Torta al Olio di Oliva (Olive Oil Cake)

Maria Capdevielle's Blog

This is a great cake to serve for breakfast or an afternoon snack. For this recipe I used Olivina certified Lucca Extra virgin olive oil. The slightly fruity, and sweet buttery flavors of this oil enhance the delicate citrus flavor of this cake.
- 3 cups flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 4 large egg yolks
- 3/4 cup Olivina certified Lucca Extra virgin olive oil
- 3/4 cup orange juice
- zest of 2 oranges
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon brandy
- 5 large egg whites
- 2 cups sugar

Preheat the oven to 375°. Line a 9-inch baking pan with parchment paper and coat lightly with nonstick vegetable oil spray. In a medium bowl, stir the flour and baking powder. In a large bowl, mix the egg yolks and 1 cup of the sugar at medium speed until very frothy, about 3 minutes. Add the olive oil, orange juice, zests, salt and brandy and mix at low speed. Add the flour mixture and mix until the flour is fully incorporated.
In a clean bowl, using clean beaters, beat the egg whites at medium-high speed until foamy. Gradually add the remaining 1 cup of sugar and beat until the egg whites are thick and glossy, about 4 minutes. Scoop a cup of the beaten egg whites into the batter and stir until combined. Fold the remaining egg whites into the batter until no streaks remain. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes, until the cake is golden and starts to pull away from the side. Set the pan on a rack and let the cake cool completely, about 1 hour.

Lemon Rosemary Biscotti

Maria's Blog
The rosemary and lemon zest gives a refreshing flavor to this version of biscotti. I like to serve them with dessert liquor like Limoncello or Vin Santo. They are also great served with a mild creamy cheese like Brie, Cremosina or Triple Cream.
- 2 cup flour; unbleached, all purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- pinch salt
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup Olivina certified extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest; freshly grated
- 2 tablespoon fresh rosemary finely chopped

Sugar for decorating

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or a Silpad. Preheat the oven to 350F.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, blend the flour, the sugar, the baking soda and the salt. In a small bowl whisk together the whole egg, the oil, the vanilla, the rosemary and the zest; add the eggs mixture to the flour mixture, beating everything together until combined.Divide the dough in half. Form each piece of dough into a log (approximately 2 inches wide and 12 inches long).Brush the logs with water and sprinkle them with sugar. Bake the logs in the middle of the oven for 30 minutes. Let them cool for 10 minutes. On a cutting board, cut the logs crosswise on the diagonal into 1/2 inch thick slices.Arrange the biscotti, cut sides down, on the baking sheet and bake them, for 10 minutes on each side.Transfer the biscotti to racks to cool and store them in airtight containers.

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