We are having a party for my Mom's birthday today, and coincidentally I am scheduled to make Mom's Olive Oil Orange Bundt for my Sunday Morning Baked challenge. How fantastic is that!? I secretly think my family is getting sick of me bringing buttercream-style cakes to ALL our family events, so this cake will be the perfect break in pattern for me. I can't wait to surprise her. Happy Birthday Mom, and thanks for all you do for your crew :)
I always get so excited when I discover fun and interesting little shops offering unique goods and wares. Such was the case with a little place I happened upon in my own town called Twisted Olive. This little gem of a shop specializes in gourmet olive oils and balsamic vinegars, as well as a variety of other goodies for the foodie in you. What is really great about this shop is that you are able to sample all of their offerings before you purchase. It's set up as sort of a wine bar but with large vats of olive oil to siphon from.... who doesn't love free samples especially when you don't have to worry about driving yourself home (as the case with our local wine tasting shop).
After much sampling, I decided on their Meyer Lemon Extra Virgin Olive Oil based on Matt & Renato's recommendation to use a high-quality olive oil with a citrus undertone. What I didn't plan on with my purchase was that 3/4 cups is a lot when using fancy-schmancy olive oil. My $12 olive oil purchase was not quite enough to cover what I needed, and I ended up using olive oil I had on hand to make up the difference.... Whoa, this was turning into one expensive cake!
I quickly got over my olive oil shock as I started zesting the oranges. Their sweet perfume lifted my spirits as it wafted up into the kitchen.... such a rejuvenating smell. In all honesty, I needed that little pick-me-up 'cause I was a feeling bit crankish.
This batter was a bit of a challenge to work with (think thick) until you folded in the whipped egg whites. For me, this is always a test of patience to make sure I don't fold to frantically. Believe me, I have ruined many a cake by folding to hastily. So, take your time, and I always have the best luck folding with the biggest balloon whisk I have! Mine is fairly obnoxious looking, but it does the trick every time (sorry I didn't get a picture of it for you.)
This cake looked beautiful baked! I love seeing vanilla bean seed in my baked goods, and the smell was delightful. It was a perfect way to break in my NEW bundt pan... I know, I can't believe it took me so long to purchase one either.
When all was said and done, this cake was quite tasty. It had a mild citrus taste, but I would have liked a bit more of an 'orange' flavor. Perhaps, I just need to add more orange zest to meet my needs, or maybe the lemon olive oil I selected overpowered the orange flavor of the zest. It also had an interesting 'chewiness' while eating that I can't decide if I liked or not.
Due to the out of pocket expense for this cake (because of the high-quality olive oil), I am not sure I will make this again. However, I still recommend you give it a try. It is a unique cake with good citrus flavor. Oh, and I definitely recommend the citrus glaze :)
Hmmm.... I am very curious to check out how my fellow Baked Sunday Morning bakers fared with this recipe.
Have a Sweet Sunday!
Jaime @ The Great Cake Company
