The Moistest Orange Olive Oil Cake

One of the desserts for my Italian Dinner Night was an Orange Olive Cake, oh my gosh was it awesome! I love anything citrusy, and this cake was soooo good.  It was moist, that is always at the top of my list when eating cake. It was especially good because there is no frosting on this cake, it doesn't need it! I made two cakes for my dinner and by the end of the night, all but two small pieces were left.  It was a fan of everyone, as some took pieces of it home and wanted the recipe.  I served my cake with fresh whipped cream on the side sprinkled with a little orange zest.

This cake is going to be a staple in my house.  The hubby loved it, we were fighting over the last piece of the cake, shame on us, we know how to share!

This is one of the easiest cakes I have ever baked, and outside of my homemade chocolate cake, this one is a number one too.  This is how I made it.

Recipe below.

To print recipe, click on it, highlight and print.

To view photos in a larger format, click on them.

Simple ingredients is all it takes to make this delicious cake and I always have these ingredients in the house, so I didn't have to run to the store.

 Spray your spring form pan with baking spray, cut a round of parchment paper by tracing around bottom of pan.  Cut inside the trace mark, place the round in the bottom of pan.

 Zest oranges, and start mixing ingredients together.

 Don't forget to wrap outside bottom of pan with foil.

 Cake is done and cooled.

 There it is in the back, dusted with confectioner's sugar and looking pretty tasty!

Orange Olive Oil Cake

Ingredients

zest from 1 1/2 - 2 oranges, I like a lot of zest in it for more flavor

1 3/4 cups unbleached white flour

1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom, optional (see note)

3 eggs

1 1/4 cups sugar

3/4 cups regular extra virgin olive oil, do not use flavored oils
3/4 cup Simply Orange No Pulp Orange Juice

Confectioner's sugar for dusting on top of cooled cake

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 inch spring form pan with cooking spray. Place a round of parchment in the bottom of the pan and spray lightly with cooking spray. Wrap the outside of the pan bottom in heavy duty foil to catch any leaks.

Zest oranges, set aside.  Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and cardamom (if using), set aside.

In large bowl, beat eggs on medium high with mixer until broken up and combined, about 1 minute.

Slowly add sugar and continue beating until light and pale yellow, about 3 minutes. On low speed, alternate adding the flour mixture and oil to the egg mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. (1/3 flour, 1/2 oil, 1/3 flour, 1/2 oil, 1/3 flour) mixing until mostly combined after each addition.  On low speed, add the orange juice and zest until all is combined.

Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake for 50-60 minutes or until cake tester/toothpick inserted in center comes out with just a few moist crumbs.  If you notice cake starting to get really brown, tent a piece of foil over the top for the remaining baking time. Remember all ovens are different, mine took exactly 55 minutes. 

Remove  from oven to a cooling rack, allow to cool for 5-10 minutes in pan.  Take a paddle knife and go around the edge between the pan and cake to loosen it from the ring.  Remove ring around spring form pan and allow to cool completely on a rack.

Cover cake and let sit overnight.

Dust with confectioner's sugar and serve. Make 1 cake.

NOTE: Cardamom has a spicy, herbal, citrusy, smoky flavor to it.  The 1/8 teaspoon this recipe called for gave this cake a hint of the taste. If you want more of that taste, use your judgement and use more Cardamom, but if you don't like it or are allergic to it leave it out.

Short Vacations

The hubby is on vacation this week so we are doing a few little day trips to places we have never visited.  The first day trip stop was to Hershey, PA, who wouldn't want to go to the land of chocolate!  It was a long trip, but we started out at Giannotti's for a great big delicious breakfast that got our day and our ride started. 

Our long trek started at about 8:30 in the morning, traffic was not too bad, and after stopping for breakfast the traffic was gone.  So off to Hershey we went, the hubby hasn't had a whole week of vacation in years.  We don't take vacations, you will all understand if you have children still in college, it just doesn't happen.  We enjoyed our day just being us for a change without anyone else, that also doesn't happen when there are kids at home.  I love my kids, but I have been raising kids for 40 years!  Yes my oldest is going to be 40 this year, and the youngest just turned 21 last week! Who does that?  ME! Crazy life I lead isn't it.  While in Hershey we visited Hershey Gardens and The Hershey Museum. 

Our second stop on the same day was Lititz, PA, a lovely little town with lots of quaint shops and friendly people.  The first store I really had to visit was OLIO.  The whole store, is a feast for your taste buds of flavored olive oils and balsamic vinegars.  They also sell scented olive oil soaps and lotions, cookbooks, pottery, pasta, pasta sauces and honey.  I fell in love with the store, too bad it's a long ride there or I would visit it everyday.

We were looking for a great place to have lunch, and the owner of the olive oil store recommended the Tomato Pie Cafe.  Delicious food and great sized portions, I ordered a grilled mixed cheese sandwich on sour dough bread (my favorite bread) and a house salad (that was huge by the way) with a sweet honey mustard dressing.  It also came with an herbed scone and pickles.  My drink was an herbed lemonade that was awesome.  It was homemade and had just the right amount of flavor and sweetness.  The hubby ordered a turkey, cheese, tomato and lettuce sandwich and a mix of spring greens, pear, blue cheese and candied pecan salad with a vinaigrette and a strawberry banana smoothie.  We had our lunch alfresco on their brick patio that was just so cute, I could imagine eating there everyday too!

So upon entering the museum mock factory in Hershey, PA I noticed this sign, one side for men and the other for women.  Boy am I glad times have changed!

