Olive Oil Fig Cake - Easy Loaf or Bundt Cake

Olive Oil Fig Cake is one more fresh fig recipe for those of you who, like me, simply love figs. For this easy recipe, you'll want to use a nice fruity extra virgin olive oil. And remember to take the time to add the oil in a slow steady stream, fully incorporating it as you go.

Four more ways I use fresh figs: Fig Upside-Down Cake, Fig Almond Upside-Down Cake (gluten-free), Fig and Frangipane Galette, Fig Clafoutis.

Now that every day is Wednesday, you'd think I'd have more time for
painting; but I don't. Just a few minutes for a quick watercolor sketch.

I like to bake it in my favorite loaf pan, which has the same capacity as a standard 9x5x3-inch loaf pan but has straight sides, giving me nice square slices. Or in my 8.5-inch 10-cup Kugelhopf pan.

Of course, if you are not a fig fan you can use the same amount of apples or pears or whatever you like. But do try it with figs—they are wonderful! Tell me, are you a fig fan? And how are you faring? I hope you and yours are staying safe and sane! 

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Olive Oil Fig Cake

(Makes one 9x5x3- or 9x4x4-inch loaf)

2 dip-and-sweep cups (10 ounces/283 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour1 tablespoon non-GMO baking powder
1 teaspoon cardamom (may substitute mace or nutmeg, if you must)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cups (9.33 ounces/265 grams) sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
Finely grated zest of one medium lemon
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
3/4 cup (6 fluid ounces/177 ml or 5.625 ounces/160 grams) extra virgin olive oil

1 pound (16 ounces/454 grams) fresh figs (I used Black Mission), stems off and skin on, cut into 1/3-inch dice

1 Butter well and flour a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan or 9x4x4-inch Pullman loaf pan (holds 10 cups). Preheat oven to 350F/180C/Gas4.

Note: I also like to bake it in this 8.5-inch/10-cup Kugelhopf pan (the same one I use for my Babka recipe) or a 10-cup (not 12-cup) Bundt pan. 

2 In 1.5-quart bowl, combine flour, baking powder, cardamom, mace or nutmeg, and salt. With electric hand mixer on low speed, whisk the dry ingredients together for 1 minute to "sift."

3 In 2.5-quart bowl, combine sugar, eggs, lemon zest and extracts. With electric hand mixer on medium speed, beat for 2 minutes until light and fluffy.

4 With mixer running on medium speed, gradually pour the olive oil in a thin stream into the egg mixture, so that it is completely incorporated. This should take 4 to 5 minutes; don't rush it.

5 Remove about 1/4 cup of the flour mixture and fold the remainder into the egg mixture. Toss the figs with the 1/4 cup of flour, then fold them and any loose flour into the batter.

6 Scrape batter into prepared pan, smooth the top, then drop the pan a few times from a height of just a few inches to settle the batter. Bake for about 55 to 60 minutes, until it passes "the toothpick test." Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 to 15 minutes, then turn cake out of pan and continue cooling on wire rack for 2 hours. Before serving, you might give it a dusting of powdered sugar. And a little whipped cream is never a bad idea!

Disclosure: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon .com and affiliated sites. We are a ThermoWorks affiliate, earning a small commission at no cost to you on purchases made through our links. This helps cover some of the costs of running the blog. Thank you for your support. 

Jean

Spiced Rice Pudding - Women in the Kitchen Review and Giveaway

Spiced Rice Pudding is the first recipe I've made from Anne Willan's latest book, Women in the Kitchen. You might say the recipe below is my adaptation of Anne's adaptation of Amelia Simmons' recipe (likely an adaptation!) in her book American Cookery published in 1796.

And it isn't the oldest recipe in Women in the Kitchen, which tells the stories of 12 female cookbook authors, from 1661 right up to the present, who shaped and influenced home cooking. Not simply a cookbook writer, Anne is known for her prize-winning literary food writing. 

People of many interests—not just cooking, but history as well as writing and publishing—can enjoy this book. It would be a great resource for writers of historical novels.

I've always been interested in historical foods. Here are a few of the ones I've posted over the years: Sally Lunn Buns, Bakewell Tart, Indian Pudding, Steamed Jam Sponge Pudding, Yorkshire Pudding. So I was fascinated to learn more about the early writers. 

And three of my favorite modern-day female cookbook authors—Julia Child, Edna Lewis, and Alice Waters—are featured in the book. The first of the book's Edna Lewis recipes I'll be trying is Crispy Biscuits, not the light soft biscuits one would expect from a Southerner and which she excelled at. I am intrigued!

I hope you'll enter the Women in the Kitchen giveaway below, whether you want the book for yourself or for gifting. And do let me know in the comments who your favorite cookbook writers are. 

