Olive Oil Pound Cake Recipe With Glazed Apples | Turning Table
A chef makes the case for olive oil cake
When Chicago's French-inspired Balsan introduced a Sunday supper series this fall, pastry chef Stephanie Prida created desserts that matched the seasonal, family-style menu. Her olive-oil-rich pound cake added an on-trend finish to the comfort-food-filled meals. Prida tops her version with glazed apples and walnuts, but we found the cake to be a fitting canvas for everything from poached pears to vanilla ice cream. Whatever pairing you choose for this cake, use a mellow, fruity extra-virgin olive oil for baking and save the more peppery oils for the main course.
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Recipe adapted from Stephanie Prida, Balsan, Chicago
Olive Oil Pound Cake with Glazed Apples
A recipe for olive oil pound cake from chef Stephanie Prida of Balsan restaurant in Chicago
servings
8
servings
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1½ tablespoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 large eggs
- 1¼ cups sugar
- Zest of 2 lemons (about 2 tablespoons)
- 1½ cups extra-virgin olive oil
- ⅔ cup whole milk
- ⅓ cup brandy
- ⅓ cup fresh orange juice (from about 1 medium orange)
- Glazed Apples (recipe follows)
- 1 cup walnuts, toasted
- Glazed Apples
- 1 cup sugar
- ¼ cup water
- 4 Honeycrisp apples--peeled, cored and cut into ¼-inch slices (about 4 cups)
- ½ cup apple cider
- ½ cup Calvados
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 325˚ and arrange a rack in the middle. Coat a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- Make the cake: In a medium bowl, whisk the flour with the baking powder and salt and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with the sugar until combined; add the lemon zest, olive oil, milk, brandy and orange juice and whisk again until combined. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk until combined.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan. Bake the cake, turning halfway through, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Let the cake cool on a rack for 30 minutes, then run a knife around the edge of the loaf and invert it onto the rack and let cool completely.
- While the cake cools, make the apples: In a medium skillet, cook the sugar and water over medium heat, swirling the pan (do not stir the sugar and water with a spoon), until dark amber, about 8 minutes. Fold the apples into the caramelized sugar. Add the cider and Calvados and cook over medium heat until the apples are tender and translucent, about 8 minutes.
- Cut the loaf into 8 slices and divide among 8 plates. Garnish with the glazed apples and walnuts and serve immediately.