Ingredients
Check off ingredients as you go
Makes 2 cakes
For the cake batter
- 250 g (2 cups) sifted all-purpose flour (plain flour)
- 15 g (3 tsp) baking powder
- 6 medium eggs (or 5 large)
- 140 g (⅔ cup) neutral oil (sunflower, grapeseed or a mix)
- 200 ml (¾ cup + 1 Tbsp) water (or milk)
- 5 g (1 tsp) salt
For the filling
- 6-7 stems chives, finely snipped, or scallions (or 2 green onions, thinly sliced)
- 1 handful dill (optional)
- 180 g (6.5 oz) canned tuna in water, drained and flaked
- 150 g (1 cup) green or black olives, pitted and halved
- 150 g (1½ cups) grated cheese (Emmental, mozzarella or Parmesan) + 50 g (½ cup) for the top
- 1 Tbsp tomato paste
- 50 g (⅓ cup) sesame seeds (optional but very good)
This savory cake recipe is lactose-free, so it’s ideal for anyone who is intolerant or just looking for a lighter cake without dairy.
Preheat the oven to 160°C (325°F) fan/convection. Line your loaf pan with parchment paper (or oil it lightly). In a large bowl, mix together the flour, salt and baking powder, then add the eggs and oil and, while mixing, the water. Add the sesame seeds, tomato paste, flaked tuna, chopped olives, snipped chives and dill. Season with pepper.
As soon as the batter is smooth, pour it into the pans and smooth the surface with the back of a spoon if needed. Sprinkle with the 50 g of grated cheese if you like and bake for 50 minutes on a rack in the middle/lower part of the oven. This way of baking, similar to the one for the bouscoutou sponge cake, gives a moist texture that isn’t dry at all. Check for doneness with a toothpick or the tip of a knife: it should come out clean.
Serve sliced with a nice green salad and, if you like, some homemade mayonnaise.
Tips and time-savers
- Savory cakes freeze perfectly! Just leave them at room temperature for 2 hours, then warm them in the oven for about ten minutes at 150°C (300°F). That’s why I doubled the quantities in this recipe: to freeze one and pull it out on an evening when nobody feels like cooking.
- For mini cakes, remember to reduce the baking time to 20-25 minutes (still checking that the tip of the knife comes out clean).
- If you grease your pan instead of using parchment paper, you can sprinkle it with sesame or poppy seeds, which will decorate the whole outside of the cake. Personally, I like to keep the surprise and only see them when it’s sliced, but both are very good.