Preparation time
20 minutes
Baking time
30–40 minutes
Serves
4 – 6
A cake with cured sausage, pistachio, and prunes? The French have been making savory cakes for quite a while. They appear in boulangeries and with a side salad on lunch menus in chic cafés, and they’re most likely to appear at a picnic (my first encounter). They are super-simple to make and can be adapted to use whatever leftovers you have in your fridge—roasted vegetables, cold meats, cheese. Just follow the basic batter recipe and get creative with the fillings.
By Rachel Khoo
From The Little Paris Kitchen: Cooking with Rachel Khoo
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 5 oz cured French sausage or salami, finely chopped
- ¾ cup pistachios, roughly chopped
- ⅔ cup prunes, roughly chopped
- 4 eggs
- ¼ cup milk
- ⅔ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup plain yogurt
- 1 tsp salt
- pepper
Method
- Preheat the oven to 350°F
- Line a 1-pound loaf pan with parchment paper.
- In a bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, sausage, pistachios, and prunes.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs until thick and pale in color. Gradually whisk in the milk, oil, and yogurt, then add the salt, season with pepper, and fold in the flour mixture bit by bit. Try not to overbeat (it’s better to undermix).
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake for 30–40 minutes or until a metal skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Leave to cool in the pan.
*The more the batter is beaten when the flour is added, the more the gluten gets developed. For cakes and pastries, too much gluten is not desirable (unlike for bread) as it makes the end result tough. To prevent overbeating when adding the flour, you may find it easier to use a rubber spatula rather than a whisk.