Gluten Free Citrus Olive Oil Cake With a Boozy Twist
Jump to RecipeOnly for a much better well being, I am Gluten free… yet again. 🤦🏻♀️ I have to say it has made me feel so much better in just one week. My energy levels are up! Mind feels clearer and not so hazy; and most importantly my gut is feeling so happy. Going gluten free is not the end of the world and I can still add my boozy twist – I mean this is My Boozy Kitchen after all!
I’ll chat about the cake now now, but first I want to chat to you a little more about olive oil. Understanding Olive Oil will help you choose the right kind of oil for your cooking. Firstly we need to learn how to taste EVOO.
How To Taste Olive Oil?
You may decide to purchase an olive oil solely on the colour, the quality of olive is unrelated. The most important key to olive oil is all about taste and harmony. If you are looking for an exceptional high quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil, it is important that you find one that is predominantly “fruity” in aroma (things like green or ripe olive fruit, or hints of fruit such as apple, banana, citrus, passion fruit, forest fruits, or fresh vegetables such as tomatoes, greens, artichokes, or fresh cut grass).
You may ask but why fruity? Well simply because EVOO is a natural juice that gets extracted from the olive fruit, pretty much like orange juice. The fruity aroma is an olfactory characteristic, the same as wine. We perceive it through our nose when we sniff the oil. When we taste a really good olive oil, bitter and spicy notes flood our mouth, perhaps along with, or followed by, a slightly sweeter flavour and aromas that remind us again of fruits, vegetables, grass, and spices.
Herewith is a super helpful flavour wheel to help you with your next olive oil tasting. Next time visit the olive estates directly when purchasing olive oil this way you will have a chance to sample.
But then a big question still remains – can you cook with Extra Virgion Olive Oil?
Cooking with Extra Virgin Olive Oil
One of the oldest myths about Extra Virgin Olive Oil is that you can’t cook with it and that simply isn’t true. Authentic Extra Virgin Olive Oil (that has not been refined or blended with other oils) is highly stable when heated. EVOO not only has a high smoke point (temperature at which visible smoke forms), but most importantly, it does not break down into harmful compounds like other oils when heated at high temperatures.
The smoke point of Extra Virgin Olive Oil this is between 200 and 220°C, which is much higher than needed for most cooking styles, including frying. Contrary to popular belief, even when olive oil reaches smoking point, it won’t become carcinogenic.
The best flavour combinations are obtained when using the most appropriate style of oil with a particular food. The more intensely flavoured foods are best complemented with more intensely fruity oil while, for a special dessert, very delicate oil will enhance the subtle flavours without dominating the dish.
Suggested combinations
- The more intense oils for grilling meat, sautéing garlic and onions, on toast with ricotta, swirled into hot soup and for ice cream.
- Medium style oil for baking fresh tuna, with chicken, on subtle salads and in baking.
- Use delicate oil for mayonnaise, in desserts and over fresh fruit.
Looking for more tips on how to cook with Extra Virgin Olive Oil?
Right so who is hungry for some cake?
Gluten Free Citrus Olive Oil Cake With a Boozy Twist
This gluten free citrus olive oil cake is super moist and slightly dense but absolutely delicious. Apart from it being a healthy cake, what I loved the most is that this cake is not overly sweet. It has a lovely balance. The olive oil really packs a good punch of flavour to the cake. I chose a lovely fruity EVOO – you can also add a little flavoured olive oil like either lemon or blood orange flavour for that extra citrus zesty flavour.
You can choose if you would like to just dust the cake with a little icing sugar (yawn… boring) and enjoy with a cuppa tea or you can do the extra steps of adding a boozy twist. I made a glaze by adding a little touch of gin. Don’t add too much as you don’t want it to be too overpowering. Candied lemon and naartjie peel for some additional texture and flavour. For that extra kick… a sprinkling of pink peppercorns bringing it all together. So harmoniously like an angel choir!
The original recipe said that it needed to bake for about 45min, however mine was baked within 35 minutes. I do recommend that you keep an eye on it. Should it get golden to quickly pitch a tin foil tent over the cake so it doesn’t burn. I would also recommend a nice, warm and spicy gin to the glaze as it brings all the flavours together. I also use caster sugar instead of white sugar. It makes cakes less sweet.
