I have a confession to make: I asked a certain waitress in a certain restaurant in a certain city for the recipe for the incredible olive oil cake I had in her restaurant. She said only the staff were given the recipes but that she had given her two weeks notice and thought it would be ok to share from her phone. I am eternally grateful. Please don’t judge us.
Secret Incredible Olive Oil Cake:
2 2/3 cups sugar
4 eggs
16 oz evoo
2.5 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
12 tbs heavy cream
7.5 oz whole milk
Apricot Simple Syrup:
1/3 cup apricot preserves
1 quart water
3 cups sugar
Steps:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Whip the eggs and sugar for 10 minutes on medium speed until there are ribbons.
Add the cream and milk and mix to combine.
Combine the dry ingredients and then add to the batter.
Mix on low speed until there are no lumps.
Slowly incorporate the olive oil in around 6 additions so the batter doesn’t separate.
Butter and flour a springform pan and add the batter.
Bake for 1 1/2 hours or 10-15 minutes more if the crust isn’t golden brown on the sides. A toothpick should come out clean in the center and it should feel firm.
While the cake is baking, make the simple syrup by simmering the syrup ingredients and whisking until fully incorporated.
When the cake is done, poke many holes in it and pour 6 oz. of the warm syrup all over the cake into the holes.
Invert the cake still in the mold onto a large plate and let sit for 15 minutes.
Remove the springform pan and poke holes along the top of this side of the cake.
Now ladle another 6 oz. of the syrup over this side of the cake.
Leave at room temperature for at least 2 hours before refrigerating if you are not eating it immediately.
When ready to serve, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with Maldon sea salt. Feel free to sprinkle powdered sugar on the top with a stencil as I have done in the pic below :-).
