There is a lot of cake in my life at the moment. My world is awash with cake. And I like it.

Olive & Fetta Cake @ My Family Table

Last Saturday was in great part consumed by cake construction activities. There was a little bit of balloon collecting and present wrapping also, but it was mostly cake constructing. You see, I made this chocolate layer cake for The Boofheads birthday.

I Give Good Cake @ My Family Table

His was a “Big O” birthday, so something special was in order. And oh, how special it was. I highly recommend this recipe. The chocolate sponge layer was a little bit dry, so I’d recommend an extra tablespoon of yoghurt for that one, but all-in-all, it’s a great recipe.

But that isn’t what I’m blogging today. I’m working on my own fruit based layer cake which I hope to blog after Easter, so you’ll just have to hold tight ‘til then. No, today I’m talking savoury cakes.

Delicious Olive & Fetta Cake @ My Family Table

I haven’t eaten a lot of savoury cake in my time, but after trying this, I’m quite keen to experiment further. I found a recipe from Rilka Warbanoff, published in the April delicious magazine, for Salt Cake. Rilka served her salt cake with fresh cherry tomatoes; it sounded like the perfect thing to soak up the excess alcohol when we’d stumbled home from The Boofhead’s birthday celebrations. And because it goes against my every instinct to follow a recipe to the letter, I tweaked it a little, using extra virgin olive oil, and adding olives, parmesan, and some fresh thyme.

From the oven - Olive& Fetta Cake @ My Family Table

With Lilly safely tucked up in bed, the iPod on shuffle (the Beach Boys followed up with Jack White, then Children Collide; I’m nothing if not eclectic), and nightcaps in our hands, we dribbled about politics, giggled at my Mum’s driving (sorry Mum), and nibbled on Olive & Fetta cake. It was a delightful way to end quite a lovely evening.

Wine O'Clock - Olive & Fetta Cake @ My Family Table

This recipe was inspired by Rilka Warbanoff’s Salt Cake. You’ll find her original recipe in Rilka’s Feasts, or in the April 2012 edition of delicious.

Ingredients

  • 260g natural yoghurt
  • 1 tsp bicarb soda
  • 3 eggs
  • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 150g crumbled fetta
  • 2 cups flour
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ cup pitted olives, finely sliced
  • ¼ cup grated parmesan
  • Cracked pepper to taste
  • 1 small sprig of thyme and some cherry tomatoes to serve

Method

Preheat your oven to 180°C. Grease and line a 22cm springform cake tin.

Combine the yoghurt and bicarb soda in a bowl, stirring well. The yoghurt will expand as the bicarb soda reacts, so don’t use a small bowl.

Combine the eggs and oil together in another bowl, and beat well. Add the fetta and salt, beating well, and then beat in the sifted flour. Stir through the yoghurt mixture.

Pour the cake batter into your lined tin. Place the olive slices evenly over the surface of the cake, then top with the parmesan and cracked pepper.

Bake in your preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Cool before serving.

This cake is best when serve with some fresh cherry tomatoes, and sprinkled with fresh thyme.

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