Maialino's Citrus Olive Oil Cakes

I have a million apple cake recipes here on the blog.....and an equal amount of olive oil cakes.

I love them both.

Over the years I have made cakes by boiling the citrus and pureeing them into the batter (VERY GOOD)......using Sicilian olive oil; California olive oil; Greek olive oil.....it's all good.

For years I have been eating at Danny Meyer's Maialino Restaurant in NYC and I always order the olive oil cake for dessert.
Why is it so much better than others?

Years ago, I asked the pastry chef for the recipe and I jotted it down a napkin (TRUE STORY).
However, the measurements were HUGE and quantity for a restaurant, not for a home cook.

Food52 published the recipe and I decided to dive in and make mini bundt cakes, instead of my usual cake.

A few notes on why not all cakes are created equal.

What kind of olive oil are you using? 1 1/3 cups is a large quantity....so use one that you actually love the taste of.
I received a gift of Meyer lemon oil, and thought it would be a good use here.....it was.

Baking pans vary......I would make this in a cast iron skillet the next time, but I chose the mini bundt way, perfect for a dinner party.

Instead of an hour baking time (as the recipe says), I baked the cakes 30 minutes in a Nordicware commercial mini bundt pan.

I added fresh rosemary and used more Grand Marnier vs orange juice.

Also, definitely go with icing if you are doing the minis.

These were fantastic! I would be happy eating these little cakes weekly.

Maialino's Citrus Olive Oil Cake (adapted from Food52):

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/3 cups extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/4 cups whole milk
3 large eggs
1 1/2 tablespoons grated orange zest
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup Grand Marnier

Icing:

2 cups confectioner's sugar
1-2 tbsp fresh orange juice

Heat the oven to 350° F.

Oil, butter, or spray a 9-inch cake pan that is at least 2 inches deep with cooking spray and line the bottom with parchment paper.

If using a mini bundt pan, this will make 8-10 mini cakes (since my mold is only for 6 cakes, I had enough batter for a mini loaf cake too). Make sure you grease the molds VERY well, to insure easy out.

In a bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and powder.

In another bowl, whisk the olive oil, milk, eggs, orange zest and juice and Grand Marnier. Add the dry ingredients; whisk until just combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan (I use a measuring cup to pour into the mini bundt molds....easier) and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour (30 minutes if doing mini bundts), until the top is golden and a cake tester comes out clean.

Transfer the cake(s) to a rack and let cool for 30 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the pan, invert the cake onto the rack and let cool completely.

I like to ice my cakes while still warm (I know you are supposed to wait, but I have no patience).

Whisk icing with a fork and pour into a cereal bowl.

Dip each cake into the icing, working quickly, so it doesn't harden.
Let the icing drip down and harden.

These are fantastic!!!

PS I made this recipe again for Christmas, using a Field Cast Iron 8 1/2" skillet.
I substituted lime zest (along w/ the orange zest) for the rosemary, and I only used 1 cup of olive oil.

Still just as moist and fantastic!