Red Currant Citrus Olive Oil Cake

I know that everybody knows, but I simply have to repeat it. School's back. It starts on the first of September here in the Czech Republic and this year it was on Thursday. Okay, I know how imporant it is to educate ourselves but to be completely honest, I hate going to school. We have nine hours every day except for Monday and Friday and I really "love" when the teachers test us from Math, Physics and Biology in the same day. However, I guess I'm gonna hate especially this year the most because I'm in the fourth grade which means...leaving exams (aka maturita in Czech). So, I'm extremely happy for every single day free of learning. Unfortunately, the only free day I have is Friday afternoon and that sucks. Anyway, here I have a fast recipe if you crave something sweet and don't have much time like me these days :)

Even though summer season is almost over, I think some of you may find this recipe quite useful. I usually store my leftover summer berries in my freezer. In fact, I don't have a freezer as I have been told by my English teacher. I have a fridge-freezer which means that the freezer part is really small and I can't store there too many things. That's why I'm always happy to bake something using these frozen thingies :) And when a very nice woman who calls herself farfalla gave me a tip about this recipe by Apetit, I simply couldn't resist.

I adapted the recipe only slightly, maybe the changes aren't almost noticable, but at least I can include a few tips. This post won't be long at all as I have to focus on psychology right now (yes, you're right, I'm writing a test on Tuesday). I managed to prepare the cake within an hour which is in fact my record :D So if you have some red currants (either fresh or frozen, but not dried), sweet tooth and no time and, search no more :)

Ingredients:
300g (1 1/2 cups) granulated sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
180g (3/4 cup) butter, melted
100ml (2/5 cup) extra virgine olive oil
150ml (3/5 cup) milk
1 vanilla pod
400g (3 cups) all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
a pinch of salt
grated zest from 2 lemons
grated zest from 2 oranges
700g (6 cups) red currants
icing sugar to taste

Directions:
In a bowl, combine sifted flour, baking powder, salt and set aside. In a large bowl, beat sugar and eggs until light and fluffy (about 10 minutes), then beat in melted butter, oil, milk, grated zest from lemons and oranges and vanilla seeds scraped out from the pod. Now gently fold in the flour mixture just until incorporated. Finally fold in 1/3 of the red currants. Transfer the batter into a greased and floured baking sheet (30x40cm) and smooth the top evenly. Bake in preheated oven to 180C for 10 minutes (not longer!), carefully remove from oven and sprinkle the top with the rest of the red currants (gently push them into the batter) and icing sugar if desired. Continue baking for 20-30 minutes or until golden. Remove, let cool and serve.

• You can use frozen red currants, do not defrost them or they'll get soggy.
• If you still have a lot of red currants, you may want to try out these: Red Currant Sour Cream Tart or Red Currant Walnut Sheet Cake.

Verdict:
I found the recipe pretty tempting because of the olive oil and citruses. Also it's the first time I've made a cake with red currants without any creamy/nutty filling. I have to say the cake is very refreshing, moist and tasty. I like the soft sponge-like batter with intensive lemon and orange taste and nice vanilla aroma, but I admitt that I missed some kind of filling to complement the sourness of the red currant. The rest of my family shared that opinion although they ate it as if they haven't eaten for ages :D Anyway, it's a great tasting cake especially if you don't like overly sweet baked goods and enjoy some sourness here and there. Oh, and it smells absolutely wonderful!

 
Linked to:
Sweet Tooth Friday
Sweet Indulgences Sunday
These Chicks Cooked
Foodie Wednesday
Sweets for a Saturday
Whisking Wednesdays