I am often accused of growing tomato TREES rather than tomato bushes. My record, to date, is 15′ tall tomato bushes. (Yes, that is a 5′ tall ladder that is dwarfed by my tomato plants.) But sadly, every year, there comes a day when I am in my garden with a flashlight, picking green tomatoes as fast as I can because the weather forecast has called for a hard freeze that evening.
By the time I am finished, I have typically filled two 5-gallon buckets with green tomatoes. In the past, I have made pickled green tomatoes or given green tomatoes to friends who love fried green tomatoes. I have also tried including them in cooking and baking. Green Tomato and Dried Apple Pie was one delicious result (actually 2, both the original and the gluten-free versions) of experimenting with green tomatoes. But I have also been intrigued with the use of olive oil in baked goods, because olive oil has a very pronounced taste. My previous attempts with olive oil cake recipes I found in various sources had always produced “unfortunate” tasting cakes. I decided olive oil needed to be used with cakes that have a “tangy” taste. Of course, green tomatoes are tangy. Orange juice, orange zest, and candied orange peel enhanced the flavor just enough to make an outstanding coffeecake. Oh, and did I mention the cake is also made with almond flour?
THE INSIDE SCOOP
This is an easy to make coffeecake. Just a few “insider” bits of information:
When both volumetric and weight measures are provided, the volumetric measures should be considered approximations. The standard measure for a cup of flour is 120 grams. By volume, this measure will typically be less than 1 cup. When baking, it is always best to use a food scale to measure dry ingredients, especially flour. However, if you don’t have a food scale, sift the flour three times, then spoon the flour into a measuring cup and use the flat edge of a knife to level it off. This should result in a cup of flour that weighs about 120 grams.
DON’T LET YOUR CAKE BE A CLING-ON.
This is a very moist coffeecake. Place 10 standard size cupcake papers in a muffin/cupcake tin. Spray the muffin papers to prevent the coffeecake from sticking to the papers.
The chopped, green tomatoes should be patted dry before adding to the flour mix. Too much tomato water can cause the coffeecake to fail to rise properly.
Whisk together the all-purpose flour, almond flour, granulated sugar. baking powder, baking soda, chopped candied orange peel, and orange zest in a medium bowl. Stir in the chopped, patted dry, green tomatoes. Make a well in the flour mix. This ensures that the moisture is distributed evenly throughout the flour and that the flour on the bottom of the bowl becomes wet.
I’M EGGCITED ABOUT EGGS!
The egg needs to be room temperature: Warm eggs hold more air than cold eggs, which means a lighter cake. Cold eggs, on the other hand, can result in a lumpy batter and heavy texture. To quickly bring eggs to room temperature before cracking, place eggs in a bowl of warm (not hot) water for 10 minutes.
Crack the egg into a small bowl before adding to the batter. That way, it is easy to remove any bits of eggshell or bloody eggs. Whisk the eggs, olive oil, orange juice, 1/2 & 1/2, and honey together by hand or with a mixer until completely combined. Immediately pour the the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients so that the honey does not separate and sink to the bottom of the bowl. Use a spatula to combine the dry and wet ingredients.
MAINTAINING AN EVEN KEEL
I use a food scale to measure 2 ounces of batter into each cupcake cup. This increases the likelihood that ALL of the cupcakes will bake in the same time frame. If larger or smaller cupcakes are desired, adjust the baking time as needed.
LIGHTLY sprinkle sliced almonds and coarse sugar on top. Avoid clumping as that will cause a “dent” in the coffeecake as the heavy ingredients sink.
GET ‘ER DONE!
Coffeecakes are done when they are firm to the touch and a toothpick or metal cake tester, when inserted into the middle of a coffeecake, slides out easily and is fairly dry. And yes, they do rise beautifully!
Even though it is hard to wait, let the coffeecakes sit for at least 2 hours before serving. The flavors will blend and improve greatly over time.
A sweet green tomato coffeecake accented with the flavors of almonds, olive oil, orange zest, candied orange peel and a hint of sugar. The perfect coffeecake for breakfast or dessert! And a wonderful way to use up green tomatoes. For the topping, in a small bowl, toss together the almonds and sugar; set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 10 cupcake cups with cupcake papers. Spray the cupcake papers with a nonstick cooking spray or olive oil spray; set aside. Core and chop green tomatoes into ¼” pieces. Pat the chopped tomato pieces dry. Place 72 grams/ ½ cup of the prepared green tomatoes in a small bowl; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, almond flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, candied orange peel and orange zest. Stir in the chopped green tomatoes. Make a well in the center of the flour mix; set aside. In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer or a hand whisk to whisk the egg until frothy. Add the extra virgin olive oil, orange juice, milk, and honey; whisk until completely combined. Immediately pour the liquid mixture into the well in the flour mixture. Gently fold together the wet and dry ingredients until no dry flour remains. Evenly spoon 2 ounces of batter into the 10 prepared cupcake cups. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of the almond-sugar topping onto each muffin, being sure to sprinkle a balance of almonds and sugar. Bake in the preheated 350-degree oven for 20 minutes, until a toothpick or metal cake tester inserted in the middle of a coffeecake comes out clean. When done, remove the coffeecakes from the oven and place the tins onto a cooling rack for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, carefully remove the mini coffeecakes from the tin and place directly onto the cooling rack. Cool completely. Let the coffeecakes sit for approximately 2+ hours to allow the flavors to blend. (Yes, it's hard to wait, but it's so worth it!) After 2+ hours: ENJOY!Green Tomato Mini Coffeecakes with Olive Oil and Orange Zest
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