This is what’s happening right now: Oscar arrivals on the telly, shrimp chips in a bowl on the couch cushion to my left, and soft gloomy rain outside–the kind that’s making me extra excited to be inside waiting on my last batch of Maialino olive oil cupcakes in the oven. I’ve only had two of the 32 cupcakes this batch produced, and I’ll report back once I’ve polished off the other 30, but I can confidently say at this moment: worth all the hype.
I knew from the photo alone that I’d really like this cake, but having made, and now tasted it, I can say that this is like hitting the cake jackpot. First of all, this recipe is a cinch, and almost way too easy considering how delicious the result is. My cupcakes turned out simultaneously light and rich, with subtle orange and creamy olive oil flavors. I broke out the good olive oil (on sale at Gelson’s this week!), and sprung for Grand Marnier (also on sale this week at Ralphs!) for this recipe–both worth it. Now just to figure out what to do with the rest of the bottle.
Notes: I followed a Food52 commenter’s suggestion to bring the heat down to 300F for cupcakes. It ended up taking 23 minutes per batch at that temperature, and by then I was worried about drying them out while I waited for the golden crust to form. Next time I’ll probably wait longer or try them at the recipe’s suggested 350F.