Family Day, you have to love this holiday! Had the family over this weekend! What a treat when your grown kids come back home with their friends and you can relive those days when weekend breakfasts were a large part of your morning! I do miss them when they are away, but happy that they are making their own lives. After all, it’s what we’ve always wanted for our kids, right! The conversations now are so different – entertainment, politics, strong opinions (which coincidentally tend to be wrong when they don’t agree with mine 🙂) etc. are so much more enjoyable!
I wanted to make a cake as I knew they would be here this weekend. Not a fancy cake, just a homey comfortable cake that says “yes, I still love you”. So this recipe for an olive oil cake with jam was the perfect choice. I baked it in a 9” square pan, and really, doesn’t the size of the pan just say homey goodness?! I’ve never seen an elegant cake in a 9” square pan – just saying. I used a spicy jam (really, you’re surprised :)), as the filling in the cake and as a topping. The jam was habanero-pineapple mixed with some orange marmalade (just in case the jam was too spicy for some). My friend Chef Maria (who I do the Italy/India series of classes with at the PC Cooking Schools) always reminds me about the wonderful variations you can make using olive oil in items other than food – cakes, cookies and other assorted treats.
Nice thing about this cake, you don’t need to use a mixer, everything comes together in a bowl – just a big bowl. Isn’t that nice! You can make this at any time, start to finish – 40 minutes and just one bowl and assorted utensils to clean up. Now that’s a reason to make it! But really, do you need a reason to make cake? Happy Family Day!
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup milk and ¼ cup 35% cream
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup olive oil
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 lemon, zested and then juiced – separated
1 orange, zest only
½ cup habanero pineapple jam and ¼ cup orange marmalade
Preheat oven to 350F
Grease a 9” square pan
Mix the jams together and warm up on a low flame or in the microwave – 30 seconds should do it, you want it runny – set aside
Using your fingers, infuse the sugar by rubbing the orange and lemon zest into it
Add the olive oil and whisk
Add eggs one at a time and whisk, about 3 – 4 min
Whisk in the vanilla, baking powder, salt, and lemon juice
Add 1/3 of the flour and whisk until blended
Add half of the milk/cream and continue whisking – alternate adding the flour and milk, finishing off with the flour
Pour half the batter into the prepared pan
Pour ¾ of the slightly cooled jam mixture on top and swirl – there isn’t a lot of batter to the cake, so don’t go too deep on the swirl, finish off with the balance of the batter
Bake for 18 – 20 minutes until set – use a toothpick to ensure it is baked in the center
Remove from the oven and pour the remaining jam mixture on top and lightly spread on top
Let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then using a spatula, carefully transfer to a cooling rack
Cut and serve when cool or slightly cool
As always – enjoy!
