When I mention the words “olive oil cake,” I am always surprised at the reactions I get. They range from “what cake?” to “eew” to simply wrinkling their nose. Each time I am utterly amazed how many people have not heard of olive oil cake and consequently how many people are missing out on something so wonderful.
I was having my daily phone conversation with my mother and was going over my plans for apple crumb cake bars. You see, I always talk through my recipe plans with my mother before I start. I am convinced it bores the hell out of her but she always so politely pretends to care. (She has zero interest in baking. Zero.) So I am discussing my plan to cut up the apples when she interrupts me and says “What if you use apple butter? No working mom wants to slice apples.” “Hmm good point” I reply. “Ain’t nobody got time for that.”
So I was looking on Pinterest for a bundt cake recipe because really who doesn’t love a bundt? I mean they’re always so pretty and require no talent whatsoever. I am amazed every time I make one how incredible it looks. So anyway as I was searching I made the most amazing discovery–brown sugar pound cake. BROWN SUGAR POUND CAKE? Really? This is a thing? Oh yes and like most decadent food, it seems to be Southern. Then as if brown sugar pound cake wasn’t mind blowing enough, they enhanced it with toffee and pecans. Add a caramel glaze and you have what my husband’s co-workers call “crack” cake.
Not sure if I mentioned it yet, but I think everything tastes better with chocolate chips. Everything. Recently my husband and I were at a party and I challenged the other guests to come up with any food that isn’t improved by chocolate chips. Of course there was silence because, well, there simply isn’t one. However, one girl’s eyes lit up and she proudly said “tuna fish.” My smartass husband didn’t miss a beat and replied “mole sauce.”
My friend Big Red is the consummate foodie. By the way “big” doesn’t refer to her size (she’s only 5′ 4″) but to her large personality. She is the only one of my friends who everyone instantly remembers. I say, “You know, the one with the red-orange hair.” And the response is always “Oh yeah” followed up with some story that she told.
