Apple and olive oil cake based on one by the exceptional teacher and Tuscan cook Giulia Scarpaleggia
Total Time 1:30 min
Serves 8-12
Ingredients
- 4 apples
- Juice of ½ lemon
- 180g soft brown or caster sugar, plus 2 tbsp extra for the apples
- 4 eggs
- 120ml extra-virgin olive oil
- 150g ricotta
- 240g flour
- 1 pinch salt
- 8g baking powder
- 2 tbsp apricot jam
Method
Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan)/350F/gas 4 and prepare a 26cm round cake tin, either by greasing it with a knob of butter, then dusting with flour, or lining it with baking paper.
Peel, core and quarter three of the apples, then cut each quarter into 2mm-thick slices. Put these in a bowl, then toss with the lemon juice and two tablespoons of sugar.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs, then add the olive oil, ricotta, sugar, flour, salt and baking powder. Stir the apple slices into the batter, then scrape everything into the prepared tin.
Peel core and slice the remaining apple , then use the slices to decorate the surface of the cake, placing them in concentric circles, starting from the outside and working in.
Bake in the middle of the oven for 45 minutes, or until the top is golden, the cake firm and a strand of spaghetti inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool for 30 minutes, then remove from the tin. Warm the apricot jam until runny, then paint over the cake, leave to cool and eat while it’s still warm or at room temperature.