cup olive oil 
1-1/3 cups sugar 
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar for dusting 
Position a rack in the middle of the oven. Heat the  oven to 325°F. Generously oil an 8x2-inch round cake pan (or an 8-1/2-inch springform pan) with olive oil and line the bottom of the pan with parchment or waxed paper. Oil the paper and dust it lightly with flour.
In a small saucepan, boil about 1/2 cup of water. Meanwhile, sift the cocoa powder through a strainer over a small bowl. Stir 6 Tbs. of the boiling water into the cocoa until it's smooth and glossy (if the mixture  is very thick, you can add as much as 2 Tbs. more boiling water; when I tried this cake with Hershey's cocoa, I needed to do this). Stir in the vanilla and almond extracts. Set aside to cool slightly. In another small bowl, mix together the flour, salt, and baking soda and set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the eggs  and yolk, olive oil, and sugar. Using the whisk attachment, beat on medium-high speed until thick, lemon colored, and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Reduce the speed to low and gradually add the warm (not hot) cocoa mixture until it's well combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl once. Gradually mix in the dry ingredients until just combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl.
Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake in the center of the oven until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs clinging to it but with no wet batter, 55 to 60 minutes. Put the pan on a rack and carefully run a paring knife around the inside edge to release the cake. Let cool for 10 minutes. Using a second rack to sandwich the cake pan, flip the pan over. Carefully lift the pan from the cake, gently peel off and discard the paper liner, and let the cake cool completely.
Before serving, dust the top of the cake with confectioners' sugar. To use a stencil pattern, use the flat side of the cake for a more level surface (the cake may dip slightly in the center; if that's the case, you'll get a cleaner design with a pattern that keeps close to the perimeter).
nutrition information (per serving):
Size : based on ten slices; Calories (kcal): 320; Fat (g): 17; Fat Calories (kcal): 150; Saturated Fat (g): 3; Protein (g): 4; Monounsaturated Fat (g): 11; Carbohydrates (g): 41; Polyunsaturated Fat (g): 2; Sodium (mg): 140; Cholesterol (mg):85; Fiber (g): 1;
photo: Scott Phillips
From Fine Cooking 43 , pp. 61
January 16, 2008

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