Rustic Italian Grape Cake

I thought I'd share my latest interesting kitchen adventure.

This cake was pretty easy to make and was very tasty.

The rustic texture of the cake was a nice contrast to the light grape flavour.  It would be great on a summer evening after a light BBQ or something.  

Start by putting 225ml of a dessert wine in a small pan.  I used some pretty nasty, cheap wine that Ross had bought at Aldi a while back.  It was just hanging out in our fridge, so I thought this was a good way to put it to use.

 Bring the wine to a boil and let it reduce until it's about 85ml or 1/3 of a cup.  Set it aside and let it cool.
Preheat the oven to 180C/355F.

Coat a springform cake pan with olive oil.  Spread it all over the pan with your fingers.

 Put a tbsp. of plain flour in the pan.

 Turn and shake it until the pan is coated in the flour.  Shake out any excess.

 Cream 100g of butter.

Add 200g of muscovado (brown) sugar and blend with the butter.

Add the zest of 2 lemons and mix again.

 Measure 175ml of olive oil.

 Add the olive oil to the cooled wine and mix.  Then add some of this mixture to the food processor and blend.

Combine 225g of plain flour and 1 tsp. of baking powder.  Add about a third of this the food processor and blend well.  Then add some more of the wine/oil mix.  Blend.  More flour.  Blend.  Etc.  Until it's all mixed in.

Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin.

Cut 175g of white grapes in half the long way.

Scatter the sliced grapes on the top of the batter.

Sprinkle with 4 tbsp. of demerara sugar (that brown sugar in the raw stuff- though you could use regular sugar).

 Bake for about 55 minutes.  It's ready when a knife comes out of the center cleanly.

Enjoy!