Italian Orange-Anise-Yogurt Olive-Oil Cake

“"Hello?..Oh, hi Tom. Ooh, I've been dying to see that movie...Mmm no, I just opened up some yogurt. I am in for the night....Not even later, it's the kind with the fruit on the bottom. Thanks anyway. Have fun." "Oh...Sorry I'm late...Traffic. Hm. Really? How you think I got here? Hellacoptered in?"”
Ellen DeGeneres

I always wanted to make an olive oil yogurt cake. I have been collecting recipes to experiment with. I was feeling very "Italian ", and decided on traditional flavors.




I started with this recipe below:

About the author: Dorie Greenspan is the author of several books on dessert, most recently Baking: From My Home to Yours. Dorie can also be found at DorieGreenspan.com and on the Bon Appétit website, where she is a special correspondent.

EVO and Yogurt Loaf Cake

- makes 8 servings -
Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 cup sugar
Finely grated zest of 1 lime
1/2 cup plain whole milk yogurt
3 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup EVO (extra-virgin olive oil)
Procedure

Getting ready: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Generously butter an 8 1/2-x-4 1/2-inch loaf pan, place the pan on a lined baking sheet and set aside. Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt and keep near by.

1. Put the sugar and zest in a medium bowl and rub the ingredients together until the sugar is fragrant. Whisk in the yogurt, eggs and vanilla. When the mixture is well blended, gently whisk in the dry ingredients. Switch to a spatula and fold in the oil. The batter will be thick and shiny. Scrape it into the pan and smooth the top.

2. Bake the cake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until it is golden and starts to come away from the sides of the pan; a knife inserted into the center of the cake will come out clean. Cool on a rack for 5 minutes, then run a knife between the cake and the sides of the pan. Unmold and cool to room temperature right-side up.

Storing: You can keep the cake at room temperature for at least 4 days or freeze it for up to 2 months

View other entries from Baking with Dorie.

Recently, I purchased a some bag of semolina flour, and hazelnut flour. I decided to incorporate them into my recipe.




My version: x1, x2, x3 ( Three flour trials)

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup hazelnut flour x1... or 1/2 cup semonlina flour,x2..... or 1/2 cup corn meal x3
2 teaspoons baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 cup sugar
Finely grated zest of 1 orange
1/2 cup plain whole milk yogurt
3 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon pure rum extract
1/8 teaspoon ground anise
1/2 cup EVO (extra-virgin olive oil) ( not a strong olive flavor)

FINAL Version- the best

1 cup semolina flour
1/2 cup hazelnut flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 cup sugar
Finely grated zest of 1 orange
1/2 cup plain whole milk yogurt
3 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon pure rum extract
1/8 teaspoon ground anise
1/2 cup EVO (extra-virgin olive oil) ( not a strong olive flavor)
**can omit anise seed and rum, and use just 1/4 teaspoon anise flavor

I decided to make muffins since it would be easier to split the recipe into trials

All four versions came out delicious. Except the cornmeal version.^^ ...the corn flavor did not match well with the Italian flavors. The hazel nut flour was perfect! It gave each muffin a "nutella" base of yummy goodness.

ciao!