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Spiced Rice Pudding

Adapted from Women in the Kitchen by Anne Willan, which was an adaptation from American Cookery by Amelia Simmons

Amelia Simmons
American Cookery
1796
Rice Pudding No. 3

(I halved the recipe, making 6 to 8 servings)

1/2 cup (3.5 ounces/99 grams) Arborio or other short-grain white rice
1 quart (32 fluid ounces/946 ml) milk
1/2 cup (3.5 ounces/99 grams) sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
4 large eggs (medium, in UK)
4 tablespoons (2 ounces/57 grams) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup (2 fluid ounces/59 ml) red, rosé or white wine

1 In a heavy-bottomed 2-quart saucepan, bring the rice and milk to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 to 20 minutes, until tender. Remove from heat and let cool.

2 Preheat the oven to 300F/150C/Gas2. Butter a 1.5-quart baking dish.

3 In a 1.5- to 2-quart bowl, with an electric mixer, combine the sugar, salt and spices; beat in the softened butter. Add the eggs and beat for 2 to 3 minutes, until thick and light.

4 With a spoon, stir the egg mixture into the cooled rice mixture, followed by the wine. Pour into the buttered baking dish and bake for about 1 1/4 hours, until pudding is set and top is browned.

5 Allow to cool at least 30 minutes before serving warm. Even longer if you prefer it at room temperature. It's also good cold. Whatever you like. Keeps, covered, in refrigerator for up to 3 days. Serve plain or with berries or other fruit.

Women in the Kitchen Giveaway 

Scribner will send winner a copy of Women in the Kitchen: Twelve Essential Cookbook Writers Who Defined the Way We Eat, from 1661 to Today by Anne Willan.

This giveaway is open to US residents* (See next paragraph, international friends!) 18 years of age or older. Leave a comment below (one entry per person). Please include your email address in the body of your comment; I don't have time to track you down. Enter by 11:59 p.m. Eastern time Wednesday September 30. 

* If you are outside the US but would like to have this sent to someone in the US (you would have to send them a gift card separately on your own), go ahead and enter! 

Winner will be chosen by random drawing and be announced here in the comments before noon Eastern time on Thursday October 1. If I don't hear back from the winner of the random drawing by noon Eastern time Saturday October 3, another drawing will be held and a new winner selected from the original entrants (those who commented before the giveaway deadline).

Disclosure: Scribner provided a book for review purposes and for the giveaway. The views expressed here are entirely my own. I always tell my readers what I really think!

Disclosure: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon .com and affiliated sites. We are a ThermoWorks affiliate, earning a small commission at no cost to you on purchases made through our links. This helps cover some of the costs of running the blog. Thank you for your support. 

Jean

Simple Roasted Tomatoes for the Freezer

Freezing oven-roasted tomatoes is one way to take advantage of a bumper crop. Of course, if you're growing a lot of tomatoes, you might need to can them. 

My watercolor sketch of a tomato from the garden

But for me it was just a matter of having several pounds more than I needed all ripe at the same time. So early this morning before it got hot, I preheated the oven and roasted two half sheet pans of tomatoes yielding 5 half-pint jars. I'll likely be doing another batch in a few days.

You can freeze the roasted tomatoes in whatever size portion you need for the recipes you make. In my case, I went with half-pint jars. Whatever size you choose, be sure they are straight-sided jars. Jars with "shoulders" are more prone to breaking in the freezer.

Why nothing more than extra virgin olive oil, salt and coarsely ground pepper on the tomatoes? Because I'll be using them in American, British, Indian, Italian and Mexican dishes, each requiring different aromatics, herbs and spices. So just keeping it simple! 

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Oven-Roasted Tomatoes

(Makes 1 half sheet pan, 2 or 3 half-pint jars)

2 tablespoons (1 fluid ounce/30 ml) extra-virgin olive oil, divided
About 2.5 to 2.75 pounds/1.13 to 1.25 kg ripe tomatoes
1/8 teaspoon or more salt
1/8 teaspoon or more coarsely ground black pepper

1 Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper. Brush with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Preheat oven to 400F/205C/Gas6.

2 Wash and dry tomatoes, cut away the stem and stem scar. Slice tomatoes about 1/3 inch/1 cm thick. Place in a single layer on the parchment-lined and oiled half sheet pan. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil over the tomatoes, rubbing it around with your fingers, or brush it on. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

3 Place in preheated oven for about 45 minutes or more, depending on the thickness and juiciness of the tomato slices. When they are done to your liking, at least shrunken and a bit shriveled, let them cool on the pan for a few minutes. Spoon them into jars, leaving about 1/2 inch of headroom, put on the lids.

Disclosure: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon .com and affiliated sites. We are a ThermoWorks affiliate, earning a small commission at no cost to you on purchases made through our links. This helps cover some of the costs of running the blog. Thank you for your support. 

Jean