blueberry lavender chocolate chip olive oil cake

While hot dogs and hamburgers are standard 4th of July cook-out fare, this delectable cake is a welcome alternative to the typical strawberry shortcake. With olive oil as the fat, not only is the cake's crumb is soft and the perfect canvas for fruit, but it bakes up to a beautiful golden brown.

Yield: 16 pieces
160 calories per piece
Active time: 5 minutes
Total time: 40 minutes

ingredients

2 large eggs

1 large egg yolk

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons dried lavender

1 cup blueberries, rinsed

1/2 cup chocolate chips

preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

2. Line a 8 by 8 inch pan with parchment paper.

3. With your hand mixer, cream the eggs, egg yolk, and sugar on high until foamy, about 2 minutes.

4. Add in the olive oil and beat until combined, about 1 minute.

5. Add in the flour, salt, lavender  and baking powder, beating just until incorporated, about 30 seconds.  Do not overbeat the batter, as this will lead to sunken or chewy cake.

6. Scrape down the bowl and fold in the blueberries and chocolate chips.

7. Pour the batter into the parchment lined pan.

8. Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes.

9. Let the cake cook for 10 minutes and then remove it from the pan, using long sides of the parchment paper as handles.

Original recipe found here.

brioche

This recipe calls for three sticks of butter and five eggs. Of course it tastes amazing. :) 

Yield: 1 large loaf

4,500 calories per loaf

Active time: 30 minutes

Total time: Overnight proof required, about 18 hours

Looking for a no-knead brioche? Check out my other blog post.

ingredients

the sponge

1/2 cup high gluten flour
2 teaspoons yeast
1/2  cup whole milk, lukewarm

the dough
5 large eggs, slightly beaten
3 cups (13.75 ounces) unbleached bread flour
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) granulated sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 sticks  unsalted butter, at room temperature 

preparation

the day before:

1. In your stand mixer bowl, combine “the sponge” ingredients and stir until a shaggy dough forms.

2. Use your hands to knead the dough into a ball, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside to ferment for 30 minutes.

3. Add the eggs to your stand mixer bowl which already contains the sponge and beat at medium speed with the paddle attachment until smooth, about 3 minutes.

4. Add the flour, sugar, and salt to the sponge mixture and mix with paddle attachment on speed 2 until all the ingredients are hydrated and evenly distributed, about 2 minutes.

5. After the mixture is hydrated, let the dough rest for 5 minutes. 

6. With the paddle attached, work in 1/4 of the butter, mixing on a speed of 4.  Repeat with the remaining butter 1/4 at a time, only after the butter is fully incorporated. This takes about 8 minutes and you may need to scrape down the bowl between butter incorporations.

 

7. After all the butter has been incorporated, mix the dough on a speed of 4 for about 5 minutes.

8. Using your hands, knead the dough a few turns, shape into a ball, place into a lightly oiled bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and place the bowl in the fridge to proof overnight. The dough will be very smooth, almost like Gak!

the day of:

9. Turn the dough out onto your counter top and shape it into a loaf/brioches a tete/buns.  The mold/pan should be left half full to allow for expansion.

10. Place the dough in a parchment lined loaf pan/baking sheet/well-oiled molds, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside to double in bulk/fills the mold. This can take anywhere from 2-5 hours.  My loaf to about 4½ hours to double in bulk.

11. Brush the loaf with egg wash, sprinkle on sesame seeds, and set aside for 15 minutes.  

12. While the loaf is set aside, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

13. Bake the bread for 20 minutes, then lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees.

14. Bake until golden brown and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped, about 40 minutes. Given the high fat content of this bread, it will brown very quickly. You’ll want to look for other signs of doneness and may have to tent it to prevent over-browning. I tented my loaf when I turned the oven down to 350 degrees.

Original recipes found here and here.