Try this amazing almond & olive oil cake
Always thought olive oil was meant only for cooking savoury food? Then let us introduce you to the wonder of the olive oil cake – a light, fruity confection of deliciousness. Added bonus? It’s wheat free…
Ingredients:
- Extra virgin olive oil: 170 ml
- Free range eggs: 3
- Sugar: 200 g
- Amaretto: 2 teaspoons
- Ground almonds: 150 g
- Bicarbonate of soda: ½ teaspoon
- Salt: a pinch
- ClemenGold (or naartjie): 1, zested
- Dates: 100 g, roughly chopped
- Flaked almonds (optional): 50 g
- Icing sugar, for dusting
For the almond-and-vanilla butter:
- Raw almonds: 100 g
- Butter: 100 g, cubed and chilled
- Vanilla pod: 1, seeded
- Icing sugar: 65 g
- Maple syrup: 3 tablespoons
Cooking instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 170°C.
- Using an electric hand-mixer, cream the olive oil, eggs and sugar until pale and fluffy.
- Add the Amaretto and fold in the ground almonds, bicarbonate of soda, salt, citrus zest and dates.
- Grease a 20 cm round cake tin, then pour in the batter. Scatter over the flaked almonds if using and bake for 1 hour, or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. The top of the cake will still feel slightly wobbly at this stage.
- Allow to cool, remove from the cake tin and dust with icing sugar. Serve with the almond-and-vanilla butter.
To make the almond-and-vanilla butter, toast the almonds in a dry pan over a medium heat for 2 minutes, making sure they don't burn. Place the nuts in a food processor and blend until fine. Add the butter, vanilla seeds, icing sugar and maple syrup. Blend for a further 15 minutes to form a thick paste.
No time for baking?