To say that I’ve taken a bit of a break would be a fair statement. The month of September FLEW past. It’s not that I haven’t been working on any new recipes; in fact, I have three posts just begging waiting to be worked on and posted. Birdcage Bakeshop has been keeping me on my toes; lots of fun, yet utterly exhausting weekends filled with baking, selling, and making new friends at the Four Seasons Market in Richardson.
I’m sure by now, you all know that I work extensively with Texas Olive Ranch Olive Oil Products. BIG, BIG FAN here. I’ve recently branched out and have teamed up with James of Spaulding’s Specialty Spices to use his wonderful, organic, home-grown spice blends in my recipes. It’s very rewarding to be working with a local artisan. It’s even more rewarding that I get to play around with seasonings that have already been matched for flavor pairing compatibility!
In this recipe, I used Rio Orange Olive Oil to make a delicate, floral Citrus Olive Oil Cake; I added some sliced almonds to the top for some smoky crunch and texture. To pair, I threw some strawberries into a small saucepan with a 1/3 cup of Spaulding’s Lovely Rose Sugar and a tablespoon of cornstarch. Depending on the sweetness of your berries, you may need to add additional sugar, 1 T. at a time. This compote is nearly impossible to mess up, but the key is to add additional sugar and/or cornstarch a little at a time.
Using a 9″ springform pan makes baking the cake so simple. You’ll need to put it on a piece of foil or on a baking sheet to catch any leakage. If you do not own one, no big deal! Just use one 9″ round cake pan instead. This cake is so good, very delicate in flavor, and is the perfect canvas to show off your Strawberry Rose Compote. It’s texture reminded me of a chiffon cake with its lightly sponge-like crumb. It’s best served warm from the oven. If you have leftovers, I suggest tightly wrapping the cake in plastic wrap.
Let’s enjoy some pictures of this cake:
The cake recipe was adapted from Giada de Laurentiis’ recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/almond-citrus-olive-oil-cake-recipe.html
For more information on Texas Olive Ranch, go to http://texasoliveranch.com/ or follow them on Facebook here.
Spaulding’s Specialty Spices can be found on Facebook here.
If you are in the Dallas, Texas, area, please stop by and see me and my bakery, Birdcage Bakeshop, as well as Texas Olive Ranch and Spaulding’s Specialty Spices at the Four Seasons Market in Richardson! Find them on Facebook here.
ALMOND CITRUS OLIVE OIL CAKE adapted from Giada De Laurentiis with gratitude and appreciation Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I use King Arthur or Gold Medal) 2 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. salt 1 cup sugar 3 large eggs 1 T. grated orange zest 1/4 cup whole milk 3/4 cup olive oil (I used Texas Olive Ranch Rio Orange Oil) 1/3 cup sliced almonds Powdered sugar, for dusting Directions: 1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Lightly brush the inside of a 9″ springform pan with olive oil. Set aside. 2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. 3. In a large bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, beat the sugar, eggs, and orange zest until pale and fluffy. Mine took about 1 1/2 minutes in the stand mixer. Take care not to beat the eggs into stiff peak stage. 4. Slowly beat in the milk. 5. Slowly beat in the olive oil. 6. Slowly add flour mixture until just combined. Scrape batter into prepared pan. 7. Sprinkle sliced almonds on top; place pan onto foil lined baking sheet to catch drips. 8. Bake for approximately 35 minutes, but test for doneness at 30. Cake is finished with a cake tester comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. 9. Remove cake from oven and allow to cool for ten minutes. Carefully remove sides of springform pan and allow to cool an additional 15 minutes. Sift powdered sugar over top of cake, slice, and serve with Strawberry Rose Compote. Almond Citrus Olive Oil Cake
STRAWBERRY ROSE COMPOTE *This recipe makes enough to serve alongside the cake. If you’d like to make more, the recipe works well when doubled or tripled. Ingredients: 1/3 cup of Lovely Rose Sugar, from Spaulding’s Specialty Spices (OR 1/3 cup sugar plus 2 T. culinary rose petals) 2 cups strawberries, frozen (hey! They’re already prepped for ya and always in season!) 1 – 2 T. cornstarch Directions: 1. In a small pan, combine all ingredients over medium-low heat. 2. Once berries have released juices, bring to a simmer. 3. Stir often, until juices have reduced and mixture is thickened. This takes about 20 minutes or so. 4. Remove from heat, spoon onto a cake plate. Place slice of Citrus Olive Oil Cake on top. Serve immediately.Strawberry Rose Compote
recipes from the birdcage. 