Aperitif Cake??

I've never heard of an Aperitif Cake, have you?  I half expected it to be alcoholic.  But...there it was at the end of the recipe..."slice and serve with drinks" ... aha...so... with the aperitifs then....  alright.  Got it.  And... it isn't really a cake...it's actually a loaf.

When I was watching Laura Calder make it (on the food channel) ..I thought it might taste like bacon and cheese scones...and it does..sort of... but, not just any old scones.  More like the ones you make yourself...at home.... with a lot of thought.. and extra ingredients.  Yummy.
Next time... this same recipe will be scones.  Well, maybe not exact, because it seems I never have all the same ingredients on hand and I don't run out to buy things if I have something that can be substituted.... besides...  those of you who know me.. know how I do love to experiment with my food.

Bacon and Olive Aperitif Cake

1 1/2  cups flour
1 1/2  tsps baking powder
1/2  tsp ground pepper
3  eggs, lightly beaten
1/2  cup plus 1 TBSP butter, melted
2/3  cup olives, pitted and sliced
4 ounces bacon, about 4 slices into small chunks and fried
1  cup grated Gruyere cheese or grated Parmesan
pinch of salt, or to taste
1  TBSP chopped fresh rosemary (optional)

Heat oven to 350F/180C.
Butter and flour a loaf pan.  Sift flour and baking powder into mixing bowl, and stir the pepper through.
Beat eggs into the flour.
Beat in the melted butter.
Stir through the remaining ingredients to distribute evenly.
Spoon batter into the pan and bake 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
Cool slightly.  Slice, and serve with drinks.


I tweaked things a bit::::

I had no bacon so used a couple slices of ham diced and cooked.  Added half an onion diced and sauteed.
Only used 2 eggs and a few tablespoons of egg white.  I used less than 1/2 cup of butter and added a few dollops of plain yogourt to keep the moisture ratio to flour about the same.
We had no Gruyere..and I always try to use less cheese.. so used up a bit of Parmesan and tiny chunk of Gouda still in the fridge from Christmas.  Also a bit of grated cheddar.
I used a bit of chili powder as well as the pepper,...  and some Italian Seasoning... and some sweet basil

...be careful if you do use Rosemary..it is a very strong herb and too much will overpower any dish.  A tiny bit goes a long, long way.

We had ours for supper because it came out of the oven at 6:00 .... with a lovely mixed green salad and Orange Vinaigrette...

Wonder what it would taste like toasted lightly ... with a mug of steaming coffee... for breakfast?