Comments on: Orange-Olive Oil Cake

By: David Leite

David Leite — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 17:21:06 +0000

Vonny, it’s my sincere pleasure.

By: Vonny

Vonny — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 16:02:55 +0000

I tried this recipe and it came out really awesome and flavorful cake. It’s delicious!! David, thank you very much for sharing this wonderful recipe.

By: David Leite

David Leite — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 20:48:46 +0000

Hi, Chris. So glad you liked the recipe. It is a winner. As to your notes, Bundt pans really vary in size. This cake need a big one. Mine is a 12- to 15-cup pan. It’s the only cake I make in it. And, yup, you can make it in other pans. I’ve seen it made in loaf pans, cake pans, brownie pans, you name it. You have t adjust baking time, obviously. As to the browning, it could be because your oven runs hot. My cake is never done at one hour, so there’s a clue. And the splitting…well…I love that. Plus it makes no matter, as the cake is flipped and sits for at least two days before you eat it.

Now, as to using less sugar. Sugar does all sort of things to the cake. It adds sweetness, moisture, structure, etc. I’ve never cut the amount of sugar, so I can’t really give you a hard and fast answer. But my suggestion is to use 1/2 cup less the next time. That shouldn’t hurt the cake at all. If that’s still too sweet, I’d try another 1/2, but no more. That would be more than 1/3 the sugar, which will change proportions, volume amounts, and chemistry.

By: Chris Solomon

Chris Solomon — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 01:06:24 +0000

David, I tried this recipe on the weekend, and I’m adding my voice to the rapturous commenters’ chorus. It’s moist, dense, sweet and orangy, just as advertised. I think the texture might be similar to pound cake. My lab notes: while baking the cake rose and would have overflowed the pan had I not divided some into a separate mini tin earlier. Perhaps my bundt pan is smaller. My cake was done (and getting quite dark at the edges) at 1 hour, but ovens vary. As it baked, the top split early on – I don’t think I care.

As I mentioned, I find the cake quite sweet, and as you mentioned in one of your podcasts, the Portuguese prefer their confections even sweeter than Americans. What’s the effect of reducing the sugar, chemically and mechanically? Experimenting is expensive so I’m asking you first.

Finally, does this recipe absolutely require a bundt pan or can it be made in other vessels, i.e. 8/9-inch round/square, 9×13-inch, cupcake tins, etc.?

Thanks again for publishing this recipe.

By: David Leite

David Leite — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 18:36:08 +0000

Manuela, that sounds lovely. Some Portuguese cooks add ground almonds to orange cakes, as they’re plentiful in the south, where the orange groves are. And I’ve used a chocolate ganache glaze on my cake. It makes it entirely non-Portuguese, but it’s still great.

By: Manuela

Manuela — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:00:51 +0000

We teach this cake every once in a while (not really Tuscan but it has an equivalent). We make this recipe differently: the oranges are boiled for 2 hours and then, thinly sliced, drained and stirred. This makes the flavour a little more bitter because of the cooked skin, but the texture is much more dense and it is easier to get it right. It also has less flour and calls for ground almonds. There is a cover of chocolate glaze that works perfectly with the taste of the oranges.

PS on our books suggest a Sephardic Easter origin.

By: David Leite

David Leite — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:42:18 +0000

Chris, no disdain at all. A chiffon cake is a might and lovely cake. It just wasn’t the cake served at the Lisbon resto. A chiffon cake is a much lighter cake, and gets its lift and lightness from the beating of egg whites until they’re stiff then folding them into a batter made with the yolks. Here the eggs are beaten in whole. While the cake isn’t heavy at all, it’s denser and firmer than a chiffon cake. Hope this helps.

By: Chris Solomon

Chris Solomon — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 10:02:19 +0000

David, to my ears, you seemed to express a measure of disdain for the chiffon cake in your story. Having never baked or eaten this cake or a chiffon, I was wondering if you could tell me what you feel distinguishes them as they are both based on an oil as the fat component. As a person with a food allergy, I’m really interested in confections that don’t require butter.

By: David Leite

David Leite — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 16:20:47 +0000

My dearest Judy, well thank you. I’m so happy you like the cake, And by all means, share away and sing away.

By: Judy

Judy — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 15:12:19 +0000

OMG. David, this cake came out so beautifully. I love many things about it. First, it has a lovely, lightly brown crust which adds flavor, then the inside is moist and tender with a delightful orange flavor that is light and refreshing. It is a welcome flavor in the frigid, snowy Minnesota winter. I probably have made hundreds of Bundt cakes (they are my favorite thing to make) and this one is a thing of beauty! Thanks so much for sharing it. I will be making it for many of my friends and will sing your praises!