Apple olive oil cake and things that work

Another trailer for Gone Girl has been released, and it is fantastic – one can count on David Fincher to set that kind of dark mood in a two-minute trailer, for sure, and if I already was looking forward to watching the movie now I just hope time flies. :D

I’m not too keen on Ben Affleck portraying Nick Dunne – let’s just wait to see what happens – but, on the other hand, could there be anyone more perfect to play Desi Collings than Neil Patrick Harris? \0/

The music fits the atmosphere of the story really well and when the trailer ended I could read that Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross are the ones behind it – these two have already have already given us two amazing and innovative soundtracks (and deservedly took home the Oscar for The Social Network). It is great news that they’re once again working with Fincher – what a great combo. And the same way Fincher is sticking with Reznor and Ross for another job because he knows for sure they will perform amazingly, I’m back to baking with olive oil.

After the success of the orange olive oil cake I baked the other day – two colleagues told me they baked the cake, too, and they loved it – I was thrilled to see an apple cake made with olive oil on Anna Jones’ beautiful book. Without much thought, it was the first recipe I tried from the book and the result was a tender, moist and flavorsome cake, with a nice hint of spices. Really, really good. This cake is dairy-free and can be made with spelt flour – I can’t find it in my neck of the woods (such a shame!), so I used all purpose flour instead.

Apple olive oil cake
slightly adapted from the amazing A Modern Way to Eat: Over 200 Satisfying, Everyday Vegetarian Recipes (That Will Make You Feel Amazing)

250g all purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch of ground allspice
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon honey
150g light brown sugar
2 large eggs
150ml extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 Granny Smith apples
handful sliced almonds

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Lightly oil 20x10cm (4x8in) loaf pan, line it with baking paper and lightly oil the paper as well.
Sift flour, cinnamon, allspice, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a medium bowl.
In a large bowl, mix the honey, sugar, eggs, olive oil and vanilla until you have an even mixture. Stir in the flour mixture and mix again, until evenly combined. The mixture should be quite thick. Grate in the apples and mix well. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle with the almonds.
Bake for 45-50 minutes or until risen and golden and a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool in the pan over a wire rack for 10 minutes, then carefully unmold onto the rack. Cool completely, then peel off the paper.

Serves 8-10