You don’t have to travel far for the world’s highest-quality olive oils—simply head over to The Spicy Olive. It’s there that owner Melanie Cedargren offers a seasonal selection of fresh olive oils from Italy, Greece, Spain, South Africa, Brazil, Argentina and other regions around the world.
“I’ve always used olive oil—I’d heard it was healthy, but didn’t know a lot about why,” Melanie admits.
While visiting an olive orchard on a trip to Italy, however, she tried fresh olive oil for the first time. The rest, as they say, is history.
“I was blown away! What I had in the pantry at home didn’t come close. I decided that we deserve better,” she says.
Melanie explains that naturally occurring biophenols in olive oil offer a number of health benefits—but that traditional processing and storage can render them useless. That’s why freshness and expert handling are so important.
There’s more—if you’re in the market for premium balsamic vinegar, Melanie keeps a hearty supply of that as well, some of which has been aged up to 18 years and traveled from the ancient Italian city of Modena. A variety of expertly curated gift boxes and sets complements the selection at The Spicy Olive, and are especially popular as hostess gifts, holiday presents and when celebrating the purchase of a new home.
“Our olive oil is of a quality you can’t find anywhere else,” she says. “We do things differently here.”
TheSpicyOlive.com | 7671 Cox Lane | 513.847.4397
Elderflower-Lemon Olive Oil Cake
1½ cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 egg white
¾ cup The Spicy Olive Lemon Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons The Spicy Olive Elderflower White Balsamic Vinegar
½ cup milk
Zest of one whole lemon
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
½ cup powdered sugar, for dusting
Position a rack in the center of oven; preheat to 350ºF. Grease and flour an 8x8 cake pan or 6–8-cup bundt. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt; set aside. On medium-high speed, mix sugar, eggs and egg white until light and fluffy, 3–5 minutes. Reduce speed to low, then gradually add olive oil, vinegar, milk, zest and lemon juice. Add flour mixture; fold to combine. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 35–40 minutes, until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let rest for 10 minutes in pan, then invert onto rack to cool completely; dust with powdered sugar before serving. Enjoy a not-so-sweet tea cake that’s great with fresh berries or berry coulis!