As with all these cakes, you can vary the ingredients for this depending on
what you have to hand. For instance, this works well with walnuts in place of
the hazelnuts and with other dried fruit in place of the raisins finely
chopped dried apricots are particularly good with the goat's cheese. Makes one
20cm round or square cake, a loaf, or about 10 mini cakes.
4 tbsp olive oil, plus a little extra for greasing
200g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
tsp salt
tsp freshly ground black pepper
100g grated hard goat's cheese (or parmesan)
2 tbsp picked flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
3 eggs
100g plain yoghurt
150g soft goat's cheese, roughly broken into small chunks
60g hazelnuts, toasted and roughly chopped
60g raisins or sultanas
Heat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6. Grease a 1.5-litre loaf tin with olive
oil, line with baking parchment and brush the parchment with oil, too.
(Alternatively, you can make this in muffin tins, or mini loaf tins, which
simply need brushing with oil and dusting lightly with flour.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and pepper. Whisk in the grated
cheese and parsley. In a jug, whisk the eggs, yoghurt and four tablespoons of
olive oil. Gently fold this into the dry ingredients until just combined, being
careful not to overmix, then fold in the soft goat's cheese, nuts and raisins.
Spoon the cake mixture into the prepared tin (or tins) and bake for 45-50
minutes, until golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
(Muffin tins or smaller loaves take about 12-15 minutes.) Leave to cool in the
tins for five minutes, then turn out on to a wire rack to cool completely.