Apple Olive Oil Cake

Yesterday, Erik and I biked 30 miles around DC on a perfect Fall day (which we later learned was unseasonably cool for September). This got me in the mood to make something Fall-ish, and Alexandra must have read my mind. When we got home from the ride, I had a text from her with this recipe, and it solved all of my “what should I make this week” problems.

As a bonus, this weekend is Rosh Hashanah, which means we had slices of this cake with a little bit of honey to celebrate.

To start, oil a 9×5 loaf pan and sprinkle with sugar.

Grate your apples, peels and all, and place in a clean dish towel. Wring out as much liquid as possible. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the cinnamon, black pepper, cloves and ginger.

Transfer 1/4 teaspoon of the spice into a small bowl.

Add the flour and baking powder to the medium bowl and whisk together with the spice mix. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla extract and salt. Whisk until it lightens and thickens up.

While continuing to whisk, slowly pour in the olive oil, whisking to combine completely.

Add the flour mixture. Fold in with a rubber spatula until just combined.

Fold in the grated apples to incorporate.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.

Add 2 teaspoons of sugar to the remaining spice mixture. Sprinkle over the top. Bake at 350°F for about an hour, until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cool in pan. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool completetly.

As I said, we had ours with a bit of honey today. However, I was really craving some ice cream with it, and think a ginger ice cream or spiced ice cream of some kind would go really well. Or maybe I just really wanted some chunky pumpkin. Tomorrow, when we have a few friends over for dinner, I think I’ll supplement with some whipped cream.

Either way, store at room temperature, covered in tin foil.

Enjoy!

Apple Olive Oil Cake

Ingredients:

• 2 apples
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 1/2 cups (185 g) all-purpose flours
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup (100 g) dark brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup plus 2 teaspoons (100 g plus 10 g) granulated sugar, plus more for pan
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup olive oil, plus more for pan

Directions:

1. Prepare the pan. Oil a 9×5 loaf pan and sprinkle with granulated sugar. Set aside.
2. Grate the apples, with peels, and place in a clean kitchen towel. Wrap up and wring out as much juice as possible. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together cinnamon, black pepper, cloves and ginger. Remove 1/4 teaspoon and place in small bowl.
4. Whisk flour and baking powder into spice mixture in medium bowl. Set aside.
5. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, egg yolks, brown sugar, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, vanilla extract, and salt. Whisk vigorously until thickens and lightens.
6. While continuing to whisk, slowly pour in 1 cup of olive oil and whisk until combined.
7. Fold in the flour mixture with a rubber spatula until just combined.
8. Fold in the grated apples.
9. Pour batter into prepared pan. In small bowl with reserved spice mixture, add 2 teaspoons sugar and mix together. Sprinkle over top of batter.
10. Bake at 350°F for about 1 hour, until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.