Cake kismet // The recipe for Joanne Chang's Olive Oil Cake with Fresh Grapes

How a clandestine drop-off led to a lovely and light dessert

Hello! Hello!

The handover took place in the parking lot of Old Saybrook’s newest culinary destination: Gargano Pasta. It was Saturday morning and the place was jumping. The pasta makers were working on another batch of the terrific corn agnolotti – even though it was early, customers had torn through stacks of them. The salumi counter was humming (grazie, Michael, for waiting in line and scoring prosciutto and mortadella with pistachios). And every table in the dining area was taken, which was a shame, because I would have loved a cornetto to dunk into a double-shot cappuccino. With so much bustle and the distraction of gorgeous food, it was hard to spot my contact and give her the sign to meet me outside. But I found her and just steps from the crowd, no one saw Priscilla Martel slip me a quart of homemade ajo blanco. If I’d wanted to serve it to friends that night – and I did – and pass it off as my own – which I didn’t – no one would have known. The operation was that smooth. Almost as smooth as the icy cold soup.

Ajo blanco is white gazpacho made with bread, garlic, grapes, cucumbers, almonds – Priscilla, one of the best cooks I know, used Spanish Largueta almonds – and a bracing amount of Sherry vinegar. It’s meant to be topped with toasted almonds and sliced grapes. (Here’s a recipe for white gazpacho from Food52.) Ever thoughtful, Priscilla tucked green grapes into the stash bag. And that’s how one friend’s gift became another friend’s cake.

FROM START TO FINISH // FROM PRISCILLA TO JOANNE CHANG

It’s only now that I’m sitting down to tell you about the gazpacho and the cake that I realize just how connected they are. I was flipping through my friend Joanne Chang’s book, PASTRY LOVE, when I came across her Olive Oil Cake with Fresh Grapes. I’m sure I’d seen the recipe before, but never when I had bunches of grapes at hand. Cake Kismet. That the cake and the gazpacho both use olive oil, almonds and grapes, makes them related in some odd way. Had I not finished the soup, I’d have gotten a kick out of making a meal of Priscilla’s white gazpacho, Once Upon a Chef’s chicken salad with grapes and almonds, and Joanne’s lovely cake. I’d have done it as a culinary caper, but it would have been tasty.

Before I tell you about the cake, I’ll tell you that “I love Joanne Chang!” And I loved her the first time I met her, which was a lot of years ago when she was a pastry assistant to François Payard. In addition to being profoundly kind, extraordinarily generous, whip-smart and quick to smile, she’s boundlessly talented. Joanne is the founder of Flour Bakery and Cafe in Boston – there are now 10 of them – and, with her husband, Christopher Myers, co-owner of Myers & Chang restaurant. Joanne’s written five cookbooks and every recipe I’ve made from any one of her books has been perfect! And so was the Olive Oil Cake.

The cake is simplicity itself. Essentially a traditional(ish) yogurt cake, it’s made like a quickbread – you mix the wet ingredients in one bowl, the dry in another and then you stir the two together. In other words, it’s a make-it-on-a-whim cake. Like a classic French yogurt cake, this one has some almond four in the mix. Unlike the classic, it’s got egg yolks as well as whole eggs. It’s the oil, almonds and yolks that give the light sponge a pleasant richness and a welcome toothsomeness. There aren’t all that many ingredients in the cake and most of them are plain, yet the cake’s got personality. I like the way the flavors of olive oil, almonds, lemon and yogurt hopscotch. And how when you hit a grape, you get a pop of sweetness and tang. It’s a great cake.

Michael walked into the kitchen the morning after I’d made it, unwrapped what was left, cut a slice and said, “This is the kind of cake that you just can’t pass by without having a little. And then a little more.” Nailed it.

Wishing you all a sweet weekend. I’ll see you back here Tuesday – I’ve got something special lined up for all of you.

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JOANNE CHANG’S OLIVE OIL CAKE WITH FRESH GRAPES

• Adapted from her book, PASTRY LOVE

• Click here for printable recipe

GOOD TO KNOW BEFORE YOU START

The yogurt: I’ve made this cake with low fat yogurt and with whole yogurt, which is what Joanne calls for, and whole is better. If your yogurt is watery – I’m amazed at how many yogurts end up sitting in a pool of liquid when they’re left in a bowl for just a few minutes – line a strainer with a damp paper towel or cheesecloth, spoon in the yogurt (spoon extra), leave for 5 minutes and then measure out the amount you need.

The olive oil: The oil is not a background flavor – you’re going to taste it, so choose one you like. The cake is good with a fruity oil, interesting with a peppery oil and lovely with a mild oil. It’s your choice.

The sugar: The recipe calls for superfine sugar, but I used granulated and was happy with the results.

The grapes: Joanne specifies green grapes and they’re perfect here – their texture is great for baking. If all you’ve got are red grapes – use them. And if you love the cake as much as I do, you’ll want to swap the fruit with the seasons – berries are an easy sub, so are cherries, but the cake would be good with small pieces of plum, apples or pears, or segments of citrus. If the fruit is juicy, lay it on a double thickness of paper towels, cover with two paper towels and let drain for at least 20 minutes before using.

The measurements: In the front of the book, where Joanne gives tips to be a better baker, she says: Use a kitchen scale. You know that I’m in her camp on this and that I’m also a fan of measuring in metric. Joanne emphasizes the point by putting all the metric weights in her ingredient list in bold. I like this not-so-subtle nudge.

Makes one 9-inch cake, to serve 8 to 10

INGREDIENTS

• 3/4 cup/180 grams plain whole milk Greek yogurt (see above)

• 3/4 cup/165 grams olive oil (see above)

• 3/4 cup/150 grams superfine sugar (see above)

• 2 large eggs (about 100 grams), at room temperature

• 2 large egg yolks (about 40 grams), at room temperature

• 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (about 1 large lemon)

• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 1/2 large lemon)

• 1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract

• 1 1/4 cups/175 grams all-purpose flour

• 3/4 cup/75 grams almond flour

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1 cup seedless green grapes (about 5 ounces/150 grams)

• 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar, for garnish

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F and place a rack in the center of the oven. Line the bottom of a 9-inch cake pan with a parchment paper circle and set it aside. (It’s a beautifully deep cake – I used a 9-inch pan with 2-inch high sides.)

In a medium bowl, whisk together the yogurt, olive oil, sugar, whole eggs, egg yolks, lemon zest, lemon juice, and almond extract. In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, almond flour, baking powder, and salt. Pour the yogurt mixture into the flour mixture and fold them together until fully combined.

Scrape the batter into the prepared cake pan. Slice the grapes in half and arrange them cut side up in concentric circles on top of the batter.

Bake for 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 20 minutes, rotating the cake pan midway through the baking time, until the cake springs back when you press it in the middle and a cake tester inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. (Mine tested done at 70 minutes and was a lovely, deep golden brown, especially around the edges.)

Remove from the oven and let cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. When cool, carefully invert the cake onto a flat plate and lift off the pan (I ran a table knife around the edges of the cake before unmolding); peel off the parchment. Place a serving plate on top of the cake and turn it right side up so the grapes are on top.

Using a fine-mesh sieve, dust the cake evenly with the confectioners’ sugar to finish.

Leftover cake can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.

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