Olive You! A Mediterranean Citrus Olive Oil Cake

Mediterranean Citrus Olive Oil Cake (gluten free version)
adapted from the New York Times Dessert Cookbook

2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil (plus a 1 Tbls for oiling the pan). Choose a really good fruity olive oil.
1/2 cup brown rice flour (extra finely ground) (see note)
2 Tbls potato starch (not potato flour) (see note)
2 Tbls tapioca flour (sometimes labeled tapioca starch) (see note)
3/4 Almond Flour/Meal (see note)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp of xanthan gum (see note)
1/8 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1 3/4 cups granulated white sugar
grated zest of four medium lemons, or other citrus fruit of your choice (see note)
2/3 cup of citrus fruit juice (fresh)
confectioner’s sugar (powdered sugar) to dust the top of the cake

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and oil a 10″ spring form pan with the 1Tbls of olive oil (or use an olive oil cooking spray to oil the pan).

2. Whisk the dry ingredients (brown rice flour, potato starch, tapioca flour, almond meal, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum and salt) along with the citrus zest together in a bowl.

3. Mix the juice and the olive oil together in a measuring cup.

4. Beat the eggs and gradually add the granulated white sugar until thick. Add the 1/3 of the juice/olive oil mixture and beat then 1/2 of the flour mixture and beat. Repeat, ending with the juice/olive oil mixture.

5. Pour into pan and bake for 50 minutes or until the a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool in pan on a rack for 15 minutes and then run a thin knife around the side of the pan and remove the side. Cool completely and then dust with confectioner’s sugar. Serve with the sweet basil drizzle and candied kalamata olives, or all by itself.

Note 1. Brown rice flour, potato starch, tapioca flour/starch and xanthan gum can all be found in a health/natural food store or via the internet. Increasingly you can find them at your local grocery store too. They are probably the most common “gluten free” flours and additives that you can find. You can also use guar gum interchangeable with xanthan gum, but I don’t like guar gum as much – it can sometime impart an odd “bean” flavor and smell to the baked good (though I might just be a little sensitive to it, as I don’t really like legumes all that much). Guar gum is good to use as an alternative to xanthan gum though if you are allergic to corn or soy (both of which are part of creating xanthan gum). Also guar gum is usually cheaper than xanthan gum. It can be substituted one to one in terms of measurement.

Note 2. If you aren’t making this gluten free, leave out the brown rice flour, potato starch, tapioca flour and xanthan gum. Use 3/4 cup All Purpose Unbleached Flour.

Note 3. If you are making this gluten free, be sure to check to make sure your almond flour/almond meal is gluten free and processed in a gluten free factory. A lot of times there is cross contamination because the almond flour/meal is processed in the same factory as a wheat or some other gluten product. In fact, though it goes without saying, make sure all your ingredients are gluten free (nowadays it usually it says it on the product box if it’s gluten free).

Note 4. Almond flour is made from raw blanched almonds that have the skin removed. Almond meal usually has the skin left on, so the flour is mottled with flecks of darker bits. They taste virtually the same, and are really a cosmetic choice. You can even make your own almond meal/flour by grinding the almond in a food processor or blender.  The problem is often you won’t get it fine enough, and you’ll have chunks in homemade flour. Just sift the powder through a mesh sieve to remove any chunks, and make sure not over grind them or you’ll end up with almond butter instead of almond flour.

Sweet Basil Drizzle
adapted from Johnny Iuzzini’s Dessert Fourplay

Packed 3/4 cup fresh basil
1/3 cup simple syrup (see note)
1/3 cup water
1 tsp superfine sugar

1. In a saucepan boil some water. Throw the basil in once it boils, and blanch the basil for 30 seconds. Drain the basil in a colander and rinse the basil under cold water to refresh. Squeeze the basil to get all the water out.

2. Take a large bowl out and fill 1/4 the way up with a cold water and some ice. Put a smaller bowl in the water (this is called “an ice bath”).

3. Put the basil, the simple syrup, the water, and the sugar in a blender/food processor and puree until bright green, smooth, and thin. Pour out into the smaller bowl set in the ice bath. Let steep for 20 minutes.

4. Drain the green liquid through a fine mesh sieve, discard solids. Sweet Basil Drizzle will keep in the refrigerator for three days (but keep mind the longer in the fridge, the less bright green it becomes).

Note 1. Simple syrup is something that EVERYONE should have around the house. It’s super easy to make and is great to use for cocktails, for adding to tea or coffee, or for making desserts additives like this. It also is great to have for a fast lemonade (just add water and fresh squeezed lemons to taste – impress your friends!). To make it , all you need to do is add equal parts granulated sugar and water (for instance 1 cup water, 1 cup sugar) into a saucepan, bring to a simmer until all the sugar has dissolved, and then cool. It store practically indefinitely in the refrigerator (the sugar acts as a natural preservative)

Candied Kalamata Olives
adapted from Johnny Iuzzini’s Dessert Fourplay

1/4 cup of pitted kalamata olives
1/2 cup of simple syrup (see note)
granulated white sugar

1. Rinse olives, drain well, and cut in half lengthwise.

2. Put the olives and the simple syrup in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium high heat. Simmer for 1 minutes.

3. Remove from heat and let cool in the syrup.

4. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees while olives cool in pan.

5. Drain the cooled olives and toss with white sugar to coat lightly. Put on a baking sheet lined with a silpat or aluminum foil. Put in oven for 3 hours to dry out. The olives should still be a little meaty, but not crisp.

6. Cool olives and store olives in a small airtight container or ziplock bag with more sugar (so they don’t stick together). Keeps for about 3 days in the fridge.

Note 1. See the note above for simple syrup and how to make it.