Il Cucinologo
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Plumcake with Oil

17/11/2023

The oil plumcake is a variant of the classic plumcake, which involves using seed oil as the main fat instead of butter. This gives the cake a distinctive softness and makes it lighter. Here is the recipe to prepare a delicious oil plumcake.

Ingredients

  • 200 g of sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 120 ml of seed oil (such as sunflower or corn oil)
  • 120 ml of milk
  • 300 g of 00 flour
  • 1 packet of baking powder (about 16 g)
  • A pinch of salt
  • The grated zest of 1 lemon (or orange if you prefer a different aroma)
  • A little butter and flour (or parchment paper) to prepare the pan

Preparation

  1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C in static mode.
  2. Grease a plumcake pan with a little butter and dust it with a little flour, or line it with parchment paper.
  3. In a large bowl, beat the eggs with the sugar until you obtain a frothy and pale mixture.
  4. Add the grated lemon or orange zest to flavor.
  5. Pour in the seed oil in a thin stream while continuing to stir.
  6. Incorporate the milk into the mixture and continue stirring.
  7. In a separate bowl, sift the flour with the baking powder and the pinch of salt.
  8. Add the dry ingredients to the liquid mixture, stirring gently to avoid lumps.
  9. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and level it with a spatula.
  10. Bake the plumcake for about 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  11. Let the oil plumcake cool before unmolding and serving.

Curiosities

The term “plumcake” comes from the English “plum cake,” which originally referred to a cake with plums, but over time it has come to designate a variety of loaf-shaped baked goods, often made with or without candied fruit. In the Italian version, it is common to prepare the plumcake in a simple style, like this one, or to enrich it with additions such as dried fruit or chocolate chips.

Remember that you can always customize your plumcake by replacing part of the flour with cocoa for a chocolate version, adding dried or dehydrated fruit for a crunchy touch, or experimenting with different flavors, such as vanilla or almond extract. Have fun and enjoy!