I tried it again.....

almond olive oil cake 

Call me stubborn, but I wanted to get some more fruit into Robin. Citrus is especially fragrant and juicy this time of year and I found some lovely oro blanco grapefruits and some really juicy navel oranges. I remember seeing this cake on Giada's everyday food about a week ago. I really liked the delicate flavor of this cake. It was really easy to make and unlike most cakes that use butter, this cake uses olive oil. Giada calls for EVOO( extra virgin olive oil), but I used a combination of EVOO and light olive oil. Giada calls for orange flower water, but I didnt have any. I used a few tbls of sugar to counteract the sourness of the grapefruit. I really enjoyed this cake, but Robin said " it isnt chocolate". I guess to her, dessert isnt dessert unless it consists of chocolate or peanutbutter. Oh, well, I'll keep trying.

Cake:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons orange zest
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1/4 cup whole milk
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted, coarsely crumbled
Powdered sugar, for sifting
Citrus Compote:
2 tablespoons grated orange peel
3/4 teaspoon orange blossom water, optional
3 oranges, segmented
2 pink grapefruits, segmented



To make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil an 8-inch-diameter cake pan. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl to blend. Using an electric mixer, beat the sugar, eggs, and zests in a large bowl until pale and fluffy. Beat in the milk. Gradually beat in the oil. Add the flour mixture and stir just until blended. Stir in the almonds. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Place cake pan on baking pan to collect any possible spills. Bake until a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out with moist crumbs attached, about 35 minutes. Transfer to a rack and cool for 15 minutes. Remove cake and place on serving platter, top side up. Sift powdered sugar over the cake.
To make the citrus compote: Stir the orange peel, blossom water, and 2 tablespoons of accumulated juices from the segmented fruit in a small bowl to blend. Arrange the orange and grapefruit segments decoratively in a wide shallow bowl. Pour the blossom water mixture over. Cover and let stand 15 minutes for the flavors to blend.

Cut the cake into wedges and spoon the citrus compote alongside.