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Pink Cauliflower Cake – Inspired by Ottolenghi, powered by Neapolitan traditions.
I got mesmerized by the astronomical cruciferous cake that Yotam made for his book Plenty More. Onions orbiting on a cauliflower planet. For those nights you need to say I love you to the moon and back, but with a cauliflower.
- I made my own version of the cauliflower cake, but with three significant changes: – I used a pink cauliflower – I used my recipe from cauliflower fritters, and… – I pickled the onions!
You know that 2020 is the year of fermented and pickled foods, right? What’s so special about pickles? Everything. Especially the nontraditional pickling ingredients, like those I used to pickle my red onions: Sichuan pepper, rose leaves, and star anise. Of course, you can use regular onions, and the pink cauliflower cake will be amazing as well.
To pickle the onions I followed the Bon Appétit for quick pickled onions:
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt (it’s a salt used to kosherize food that doesn’t have additives or noncaking agent. Diamond Crystal is a good brand
- 1 red onion, thinly sliced and added:
- one star anise,
- 1 tsp of dry rose petals
- 1 tsp of Sichuan peppercorns
Directions:
- Whisk first 3 ingredients and 1 cup water in a small bowl until sugar and salt dissolve. Place onion in a jar; pour vinegar mixture over. Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 weeks ahead. Cover and chill. Drain onions before using.
I don’t like a super-strong taste, so I used the onions after three days.
Now that you have your super beautiful pink pickled onions, you can make the Pink Cauliflower Cake
Ingredients:
for a 9-inch round cake pan
- 1 pink cauliflower, cleaned and broken into small florets
- 250 gr – 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 30 gr- 1/4 cup of Pecorino Romano grated
- 30 gr 1/4 cup of Parmigiano Reggiano grated
- 3 large eggs
- half a cup of pickled onions (see above for the recipe), or one small onion sliced in rings
- Salt and black pepper
- Melted unsalted butter, for brushing
- 1 tablespoon black sesame seeds to sprinkle on top (white sesame or poppy seeds will do the job)
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C.
- Place the cauliflower florets in a saucepan and add 1 teaspoon of salt. Cover with water and simmer for 15 minutes, until the florets are quite soft. They should break when pressed with a spoon. Drain and set aside in a colander to dry. Remember to not overcook it, or it will absorb too much water. Drain and let it cool over a colander.
- Crush the cooked cauliflower with a fork. Mix in the eggs, the cheeses, and the flour. Salt and pepper to taste.
- Line your pan with parchment paper. Pour the cauliflower mixture into the pan, spreading it evenly, and arrange the pickled onion rings on top. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and brush with melted butter. Bake for 45/50 minutes, until golden brown (like for cakes, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake, if ready it should come out clean).
- Remove from the oven and leave for at least 20 minutes before serving. It needs to be served just warm, rather than hot, or at room temperature. As you know, the day after is even better so you can make it in advance and reheat.
It’s naturally vegetarian. You can pair it with Purple Sweet Potato Gnocchi (vegetarian as well) for a lovely Valentine’s day menu.
Another beautiful idea for Vday is having a special breakfast or breakfast for dinner. In both cases, you want to make the Pink Pancakes ?
Baci,
Dani
