OLIVE OIL & CITRUS CAKE

ABOUT THIS RECIPE

Olive oil in cake is not a substitution or a health compromise — it produces a different and arguably better crumb than butter. Because the oil stays liquid at room temperature, the cake remains moist for three or four days instead of going dry overnight.

Citrus is the right partner. It lifts the slight bitterness of a robust oil instead of fighting it.

INGREDIENTS (One 23 cm round cake, 10 slices)

200 ml Secret Garden Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, plus extra for the tin 280 g plain flour 2 tsp baking powder ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda ½ tsp fine sea salt 250 g caster sugar 3 large eggs Zest of 2 oranges and 1 lemon 120 ml fresh orange juice 2 tbsp lemon juice 150 g plain yoghurt

For the syrup: 80 ml orange juice 50 g sugar 1 tbsp olive oil

METHOD

  1. Prepare. Heat the oven to 170°C fan. Oil a 23 cm springform tin and line the base with baking paper.
  2. Dry ingredients. Whisk the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate and salt together in a bowl.
  3. Sugar and zest. Put the sugar and all the citrus zest in a large bowl and rub together with your fingertips for 30 seconds until the sugar is damp and fragrant. This releases far more aroma than simply stirring it in.
  4. Wet ingredients. Add the eggs and whisk 2 minutes until pale and thickened. Pour in the olive oil in a steady stream while whisking, then the orange juice, lemon juice and yoghurt. The mixture may look slightly split — it will come together.
  5. Combine. Fold in the dry ingredients in two additions, stopping the moment no flour is visible. Overmixing gives you a tough cake.
  6. Bake. Pour into the tin and bake 45–55 minutes, until deep golden and a skewer comes out clean. Cover loosely with foil at 35 minutes if it is darkening too fast.
  7. Syrup. While it bakes, warm the orange juice and sugar until dissolved, then stir in the tablespoon of oil.
  8. Soak. Prick the warm cake all over with a skewer and spoon the syrup over it slowly, letting each addition sink in. Cool in the tin.
  9. Serve dusted with icing sugar, or with yoghurt and a few drops of olive oil over the top.

NOTES

Use the good oil. A bland refined oil gives you a cake that tastes of nothing. A fruity unfiltered oil leaves a faint peppery savouriness on the finish, which is the entire point. Day two is better than day one. Keep it covered at room temperature, never in the fridge. Variations: add 1 tsp fennel seeds or 2 tbsp rosemary for a more savoury version.