Portuguese Orange Olive Oil Cake
This is not only a favorite cake of mine but it is also one that my friends have requested me to make for them and they also have asked for the recipe. You should wait a day to eat it but that means that it is a cake that keeps well. This recipe is based on one that can be found on the Leite's Culinaria website.
Ingredients
butter and flour for prepping the pan
4 to 5 large organic navel oranges, because you are using the zest it is important that the oranges be organic
3 cups granulated sugar
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt
5 large eggs
1 1/2 cups mild, fruity extra-virgin olive oil
confectioner sugar for sprinkling
Instructions
Position a rack in the middle of the oven and set the temperature to 350ºF (180ºC). Coat a 12-cup Bundt or tube pan with butter and sprinkle flour over it. Instead you could use nonstick baking spray with flour if you prefer.
Finely grate the zest of 3 oranges into a medium bowl and rub it into the sugar with your fingers and set the bowl aside.
Squeeze the juice from 4 oranges. You should have 1 1/2 cups of juice. If you don't, squeeze the 5th orange until you have enough juice.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
Place the eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or use a handheld mixer in a large bowl. Beat the eggs on medium-high speed until well combined, about 1 minute. Slowly pour in the orange zest and sugar mixture and continue to beat until thick and pale yellow, about 3 minutes.
Switch to low speed and alternate adding the flour mixture and the oil, starting and ending with the flour. Beat until just a few wisps of flour remain. Slowly drizzle in the orange juice with the mixer on its lowest setting to bring the batter together.
Gently scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a cake tester comes out with just a few moist crumbs clinging to it, about 1 1/4 hours. Check the cake from time to time and if the top begins to brow too much, cover it loosely it with foil.
When the cake is done place it on a wire rack and let it cool in the pan for 15 minutes, no longer. If the cake stays in the pan for too long a time the sugar will begin to cool too much and stick to the pan. I always set a timer so I don't forget to take the cake out of the pan after 15 minutes. Turn the cake onto the wire rack and let it cool completely. Place the cake under a cover and let it sit overnight. This moist fruity cake only gets better with age. It will be even better the next day, though my husband doesn't agree with that. He can't resist eating a piece right away. Just before serving, dust the cake with confectioner's sugar.
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