This is a variation from the basic Chocolate-Olive-oil-almond-and-ginger Cake to which I have added a middle layer of cream, and some sour cherries.
I doubled the recipe, making a round, simply decorated cake, and a log, for Marianna and Leonida Allamani’s 16th birthday.
See the BASIC RECIPE to make the cake and the chocolate Glaze. (more…)
‘Eat olive oil and come tonight’ (Φάε λάδι κι έλα βράδι) as the old Greek saying commended, pointing out the lightness, as well as the aphrodisiac properties of our indispensable ingredient. Both our savory and sweet dishes and treats are better with olive oil, I think, and I am not alone; this truly sumptuous cake is based on Nigella Lawson’s popular recipe!
The glaze is based on Smitten Kitchen’s vegan olive-oil chocolate cake, but I prefer to use honey instead of corn syrup. I love to top the cake with crystalized ginger, but you can use candied orange slices if you prefer.
Serve with cream and fresh strawberries or sliced oranges, preferably the spectacular-looking blood oranges, if you can get them.
For a 9-inch cake (more…)
Starting from my Tsoureki —the the sweet, orange-flavored olive-oil-brioche-like dough I used for the Mallorca buns– I halved it and created two, very different festive, spring dessert versions.
For the first –our Easter cake– I used the sweet brioche instead of any other base to make a fresh strawberry treat. The other half of the dough I flattened, sprinkled with chopped semi-sweet chocolate, and ground almonds, then rolled into a loaf, and baked. Had I seen Lior’s Babka I would have cut and twisted the rolled dough to make it more spectacular. (more…)
This is a delicious, moist and very easy bread dough.
I describe here how you can make it into savory or sweets treats.
No need to make them both the same day, though. Just keep half the dough in the fridge to stuff and bake within the next 2-3 days making the sweet or savory version.
You also can form into loaves or small buns and eat instead of any other bread; it makes wonderful sandwiches.
The cheese-stuffed bread is a lovely accompaniment to soups and vegetable dishes, or served as meze with drinks. The chocolate bread can be part of breakfast or accompany soft cheese or served with tea, and coffee.
Yields 2 round loaves
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