Olive Oil Orange Cake

I discovered this recipe last year when I bought a Santa-size sack of sweet Veracruz oranges for 30 pesos in Puerto Progreso, Mexico. It was also much easier to find decent olive oil than real butter, so it was a good fit for baking on a Sunday afternoon when I didn’t want to venture into the city for ingredients but I wanted to do something domestic and festive (domestive). I followed the instructions, with a last-minute twist.

Ingredients

• 6 oranges (from Trader Joe’s)
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 3/4 teaspoons salt
• 5 brown eggs
• 3 cups granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 cups extra-virgin olive oil
• vegetable oil (for the pan)

Method

The first thing I did was measure the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, salt. Then I zested and juiced the fruit. Then I preheated the oven to 350 and greased the tins. Then I cracked five eggs in a bowl, measured the sugar, plugged in the beaters and began stirring, first eggs then added sugar in. Then I began adding to the mixture the flour, etc and alternating olive oil, ending with a wisp of flour. Lastly, add the orange juice and zest and zip that quickly with the hand mixer. I made mine into mini bundts and muffins so they baked at 350 for about 30 minutes. These adorable bastards only get better with time. Make two days prior to the time you plan to eat them!

Tagged as: muffins, olive oil, orange

About the Author: Jillian Bedell

Jillian grew up in Connecticut, went to university in Boston, college in New Haven, did some post-grad soul searching in New York, exiled herself to Mexico, married her longtime sweetheart, and lived in a house on the ocean. She suspected Maine might be the perfect place to raise a family, so she came back home to New England two years ago. Now a mom to Violet Maeve and living in Rockland, where she hopes to settle for a good, long while, Jillian reads, writes, walks, and practices Nia, when not watching Malcolm photograph sandwiches.