Make this Chocolate-Extra Virgin Olive Oil Sol D’espana Cake to get a taste of Spain

Spanish-born Vancouver resident Sebastian Gomez Callejon imports the pure olive oil his family has been making for generations

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      Not all olive oils are created equal.

      After Sebastian Gomez Callejon moved to Vancouver from the south of Spain, he longed for the kind of pure, aromatic olive oil that his family has been producing for generations. 

      It was a fruitless search. He found the oils here bland by comparison. So he decided to introduce the fragrant, pure, pleasantly bitter oil to Canadians. Earlier this year, Callejon launched Sol d’España.

      Sebastian Gomez Callejon's family grows Picual olives in Andalucia to make extra-virgin olive oil.
      Sebastian Gomez Callejon.

      The company carries two varieties made of Picual olives in the region between Calalonia and Andalucia: classical and organic. Find them at Lucifer's House of Heat, Cafe Salade de Fruits, Bodega on Main, East West Market, and other local businesses. (See the website for full listing.) Callejon will also be at the Lonsdale Quay Market in North Vancouver (right by the SeaBus terminal) on June 18, 20, 26, and 27.

      Callejon’s wife, Pascale Fretier, developed a recipe for a chocolate-olive oil cake using the extra-virgin olive oil and shared it with us.

      Chocolate-Extra Virgin Olive Oil Sol D’espana Cake

      Ingredients

      Cake

      3 large eggs
      1 ¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
      1 cup white sugar
      ¾ cup EVOO Sol d'España
      ½ cup boiling water
      ¾ cup brown sugar
      ½ cup cocoa powder 
      1 tsp pure vanilla extract
      ¼ tsp baking powder
      pinch of salt

      Frosting​

      7/8 cup (200g) dark chocolate 70%
      3/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp (200 mL) cream 35%
      2 Tbsp butter at room temperature
      1 tsp pure vanilla extract

      Method 

      Preheat oven to 350 F.

      Grease standard cake pan.

      Mix sugar and eggs, beat at medium speed until foamy.

      Add vanilla and EVOO Sol d'España and beat for another minute.

      In small bowl, mix cocoa and boiling water.

      Add salt and baking powder to the sugar and egg mixture.

      Add flour to the mix, alternating with the cocoa mixture. 

      Whisk to combine everything.

      Pour into pan.

      Bake for 50 minutes (or until firm in the centre). 

      For the frosting, combine ingredients and mix until smooth. Let cake cool before icing.

      If desired, top the cake with berries or slices of orange.

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