Kabocha, Olive Oil Chocolate Cakes with Olive Oil Glaze
Merry Christmas friends and family! I hope each and every one of you have a wonderful holiday, are able to eat some good food, spend time with the one’s you love, and get some time to relax! It has been a wonderful year full of new opportunities and projects that have excited and challenged me. Lots happening in the New Year and I look forward to sharing with you along the way.
Before I go, here is a dessert recipe that I must share with you, which could also be done for breakfast, that is how we have been eating it this week. The kabocha squash could be switched with a butternut. And the glaze can be left off to simply make this more of a breakfast bread. The original recipe suggests baking this in a loaf pan if you prefer. I do suggest, if you are going to make the olive oil glaze to use a really good extra-virgin olive oil here, as the flavor is dominant.
ENJOY, XO.
KABOCHA, OLIVE OIL CHOCOLATE CAKES WITH OLIVE OIL GLAZE
ADAPTED FROM GJELINA
makes 1 bread loaf, or 6 mini bundt cakes
CAKE
1 kabocha squash, halved and seeded
1 cup + 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/3 cups sugar
3 eggs
8 oz dark chocolate, finely chopped
3 tablespoons pepitas
OLIVE OIL GLAZE
1 1/4 cups confectioners sugar
2 tablespoons hot water
3 tablespoons (high quality) extra-virgin olive oil
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Take the squash halves and place on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, and flip them over, cut side down. Roast for about 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool until able to touch. Scrape out the flesh into a food processor and mix until pureed. Set aside. You will need 1 cup of the puree, reserve the remaining puree for another use.
Reduce the oven to 325 degrees. Butter your mini bundt cake pan or bread loaf.
In a large bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the sugar, olive oil, 1 cup of the squash puree and eggs. Add the wet mixture into the dry mixture and stir together until just combined. Add the finely chopped chocolate and briefly stir together.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake, if using the bread loaf pan 75 minutes, if using the mini bundt cake pan start checking around 45 minutes to see if it is ready by simply inserting a skewer into the cake and if it comes out clean, it’s ready. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for 20 minutes on a wire rack.
In the mean time make the olive oil glaze by whisking together the sugar and hot water. Once it is mixed, slowly drizzle in the olive oil and whisk.
Once the cakes are cooled, remove them from the pan and pour the glaze over top. Sprinkle the toasted pepitas over top. Let sit until the glaze it set and then serve.