olive oil – Sweet Tooth Experiments

Olive Oil and Vanilla Cupcakes with Ricotta Frosting

Posted on March 31, 2018 Posted in Cupcakes .

Olive Oil and Vanilla Cupcakes with Ricotta Frosting

Yes this does sound like a cupcake recipe with flavours at opposite side of the pairing scale.

The fragrant delicate vanilla taste mixed with the deep and strong olive oil palate, however stick with me for a minute as these flavours really do work together. The vanilla gives the olive oil richness and sweetness that makes an interesting and complimentary combination. However, using olive oil instead of butter means the loss of some soft and fluffiness, thus I needed to include some creaminess to the recipe.

As olive oil is a core ingredient in Greek/Italian food I though I would introduce an icing that also held these properties, therefore a ricotta icing was produced. The ricotta added the missing element making the cupcake very unique in taste and satisfying to eat. If you like the taste of olive oil you will definitely love this treat. And the touch of lemon zest, well this with the olive oil is a marriage made in heaven.

Ingredients:

Batter:

5 eggs (4 eggs + 1 yolk)
200g sugar
3 tbsn vanilla essence
180ml olive oil
175g flour
½ tsn cream of tartar

Icing:

200g icing sugar
110g butter
1 tbsn vanilla essence
1 + 1/2 tsn lemon zest
50ml olive oil
200g ricotta

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 180c degrees and line a 24 capacity cupcake tin with patty pans.
Place the 5 egg yolks onto a bowl with 50g of the sugar and beat with electric beaters for 10 minutes, until the mix is pale and creamy.
Add the vanilla and olive oil and beat until light and creamy.
Add the flour and beat until just combine.
In a separate bowl beat the 4 egg whites until soft peaks.
Add the cream of tartar and remaining sugar, 1 tbsn at a time, beat until glossy and thick.
Fold ¼ of the eggwhite mix into the olive oil batter until combine.
Fold the remaining egg whites in until just combine.
Spoon the mix into the 24 medium size cupcake patties in the prepared cupcake tray.
Bake in the oven for 15 minutes of until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Place the cupcakes on a rack to cool.
To make the icing beat the icing sugar and butter with electric beaters until light and fluffy.
Add the vanilla essence, zest, oil and ricotta and beat until the mix is smooth.
Using a piping bag and star nozzle pipe the icing on the top of the cooled cupcakes.

Step 2

Step 4

Step 5

Step 6

Step 7

Olive Oil and Vanilla Cupcakes with Ricotta Frosting recipe

Step 8

Step 9

Step 11

Step 12

Step 13

Like this recipe? Subscribe via RSS or email to get my new entries and more scrumptious recipes with reviews.

Rosemary Apple and Olive Oil Cake

Posted on November 16, 2015 Posted in Cakes .

Rosemary Apple and Olive Oil Cake

After some recent experimenting with Basil, Earl Gray, Jasmine and Green Tea I’m not surprise that I have also taken an interest in more spice and herb kitchen staples. The latest fixation – Rosemary. So I went a bit Rosemary baking crazy on the adventure with plenty of trial and error until I finally came up with a recipe that ticked all the box.

I was so sure the Chocolate and Rosemary cake experiment would be the strongest, but was triumphed by the Apple Rosemary and Olive Oil Cake.

The flavour of this cake is very interesting and addictive with a savory twist. While the apple provides a delectable and delicate texture.

Ingredients:

760g peeled and diced apple pieces
4 eggs
160ml olive oil
2 tsn vanilla
4 tsn dried rosemary
270g sugar
100g flour
80g self raising flour
60g ground almonds

Apple Crisps:

40g butter
40g sugar
250g peeled and thinly sliced apple

Icing:

