Here in France a couple of Anglo specialities have become popular.  “Cookies” are all the rage, and so is “cake” (over here we like to pronounce it “caak”). A “cake” is anything that resembles a sponge cake, and it has to be baked in a long, narrow tin to qualify. Lately I have seen more and more savory “cakes” being baked and served… and I have officially become an addict –they are great for brunch/ lunch type occasions and perfect to serve with salads or soups.

Here is a recipe I got from my friend Elise and I think it is one of the easiest and most delicious things I have ever eaten. It is actually pretty similar to the yogurt cake I wrote about ages ago…

Cheese and Olive Cake:

-1 plain yogurt (keep the pot)
-3 eggs
-3 yogurt pots of flour
-1/2 pot olive oil
-100g of grated cheese (I recommend something that has a bit of sharpness)
-1 bag of baking power
-a handful of chopped parsley
-a handful of roughly chopped, de-stoned olives

Mix together the eggs , the yogurt and the flour. Slowly stir in the oil and add the cheese, the baking powder and the herbs. Coat the olives in some flour (this should prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the cake) and mix them in. Bake at 180°C for about 30 mins.

This is just the basic recipe. You can vary it endlessly by adding in lardons, different herbs, different cheeses and maybe even cherry tomatoes or grated carrots or zucchini…

You can download the recipe here.

– Emilie