Orange Juice, Olive Oil and Pine Nut Cake
What a day! I have been wanting to make this cake for awhile now. Recently I have fallen in love with the simple tastes of Italian cake. Each time I have gone to make this I am missing some ingredient and have to postpone it. Finally, I have everything and I am ready.
I drop an egg on my kitchen rug! What a mess. I beat the egg whites, a bit too dry, I think but keep going. I place the cake in the oven and wait. I pull it out and let it cool. I take it out of the springform pan but it won’t come off the bottom. I set the cake on my cake plate so that I could take a few photos. I sliced a small piece and took a bite. The orange flavor was mild but nice. It was moist and I was thining about how I’d serve it tomorrow night.
Then I decided to move it to another counter.
It was like in slow motion, the cake slides off the pan and face down on my kitchen floor. It broke into several pieces and crumbled at my feet. As my nephew says…how sad for me.
But good for you I got that shot and took that bite. Hopefully yours will make it to the table!
Orange juice and olive oil cake with pine cakes
Adapted from Apples For Jam
4 eggs, separated
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup superfine sugar
¼ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
¾ cup olive oil
3 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1 heaping teaspoon baking powder
1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
½ cup pine nuts
Preheat the oven to 350 degree. Brush a springform pans with olive oil and dust with flour. Whip the egg whites in a large bowl until they are firm and snowy white. Whip the yolks with the vanilla until they bulk up and become foamy.
Whisk in the superfine and brown sugars, then add the olive oil bit by bit, mixing well after each addition. Add the flour; baking powder; orange rind, and juice, and beat well until you have a smooth batter, Gently fold in the egg whites.
Scrape out half the batter and spring each cake with pine nuts. Bake for about 35 minutes or until the tops are golden and crusty. Leave to cool before serving.