500ml mascarpone cheese
100ml honey
1 tsn vanilla essence

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 180c degrees and line a 20cm cake tin with baking paper.
Peel and diced the apple into small pieces and set aside.
Place the rosemary into a mortar and pestle and grind until fine.
Place the eggs, olive oil, vanilla, ground rosemary and sugar into a bowl and beat with electric whisk for 2 minutes of until the mix is light and fluffy.
Sieve in the flours and ground almonds and whisk with a hand whisk until just combine.
Add the apple and stir until just combine.
Pour the mix into the cake tin and bake for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
Place the cake onto a cooling rack until cold.
To make the apple crisps use a mandolin to finely slice the apple and place in a saucepan on a medium heat with the sugar and butter.
Stir until the butter and sugar mix is soaked into the apple, then place the apple onto baking paper and place in the oven for 10 minutes or until the apple begins to golden.
Remove the apples and set aside to cool.
To make the icing place the mascarpone, vanilla and honey into a bowl and using electric beaters whisk until peaks form.
Cut the cake in half horizontally and spread with half the cheese mix.
Place the 2^nd cake layer on the top of the cheese icing layer and top with the remaining cheese.
Scatter the apple crisps over the top of the cake and enjoy.

Step 2

Step 4

Step 6

Step 7

Rosemary Apple and Olive Oil Cake recipe

Step 8

Step 9

Step 10

Step 13

Step 14

Like this recipe? Subscribe via RSS or email to get my new entries and more scrumptious recipes with reviews.

Lemon, Basil and Olive Oil Cake

Posted on February 5, 2014 Posted in Cakes .

Photographer: Margaret Paola Minero

Lemon, Basil and Olive Oil Cake

Gosh, if I remove the word ‘cake’ from this Lemon, basil and olive oil title you would swear I am making a pasta sauce!

Don’t let this fool you, this cake produces the most amazing texture that can only be described as more fluffy that a sponge cake but cheesecake like, yep seriously (a friends words not mine)!

Separately lemon and olive oil in cakes is quite common (olive oil thanks to the likes of the carrot cake popularity). However, basil…this is the first time I must say I have come across this ingredient in a cake, therefore of course I had to make it.

Believe it or not this cake is a winner, especially to the everyday taste bud that doesn’t have a sweet tooth obsession as bad as mine (in other words it is sweet but not chocolate caramel layer cake sweet).

We already know these flavors work, why not give it a try!

Ingredients:

180ml olive oil
16 basil leaves
4 eggs separated + an extra yolk
170g white sugar
Finley grated zest of 1 large lemon
2 tbsn + ½ tsn of lemon juice
1 pinch salt
175g plain flour
1 tsn cream of tarter

Syrup:

10 basil leaves
60g white sugar
4 tsn lemon juice

Method:

Place the oil and basil in a pan on the stove on high until the basil starts to sizzle and crisp up. Once you hit this stage take the pan off the heat and leave aside to cool.
Line a 20cm cake tin with baking paper and pre-heat the oven to 180c.
Beat the egg yolks and 1/3 of the sugar until thick and pale.
Add the cold oil, zest, juice and salt and beat to combine.
Gently fold (be very gentle) the flourinto the batter until just combine.
In another bowl beat the egg whites and cream of tarter until peaks start to form. Now add in the remaining sugar and beat until mixture is thick and glossy.
Place a large spoonful of egg whites in to the batter and gently fold to loosen the batter up.
Once lose fold in the remaining egg white mix very very gently.
Spoon the batter into the cake tin and smooth the top.
Bake for 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the cake comes out clean.
Cool in the tin for 10 minutes than transfer onto a cooling rack.
Now for the syrup, combine all ingredients into a pan with 80ml water and stir on the stove on medium until the mix is reduced to a nice syrup consistency.
Dust the cake with icing sugar and spoon the syrup over the cake, serve.

Notes:

I whipped up some thickened cream with 2 tbsn of icing sugar and brought 250g strawberries that were mixed with 2 tsn of icing sugar and 2 tsn lemon juice. I then piped the cream and placed the strawberries on top of the cake before the syrup was spooned on the cake to decorate. Lastly I placed a few basil sprigs in the center for the look.
The reason I say very very gently is because there is no self-raising agent in this cake. The rise of the cake comes from the egg white and cream of tarter combo you have beaten, so if you are not gentle enough the cake will loose its rise (old school raising styles going on here)!