Hi Cheryl -

You could try making this with a gluten-free flour blend, but it will definitely have an impact on the structure and texture of the cake. We have not tested this so we don't know what the results might be.

Best,
The Milk Street Team

Thank you for your comment! Your comment is currently under moderation and will appear shortly.

Hi DJ -

We don't have much experience with flavored olive oils and how the flavor changes when baked, so we can give a definitive answer. We have only tested this recipe with regular extra-virgin olive oil.

Best,
The Milk Street Team

Hi Cindy -

The main difference between types of flour is in the gluten content. Flour can be made from high-protein wheats (“hard wheat”) or low-protein wheats (“soft wheat”). The more protein in the flour, the more gluten develops, which leads to more strength, volume, and elasticity in the final baked product. Cake flour—made from soft wheat—has the lowest protein content of all flours (7-9% protein). Since its gluten proteins are very weak, cake flour is often used to make soft, tender baked goods like cakes, pastries, or biscuits. A chlorination process further breaks down cake flour’s gluten, creating a flour that’s even more delicate. All-purpose flour is made from a mixture of hard and soft wheat and has a moderate protein content (10-13% protein), so it holds its shape without delivering the same density or level of gluten development as, say, bread flour. A widely-used substitute for cake flour is to remove 1/4 cup from 1 cup of all-purpose flour and replace it with cornstarch. But this is a substitute for cake flour, it's not actually cake flour.

In the article the author is simply saying that Lourdes Varelia used flour and baking powder to make the cake. In some parts of the world, bakers use self-rising flour that has baking powder already added to the flour. Since that isn't as widely available here, in our adaptation, we use cake flour and baking powder rather than self-rising flour.

Best,
The Milk Street Team

This is great explanation. Thank you!

Thank you for sharing this information and for including which specific GF flour you used. I am anxious to try this recipe using the adjustments you made.

Hi Mariano -

When it comes to baking, there are many variables that can affect the final outcome. Temperature fluctuations in your oven, how many times you open the door, slight variations in pan size, how much or how little you beat the eggs, temperature of the batter - these can all affect the timing and results. This is why we not only provide approximate cooking times, but also visual clues in our recipes. In this recipe, the clues to look for would be: "bake until the cake is domed and well-browned, the center jiggles slightly when the pan is gently shaken and a toothpick inserted 2 inches in from the edge comes out clean."

Best,
The Milk Street Team

Hi Ann -

We are so grateful for your support and are happy you are enjoying the show!

We understand that it's helpful to know the nutritional information for recipes. However, since we are not a health food magazine we do not have a nutritionist on staff to accurately calculate the nutritional details for all of our recipes. We have found that the computer programs that some publications use to calculate nutritional information are not very accurate, which is why we won't use and publish their results. That being said, for individuals, our best recommendation is to use a smartphone app or website into which you can enter ingredients to at least give you a general picture of the nutritional details of a dish. For reliable results, however, we would recommend consulting with a nutritionist or your doctor.

Best,
The Milk Street Team

Hi Barbara -

Though not typically a citrus cake, you could certainly add some zest. We would add it with the eggs in the first step.

Best,
The Milk Street Team