Ersilia’s Olive Oil Cake

I meet the most wonderful people.

I met Ersilia just a couple of months ago at my local Farmer’s Market.  She was there in a booth, selling olive oil.  Olive oil always attracts my attention, so I wandered over to take a peek and upon perusing the bottles, realized that several of them were from Umbria!  Well, that started a conversation and as it turns out, Ersilia, an American of Italian descent, went to college in Perugia, speaks fluent Italian and is the owner of her own small business importing olive oil from around the world.  It was through Ersilia that my recent tour group to Umbria had the pleasure of visiting frantoio Trampolini and sampling their wonderful olive oil firsthand.

It’s also thanks to Ersilia that you are getting this lovely recipe for Olive Oil cake.  This is a moist and delicious bundt cake.  It keeps well, is a great everyday cake (yes, in Irene’s world, it is okay to eat cake every day), and would work great at a potluck.  I baked it not long ago for my husband’s office and they enjoyed it immensely.  What I love best about this cake is the amount of citrus zest in it, giving it a bright and lively flavor.






Here’s your list of ingredients:
1 c. all purpose flour
1 c. whole wheat flour
1 ¼ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
Pinch of salt
4 eggs
1 ¾ c. light brown sugar, firmly packed
1 c. olive oil (Ersilia uses her Oro Verde Lucano, a light and buttery choice)
1 ½ c. milk
Grated zest from one large orange and a lemon
Confectioner’s sugar for dusting

Grease and flour your bundt pan and set aside.  Preheat the oven to 350 and let’s get started:

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Combine the two types of flour, the baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl and set aside.
Beat together the eggs and brown sugar until thick and frothy.  

Slowly add the olive oil.  Then add the orange and lemon zests and continue to mix well.

Alternating in 2 batches, add ½ of the flour mixture to the egg mixture.  
Then add ½ of the milk, mixing until just blended with no lumps.  
Repeat with the remaining flour mixture and remaining milk.  Do not over mix.  
Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about one hour.  Remove to a wire rack to cool completely.  Loosen the sides with a knife and invert onto a serving plate.  Dust the cake with confectioner’s sugar.  (You’ll notice my pictures don’t show the cake dusted with confectioner’s sugar.  That’s because sometimes, I can be a very impatient baker.  Forget the decorating; I can barely wait for things to cool before I eat them.)

This was today's breakfast along with a lovely cappuccino.  Buon appetito and thanks Ersilia!

If you too are interested in Ersilia's olive oils, visit her website:
www.oliveoiloftheworld.com

OR......
Sign up for one of my tours to visit an olive oil mill!

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