Cake Salé

 

The French word for cake is gâteau, and that refers to a sweet cake. Cake Salé translates, literally, to “salty cake” that, by our standards, is really more of a savory quick bread. It was new to my experience, but I love the idea of a savory loaf, because I’m always looking for something interesting to pair with soup or salad, or to serve for lunch topped with a schmear of herbal cream cheese. What interested me the most here was the addition of olives. I LOVE olives! They are fabulous here, and are the one ingredient that must not be altered. As far as the other ingredients, you can get creative. Use chopped scallions instead of the shallot, use chopped ham instead of the bacon, use Gruyère instead of the sharp cheddar. Go crazy, have fun, and make this as soon as you can. It requires no special equipment, and, if you do your shopping and gathering of filling ingredients the night before, can whip it up in no time. The family is going to love this. Cake Salé

 1 c. mixed olives, halved

1 small Melissa’s shallot, thinly sliced

1 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese

3 slices thick-cut bacon, cooked and crumbled

1½ c. flour

2 t. baking powder

½ t. kosher salt

½ t. freshly ground black pepper

3 large eggs

½ c. whole milk

¼ c. extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spray an 8”x4” loaf pan with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl place olive halves, sliced shallot, shredded cheddar, and the cooked and crumbled bacon. Toss to combine; set aside.

In a large, mixing bowl, place, flour, baking powder, kosher salt, add black pepper; whisk to combine. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Into the well place eggs, milk, and olive oil. Mix with a wooden spoon just until combined. It’s okay if there are a few lumps.

 Add the olive mixture and fold together with a spatula until just combined; do not overmix. Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top.

 Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool for 15 minutes in the pan before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely, about 1 hour. Slice, serve, and enjoy.

 If you cannot consume the cake within three days, it can be frozen for up to three months.

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