Recipes / Baking / Italian Ingredients Servings
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Quantities for 10 servings
115 g unsalted butter 150 ml good extra virgin olive oil 250 g plain flour 250 g caster sugar 3 large eggs, at room temperature 180 ml whole milk, at room temperature Zest of 2 oranges and juice of 1 1 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda 3/4 tsp fine sea salt 1 tsp vanilla extract 2 tbsp demerara sugar, for the top
This one is closer to chemistry: the quantities in the base are holding the texture together, so weigh them as written rather than going by eye. Flavourings are a different matter — citrus, spices, extracts, nuts and toppings are all yours to play with.
Method 1 Melt the butter in a light-coloured pan over medium heat, swirling often. It will foam, then quiet down, then the milk solids at the bottom will turn golden-brown and smell like toasted hazelnuts — about 5–7 minutes. Pour it immediately into a bowl, browned bits and all, or it will keep cooking and turn bitter. Let it cool until just warm. 2 Heat the oven to 175°C / 155°C fan / 350°F. Line a 23 cm round tin with parchment and grease the sides. 3 Rub the orange zest into the caster sugar with your fingertips until the sugar is damp and fragrant. This releases far more citrus oil than simply stirring it in. 4 Whisk the eggs into the sugar and beat hard for 2–3 minutes, until pale and noticeably thickened. 5 Pour in the cooled brown butter and the olive oil in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly, then whisk in the milk, orange juice and vanilla. It may look slightly split at this stage — the flour brings it back together. 6 Sift the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt over the bowl and fold with a spatula just until no dry streaks remain. Stop there; overworking now means a tough cake. 7 Scrape into the tin, level the top and scatter over the demerara sugar. Bake for 45–55 minutes, until deep golden and a skewer in the centre comes out with a few moist crumbs but no wet batter. 8 Cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then turn out onto a rack. Let it cool completely before slicing — warm olive oil cake tears instead of cutting cleanly. Tap a step to cross it off. Your place is saved on this device.
Cook’s notes Use an olive oil you'd happily eat on bread; a harsh, bitter oil comes through clearly in the finished cake.
Keeps, well wrapped at room temperature, for 4 days and genuinely improves overnight as the crumb settles.
Lemon works in place of orange — use the zest of 3 lemons and the juice of 1.
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