Name: Pine Nut Olive Oil Cake
Total time: 180 min
Ingredients: 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for pan; 2.5 cups all-purpose flour (about 10 5/8 ounces), plus more for pan; 2 teaspoons baking powder; 0.5 teaspoon baking soda; 0.5 teaspoon fine sea salt; 0.5 cup whole milk; 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest plus 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon), divided; 1 cup granulated sugar; 3 large eggs; 0.5 cup pine nuts; 2 large egg whites; 0.25 cup granulated sugar; 0.33 cup all-purpose flour (about 1 1/2 ounces); 0.25 cup unsalted butter, melted; 0.5 teaspoon vanilla extract; 0.25 cup pine nuts; 0.125 teaspoon fine sea salt; 2 (750-milliliter) bottles unoaked dry white wine (such as Sauvignon Blanc); 1 medium-size (11-ounce) orange; 2 cups granulated sugar; 6 whole star anise; 1 (3-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 1/4 cup); 1 vanilla bean pod, halved lengthwise; 2 pounds firm-ripe Fuyu persimmons (about 8 small persimmons), peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch wedges (about 5 cups); Vanilla ice cream, for serving

Pine Nut Olive Oil Cake — Photo: PHOTO:Jose Mandojana / FOOD STYLING ROBYN VALARIK / PROP STYLING CHRISTINE WOLHEIM

Active Time:

1 hrs 20 mins

Total Time:

3 hrs

Servings:

Olive oil and pine nuts are the heart of this simple, yet elegant cake. Served with white wine, spice glazed persimmons, wafer-like tuiles, and vanilla ice cream, this tender cake acts as a sponge to soak up the gingery persimmon syrup. Use an oven with uniform temperature and heat circulation to ensure your tuiles come out evenly browned.

Ingredients

Cake

1 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for pan
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour (about 10 5/8 ounces), plus more for pan
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
½ cup whole milk
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest plus 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon), divided
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
½ cup pine nuts

Tuiles

2 large egg whites
¼ cup granulated sugar
⅓ cup all-purpose flour (about 1 1/2 ounces)
¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup pine nuts
⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt

Glazed Persimmons

2 (750-milliliter) bottles unoaked dry white wine (such as Sauvignon Blanc)
1 medium-size (11-ounce) orange
2 cups granulated sugar
6 whole star anise
1 (3-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 1/4 cup)
1 vanilla bean pod, halved lengthwise
2 pounds firm-ripe Fuyu persimmons (about 8 small persimmons), peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch wedges (about 5 cups)

Additional Ingredient

Vanilla ice cream, for serving

Directions

Make the cake:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with olive oil. Line bottom with parchment paper. Lightly grease and flour parchment paper and sides of springform pan; set aside.
Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir together milk and lemon juice in a small bowl; set aside.
Combine sugar, eggs, and lemon zest in bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until pale and thick, 3 to 4 minutes. Gradually stream in olive oil, beating on medium-high speed until mixture is well combined and thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce mixer speed to medium-low, and add flour mixture in 3 additions alternately with milk mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture; beat until just combined, about 20 seconds. Transfer batter to prepared springform pan, and smooth top using a spatula. Sprinkle evenly with pine nuts.
Bake in preheated oven until a wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cake cool in springform pan 15 minutes. Remove sides and base of springform pan, and let cake cool completely, about 1 hour. Do not turn off oven.

While cake cools, make the tuiles:

Whisk egg whites in a medium bowl until foamy, about 1 minute. Add sugar, and whisk until sugar dissolves, about 30 seconds. Whisk in flour, butter, and vanilla until smooth. Cover and chill until batter is cold, about 20 minutes.
Line 2 baking sheets with silicone baking mats. Spoon about 1 tablespoon batter for each tuile onto prepared baking sheets, spacing batter at least 1 inch apart (6 tuiles per baking sheet). Using the back of a spoon or a small offset spatula, spread each scoop into a 4-inch round (about 1/8 inch thick). Sprinkle evenly with pine nuts and salt. Bake in 2 batches at 350°F until light golden brown, 8 to 9 minutes. Remove from oven; let cool completely on baking sheets, about 20 minutes. Set aside.

Make the glazed persimmons:

Bring wine to a boil in a medium saucepan over high. Boil, undisturbed, until wine reduces to about 1 1/2 cups, 45 to 50 minutes. Peel orange rind into large strips (about 1/4 cup); reserve orange flesh for another use. Reduce heat to medium, and stir in orange rind strips, sugar, star anise, and ginger. Scrape seeds from vanilla bean, discarding pod; add seeds to sugar mixture. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves, 1 to 2 minutes. Add persimmons; simmer, stirring occasionally, until persimmons are tender, 20 to 35 minutes, adjusting heat as needed to maintain a low simmer. (The liquid should never come to a boil.) Using a slotted spoon, transfer persimmons to a medium bowl; set aside. Pour poaching liquid through a fine wire-mesh strainer into a medium bowl; discard solids.
Return poaching liquid to saucepan, and bring to a boil over medium-high. Boil, undisturbed, until liquid is reduced to about 1 1/4 cups, is syrupy, and coats the back of a spoon, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in reserved persimmons.
Cut cake evenly into 12 slices. Top each slice with 1/3 cup glazed persimmons and syrup. Serve with 1 tuile and ice cream.

Make Ahead

Glazed persimmons can be made up to 1 day in advance and stored in an airtight container in refrigerator. Warm over low until heated through before serving.