The Newlywed Cookbook by Sarah Copeland is the perfect mix of elegant design and down-to-earth usefulness, making it a great gift idea for new couples. Cooking columnist Sybil Pratt says it’s “a lovely way to encourage culinary togetherness.”
Pretty and yummy!
Olive Oil Cake with Tangerine Marmalade
{tastes like the sun}
There is an elegance to an olive oil cake, especially one layered in shingles of shiny, candied citrus that make it an instant centerpiece. But what are good looks to a dessert without the flavor and texture to back it up? This cake wins in all categories. It borrows a little trick from savvy Italian nonnas, who have long known olive oil as their heart-healthy secret to a moist cake. Made with your best mild fruity finishing oil {one whose flavor you like all on its own}, this becomes a special occasion cake that’s far simpler to make than it looks.
While your cake cools, make your own luxurious homemade marmalade out of sweet citrus. We fell in love with fresh squeezed tangerine juice on our honeymoon to Mexico. I love tangerines for their beautiful balance of sweetness and tang and the way their tender skins soften with sugar and add a glistening finish to this tender cake. You can use whatever citrus you love, or a mix of all your favorites.
Serves 8
Olive Oil Cake
- 4 large eggs
- 3/4 cup/150 g sugar
- 2/3 cup/165 ml of your favorite extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/3 cup/75 ml melted unsalted butter
- Finely grated zest and freshly squeezed juice of 1 tangerine, orange, or lemon
- 1 1/2 cups/175 g all-purpose/plain flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp fine sea salt or iodized salt
Tangerine Marmalade
- 4 large tangerines, Minneolas, lemons, Meyer lemons, or Temple oranges {about 1 3/4 lb/800 g}, or a mix
- 1 cup/200 g sugar
- Crème fraîche or whipped cream/double cream
Make the Cake: Preheat the oven to 325˚F/165°C/gas 3. Lightly butter a 9-in/23-cm springform pan with a removable bottom.
Combine the eggs and sugar in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer on high speed until the eggs are thick and pale yellow, about 3 minutes. Drizzle in the olive oil and melted butter and continue to beat. Fold in the citrus zest and juice.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl. Add the dry ingredients gradually to the egg mixture and stir until evenly combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula to make sure there are no dry bits at the bottom.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until the top is lightly brown, and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes, rotating once during baking to make sure it cooks evenly. Cool the cake on a wire rack for about 10 minutes. When cool enough to handle, remove the pan sides and cool the cake completely on a rack.
Meanwhile, to make the marmalade: Scrub and dry the tangerines and trim off their tops and bottoms. Slice 2 of them as thinly a possible while still keeping their shape, about 1/8 to 1/4 in/3 to 6 mm thick, discarding the seeds as they appear. Place tangerine slices in a small pot with a heavy bottom. Juice the remaining 2 tangerines {you should have a scant cup/240 ml of juice} and pour the juice over the sliced fruit. Set aside for 20 minutes.
Cook over medium-high heat until the liquid comes to a boil. Decrease the heat slightly and simmer until the tangerine peel is soft, about 20 minutes. {Don’t stir, which will destroy the pretty round shape of the citrus.} Add the sugar and continue cooking until the sugar is dissolved. Cook until thickened and the juice has gelled slightly and is syrupy, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and let it cool to room temperature.
Arrange the candied citrus slices over the top of the cake, overlapping to make beautiful jeweled tiles of fruit. Drizzle some of the citrus syrup over the slices and allow it to drip down the sides of the cake. Slice and serve with crème fraîche or whipped cream/double cream.
PS, if you love the flavor of this citrus marmalade, make a batch or two using chopped citrus and keep it in jars in the fridge to serve with toast and biscuits.
Recipe for “Olive Oil Cake” by Sarah Copeland, The Newlywed Cookbook: Fresh Ideas & Modern Recipes for Cooking with & for Each Other, Chronicle Books (2012). Image credit Sara Remington. Read our review of this book.