The candied citrus was a lovely edition. I didn’t cook it for very long about 20minutes. It was soft but still had a nice bite to it. I also took a naartjie peel and thinly sliced it, adding it to pot. The nice thing about this is… you have a delicious simple sugar syrup. Perfect for your boozy cocktails! BONUS!!!
And that is my story – I am not going to keep you for long because I know how people hate it when us food bloggers jabba jabby for too long. I hope you enjoy this cake as much as I did.
PS don’t for get to enjoy this with your favourite cup of “tea” 😋😋
Gluten Free Citrus Olive Oil Cake With a Boozy Twist
Equipment
- Parchment Paper
- Stand Mixer
- Oven
- Stove
- Large Heavy Based Saucepan
- Springform Cake Tin
- Cooling Rack
- Mixing Bowls
- Measuring cups and spoons
Ingredients
Gluten Free Olive Oil Cake
- Spray and Cook For the pan
- ½ cup EVOO Flavourful and packs a nice punch
- ½ cup Castor Sugar
- 1/4 cup Castor Sugar (Not an error – divided use)
- Finely grated zest of 1 a lemon/orange/naartjie You can focus on one flavour or do a mixture of
- ¼ cup Fresh lemon juice or orange juice or a combo of both
- 4 large egg seperated
- 2 cups Almond flour
- ¼ cup Coconut flour
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoon Sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Cream of tartar
Citrus Gin Glaze
- 2 tbsp Gin
- 2 tbsp Orange Juice
- 2 tbsp Lemon Juice
- 100 grams Icing Sugar
- Pink Peppercorns for decoration
Candied Citrus
- 1 Lemon thinly sliced
- 1 Naartjie Peel thinly sliced
- 1 cup Castor Sugar
- 1 cup Water
Instructions
Gluten Free Olive Oil Cake
- Switch oven on and preheat your oven a 160°C. Spray the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform cakepan with Spray and Cook. Line the bottom of the pan with a round of parchment paper, and spray the parchment with spray and cook. You may use butter or if you looking for a vegan alternative – coconut oil.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, ½ cup sugar, citrus zest and juice, and egg yolks. Once all nicely combined place a sift over the top and sift in the almond and coconut flours, baking powder, and salt. Stir to combine
- Place the egg whites and cream of tartar in the clean bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk the egg whites until foamy. Once it looks foaming with the mixer still, gradually add in the remaining ¼ cup sugar and continue to whisk until the egg whites are shiny, holding a firm peak.
- Fold one-third of the whipped egg whites into the gluten free batter, then fold in the remaining egg whites. Pour the batter into the cake pan. Make sure that it is nice and smooth on top.
- Bake the cake until deep golden on top, beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan, and the top springs back when pressed lightly, it should be between 35 to 45 minutes. If you notice the cake is darkening too quickly, tent the top with a piece of aluminum foil to prevent it from burning. Once the cake is cooked take it out of the oven and allow for it to cool slightly, loosen the edges and release the sides if using a springform pan.
- Turn the cake upside down on a wire rack. Peel the parchment, then turn right side up and let cool completely. Dust with icing sugar if using or follow the next steps for a boozy twist.
Citrus, Gin and Pink Peppercorn Glaze
- In a mixing bowl sift the icing sugar so you don't have any lumps. Nobody likes a lumpy glaze.
- Add the gin, citrus juice and whisk until nice and smooth. It must be slightly runny.
- Once the cake has completely cooled, poor over the glaze.
- Sprinkle with a few pink peppercorns. To take the cake to another level make some candied citrus and put on top of the glazed cake.
Quick and Easy Candied Citrus
- In a large saucepan, combine the castor sugar and water. Bring to a boil and reduce to a gentle simmer (med-low) and add lemon slices in a single layer and sprinkle the naartjie zest.
- Simmer over medium-low (uncovered) for 20 minutes, gently flipping once or twice during the cooking process. Transfer the lemon slices to a wire cooling rack or waxed paper and let cool.
- Once cooled use on the cake to decorate. Keep the sugar syrup and add to your next cocktail.
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