(Serves 12)
“This cake is,” as
one of our guests said, “the best cake I have ever
had in my life!” It requires the use of a fruity
olive oil. If you have tasted my cake using our Poplar
Hill oil it may not taste the same if you use a different
brand of extra virgin olive oil. Though the recipe says
it serves 12, it is a rich, dense cake and many more servings
can be made from it.
Ingredients:
3
eggs
2 1/2 cups
granulated sugar
1
1/2 cups Poplar Hill Extra-virgin Olive Oil
1
1/2 cup milk
Grated zest of 3 oranges, plus 1 orange-sliced,
for garnish
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
Pinch of salt
Confectioner’s sugar for dusting
Directions:
Preheat
oven to 350 degrees F.
Butter
and flour 12-inch cake pan. (A spring-form pan works
very well for this recipe.)
In
a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and granulated sugar
until
blended. Add
the olive oil, milk and orange zest and mix well.
In
another bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder,
baking soda and salt. Add
to the egg mixture, stirring until just blended. Do
not over
mix. Pour
the batter into the prepared
pan.
Bake
until a toothpick inserted into the center comes
out clean,
50– 55 minutes.
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. (I like to use an interesting seasonal leaf as a
stencil when I dust the cake with confectioner’s
sugar. When the leaf is removed a lovely silhouette
remains.)
Garnish
the individual servings
with
fresh orange slices.
Option: This amount of batter
can also make
three smaller cakes; two
6 inch spring form
pans and
one 8-inch
regular cake pan
(put waxed paper
in the bottom so
cake releases easily.)
Baking time will be slightly
less; check with toothpick.
This
cake also
freezes beautifully,
however, the
powdered sugar disappears
on a cake that
has been
frozen; use
berries or flowers
as a garnish.
This recipe is great for summer
menus since it does not contain any mayonnaise.
Ingredients:
6 hard-cooked
eggs, peeled
3 tablespoons of Poplar Hill Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp grated lemon rind
Salt
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Dash of cayenne pepper
(Add a few drops of Tabasco sauce, if desired)
18 capers, drained
Directions:
Cut eggs lengthwise into halves. Lift
out the yolks and mash them in a bowl with a fork until
smooth. Blend in the olive oil, lemon juice, lemon rind,
salt, pepper(s) and Tabasco. Fill whites of eggs
the yolk
mixture and top each with 3 capers. Cover with a
plate and chill
before serving.
(Makes
two 9-inch pie crusts)
A
healthy alternative to traditional pie crust recipes
Jean Leonesio, who works at Sunshine
Market in St. Helena, shared this family recipe with me.
It was passed down from Jean’s grandmother, who lived
in Poland and was the only piecrust recipe ever used in
her family .
Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1/2 cup Poplar Hill Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 cup milk
Directions:
Mix all ingredients together;
take care not to overwork the dough. Form into a
ball, flatten into a disk, and roll out to the desired
size.
Enjoy!
Rachel Casey
