Recipe courtesy of Luke Deardurff
From:
Food Network Magazine
Olive Oil Cake with Ricotta and Orange Marmalade
- Level: Intermediate
- Yield: 12 servings
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 12 servings
- Calories
- 1064
- Total Fat
- 67
- Saturated Fat
- 28
- Carbohydrates
- 112
- Dietary Fiber
- 1
- Sugar
- 89
- Protein
- 8
- Cholesterol
- 150
- Sodium
- 694
- Total: 2 hr 45 min (plus cooling)
- Active: 1 hr 10 min
Ingredients
For the Cake:
2 3/4 cups granulated sugar
1 cup water
1 bunch basil, bruised leaves removed
3 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/3 cups extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/4 cups milk
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
Cooking spray
Sea salt, for sprinkling
For the Filling:
2 ounces cream cheese
4 ounces ricotta cheese
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
Pinch of kosher salt
1/2 pound (about 2 cups) confectioners’ sugar
Grated zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
Grated zest of 1/2 orange
1/4 cup orange marmalade
1/2 cup chopped chocolate-covered wafers
For the Frosting:
6 large egg whites
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
4 sticks unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Candied orange peel, for decorating
Directions
- Make the cake: Bring 1 cup granulated sugar and the water to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce to a simmer, add the basil and cook until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Leave the basil in the syrup until ready to use.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Combine the eggs, the remaining 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar and the kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat until the mixture is thick and falls off the whisk in thick ribbons, 4 to 5 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, slowly stream in the olive oil until emulsified. Whisk together the flour, baking soda and baking powder in a separate bowl. Switch to the paddle attachment, then beat in the dry ingredients in 3 batches, alternating with all of the milk, then all of the lemon juice; scrape the bowl between each addition.
- Coat three 8-inch round cake pans with cooking spray and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Divide the cake batter among the pans, then sprinkle each with a pinch of sea salt. Bake until the cakes are golden and are just beginning to pull away from the pans, 35 to 40 minutes (a tester inserted into the centers may come out with some crumbs). Let cool 10 to 15 minutes in the pans, then invert onto a rack, remove the parchment and let cool completely. Once the cakes have cooled, strain the basil syrup through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing on the leaves. Warm up the syrup slightly and brush on the cakes.
- Make the filling: Combine the cream cheese, ricotta, butter and kosher salt in a food processor and process until smooth. Add the confectioners’ sugar, lemon and orange zest and the lemon juice and process until smooth. Transfer the filling to a piping bag and snip the corner.
- Assemble the cake: Place 1 cake layer on a cake stand or platter. Pipe a border of the ricotta filling around the perimeter on top, then spread 2 tablespoons marmalade within the border; sprinkle with about 2 tablespoons chopped chocolate-covered wafers. Spread or pipe more of the ricotta filling on top, filling inside the border. Sprinkle with 2 more tablespoons of the chopped wafers, then set a second cake layer on top. Repeat the process, finishing with the third cake layer on top.
- Make the frosting: Combine the egg whites, granulated sugar and fine salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Set the bowl over a saucepan filled with a few inches of simmering water (do not let the bottom of the bowl touch the water). Cook, whisking, until the sugar dissolves, the egg whites are frothy and the mixture is warm (about 160 degrees F), 3 to 5 minutes.
- Transfer the bowl to the stand mixer and beat with the whisk attachment on medium-high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form and the mixture cools to room temperature, about 5 minutes. With the mixer running, add the butter a few pieces at a time, waiting for them to incorporate before adding more. (The mixture will become liquidy, then it will get thick and shiny once the butter emulsifies. It may also look curdled as you add the butter. It’s OK: Keep adding butter and beating.) Add the vanilla and beat until the frosting is combined and fluffy, 3 to 5 more minutes.
- Coat the top and sides of the cake with the frosting and decorate with candied orange peel.