Try this amazing almond & olive oil cake
Always thought olive oil was only meant 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:
- Mediterranean 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
- Raw almonds: 100 g
- Butter: 100 g, cubed and chilled
- Vanilla pod: 1, seeded
- Icing sugar: 65 g
- Maple syrup: 3 tablespoons
Cooking instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 170°C.
2. Using an electric hand-mixer, cream the olive oil, eggs and sugar until pale and fluffy.
3. Add the Amaretto and fold in the ground almonds, bicarbonate of soda, salt, citrus zest and dates.
4. 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.
5. 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?