Hanukkah is a celebration of all things oil, and is celebrated by both lighting candles each night of Hanukkah, as well as by eating oil-rich foods during the holiday.

Sometimes, I need a break from the typical fried foods of Hanukkah, like latkes and donuts. I started making this simple olive oil cake as a way to honor the holiday without deep frying, adapting recipes from both Dorie Greenspan and Melissa Clark. After the holiday ended, I kept making it throughout the winter when Cara Cara oranges are in season. While I love the floral notes of a Cara Cara, any type of orange will work with this recipe. This cake is easy to make, even for a novice baker. I love to serve it with a dollop of whipped cream or a spoonful of tangy labneh.

Cara Cara Orange Olive Oil Cake
Makes 1 (9”) cake, serves 8

Ingredients:

2 large Cara Cara oranges
Zest of 1 orange
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
⅓ cup orange juice
⅓ cup buttermilk (or milk with ½ a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar added)
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1¾ cups (230 grams) all-purpose flour
1¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon kosher salt
⅔ cup extra virgin olive oil

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and line a 9 inch springform pan (or 9 inch cake pan) with parchment. You can also use a standard-sized loaf pan, but will need to bake for 10-15 minutes longer.

Supreme one orange: cut off the bottom and top, place on the cutting board so the cut bottom is flat on the board, then cut the peel and pith from all sides. Next, carefully slice each segment naturally between the pith, leaving only a crescent of fruit. Reserve.

Zest the remaining orange with a microplane or zester, and reserve. Halve, then squeeze ⅓ cup worth of juice from the zested orange.

In a large bowl, whisk together the orange zest, sugar, eggs, orange juice, buttermilk (or milk and apple cider mixture), and vanilla together.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Add the flour mixture to the orange juice/buttermilk mixture, and mix until just incorporated and smooth. Using a spatula, gently fold the olive oil into the batter until just incorporated. Transfer the batter to the greased and lined pan, and then place the orange segments on top of the batter.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a small skewer or cake tester comes out clean. Cool and serve topped with powdered sugar, whipped cream, or a dollop of labneh.

Latkes for breakfast are one of life’s great joys, and Shannon Sarna had the brilliant idea to take the flavors of a morning everything bagel and turn that into latke form. We collaborated on this recipe for The Nosher, and by the way, her new book Modern Jewish Comfort Food is a must-have!

With these latkes, you get all the same satisfying flavors that you can get at your local bagel shop, but with the added bonus of fried potato. Here, crispy traditional latkes get a boost of flavor with the addition of everything bagel seasoning and fresh garlic, and then are topped with herbaceous lemony cream cheese topping, and a luxurious piece of salmon. These are rich, delicious, and festive. These can be served as a celebratory to start the day, as a passed hors d'oeuvres at a gathering, or even as the main entrée of a Hanukkah meal. Latkes and lox will always be a match made in heaven.

Everything Bagel Latkes
Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
For the latkes-

3 lbs potatoes, Yukon Gold or Russet
1 small onion, white or yellow
3 large eggs
3 cloves garlic, minced fine
¾ cup potato starch or all purpose flour
2 Tablespoons everything bagel seasoning
2 tsps kosher salt (1 tsp if your everything Bbagel seasoning includes salt)

For the toppings-

6 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh dill
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh chives or scallion
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
Thinly sliced smoked salmon (about 4-6 oz)
Everything bagel season, as needed for garnish

Directions:

Peel your potatoes, and keep them in a large bowl of cold water until ready to shred them. Peel the onion and cut it in half.
Using the medium-sized whole on a box grater, or the grating attachment on a food processor, shred the onions and potatoes.
Squeeze out excess moisture from the potatoes using a clean kitchen towel, cheesecloth, or paper towels. Add the strained potatoes and onions back to the large bowl.
Add the eggs, garlic, potato starch, everything bagel seasoning, and salt to the large bowl. Mix until well combined.
To fry the latkes, fill a large skillet with a ¼” depth of oil. Prepare a sheet pan with a rack or paper towels on top. Heat the oil on medium-high, until a drop of latke mixture sizzles when added. Add about a ¼ cup of latke mixture to the hot oil, press lightly down to form an evenly-thick circular shape. Fry on each side until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side. You may have to lower and raise the heat as needed to keep the oil from getting too hot or cold. Once golden brown on both sides, transfer to your lined baking sheet and sprinkle with a little extra salt.
To make the cream cheese topping: combine the cream cheese, dill, chives, and lemon juice in a small bowl.
To assemble: top each latke with the cream cheese topping, a small piece of smoked salmon, and a sprinkle of everything bagel seasoning.