 There is a beautiful lake entering the The Hershey Gardens.

And stop and smell the roses, it's allowed.  A huge, huge rose garden on the left of the lake, the fragrance of all the roses is so awesome.  Usually you have to stick your nose in a rose to smell it, but not here, it is in the air and it is lovely! Thousands and thousands of them, all colors and varieties.

The children's garden was beautiful, every child should visit this place, lots to do.  This covered archway leads you to the garden.

Lots of fun things for children to do.

 Chocolate kisses anyone?

 Click on the pictures to enlarge it and you will see two giant praying mantises made out of junk, there are alot of architectural pieces like this throughout the children's garden for eye catching appeal.

This is an alligator, and a watering can with climbing ants, and flowers made out of saw blades.

A dragonfly and a huge spider.

 Then we entered the Japanese garden, a babbling brook led the way....

 Across the bridge and a gnarled Japanese maple tree.

 You will always find a cat and a bunny in your garden, so why not here!

This pagoda was surrounded by all kinds of herbs, household, cooking and medicinal, the fragrances were mesmerizing.

 This owl figurine was very large and so was this tree, the bench is dwarfed by it!

 The hibiscus were the size of large dinner plates.

Then it was off to Lititz, PA, where by surprise I found this signage on the main street.

OLIO, the olive oil store was fantastic!  This is what I purchased, as well as, a cookbook by Ina Garten.  Olive oil, sweet balsamic vinegar, strawberry balsamic vinegar, bread dipping herbs, orange ginger sugar and lavender sugar.  Both sugars I purchased will be used at my annual Christmas Cookie Baking Party, for dusting cookies for a new flavor.

Then of course we couldn't resist and had to stop at the Wilbur Chocolate Factory, for some sweet chocolaty goodies for the ride home.

I took a run around Zest! a cool kitchen store and found some interesting things - birthday napkins, creole seasoning and paella seasoning.  The owner there asked me if I ever made paella, I never had, so she offered me her recipe, so nice of her!  I told you the people were nice in this little town.

On the way out of town we stopped at the Tom Sturgis Pretzel Factory, for a huge box of hard pretzels (my family's favorite snack) and 2 fresh baked soft pretzels to eat on the way home, boy were we full after eating them.  We had a great day just spending time together, it's rarely done as we have a very busy house!  Up next, Gettysburg and York, can't wait!

Beginning and End of a Great Meal

We had family over for dinner on Saturday and I made homemade bruschetta for an appetizer. It's quick and easy and it was very tasty, if I say so myself.  Summer tomatoes are the best to use if making this dish, they are rich in flavor, juicy, and the color they get from the summer sun is beautiful.  I made this bruschetta with campari tomatoes, they always taste like a summer tomato, no matter what time of year it is. The recipe is below so start chopping!

1/2 chopped sweet onion - such as vidalia, 5 cloves of garlic, minced

1 small box of campari tomatoes, quartered then chopped

2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

3 Tbsp chopped fresh basil

2 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese

1/4 cup olive oil

3 Tbsp balamic vinegar

salt & pepper to taste

1 baguette, sliced to top with bruschetta.  Can you say yummy!

I Scream You Scream We All Scream For Ice Cream!

I also made Raspberry Ice Cream for dessert. Get out all your ingredients, whole milk, heavy cream, eggs, sugar, salt, vanilla and frozen raspberries.  You also need an ice cream maker.  Recipe is below.

Pulse frozen raspberries in a food processor or blender

They will look like little beads when you are done

Beat eggs and 1/3 cup of sugar until a thick stream drips from beaters

Milk, cream and 1 cup of sugar in a heavy saucepan

Combined milk and raspberry mixture

Pour into a bowl

Cover the very top of it with plastic wrap and chill for 3 hours or more

Pour into frozen barrel of ice cream maker and churn

Pour into a container with a lid and freeze for about 8 hours or overnight. Oh baby this stuff is soooo good! Rich, creamy and tasty and full of raspberry flavor.

RASPBERRY ICE CREAM

6 cups of frozen red raspberries

2 cups whipping cream

2 cups whole milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/3 cup sugar

2 eggs

pinch of salt

1.  Place the 6 cups of berries in a food processor or blender.  Pulse until raspberries are like little tiny beads.

2. Combine cream, milk, vanilla, 1 cup of sugar and the salt in a heavy sauce pan. Heat on medium, until almost boiling, then remove from burner.  Bubbles will form around the sides of the pan and it will be steamy.

3. In a separate bowl use a hand mixer to beat the eggs and remaining 1/3 cup sugar until a thick stream drips from the beaters.

4. Pour 1 cup of the warm milk into a bowl and slowly drizzle in the egg mixture.  DO NOT pour all of it in the milk.  The eggs have to be tempered with the warm milk, otherwise you will have scrambled eggs.  Then, add the rest fo the milk mixture and stir.  Pour the egg/milk mixture back into the clean pot and cook over medium heat until the mixture thickens, about ten minutes,  while stirring constantly.

5. Take the mixture off the heat and stir in the raspberries.

6. Pour mixture in a large bowl and put in the fridge with plastic wrap placed directly on the top.  Chill for 3 hours or more.  Pour mixture in the frozen barrel of an ice cream maker, it takes about 20 - 25 minutes to churn it.  When done scoop out of barrel, put it in a container and freeze for 8 hours or until firm.

NOTE:  This recipe will have to be made in 2 batches depending on your ice cream maker. To check to see if ice cream is done churning, it should be thick and churning over the top of the blender part of the ice cream maker.