I used to make a lot of quiches and savory tarts. I still think they’re one of the food Greats; a delicious, buttery crust and almost any filling you can think of. With a salad of mixed greens and some crisp-tender green beans with flaky salt, I’m not sure I’ve ever needed anything else to fill out a meal. Oh wait, a glass of wine. Now that there is some Deb Meal Bliss.
But as you know, things shift. They change. Suddenly, I’m feeding three mouths instead of two and I’m kind of hoping for leftovers and those delicate little tarts don’t stretch as far as I want them to. I want heft. I’m pretty at peace with not rolling out a pastry crust on a harried Monday afternoon.
If you’ve been hanging out in the comment sections lately, a dude named Ottolenghi has been coming up a lot. “Ottolenghi has an eggplant soup…” “I had something like this at Ottolenghi’s restaurant in London…” or more succinctly, “OMG I LOVE Ottolenghi.” It seems that a case of Ottolneghi Fever is going around and I’ve caught a fierce case of it, too. Yotam Ottolenghi is the chef/owner of four self-titled restaurants in London that I haven’t been to (sigh) but showcase food I can only describe as clever. Sure, they’re they’re all from scratch, wholesome, organic and locally sourced; all of those hashtags we go for today but more too: innovative, drawing influence from all over the Mediterranean, fusing ingredients together that you might not have expected to work but will think of nothing after you’ve tried them. Can’t make it to London? Don’t worry, he’s got a an addictive cookbook (fried beans with feta, sumac and sorrel, anyone?) and a weekly column in the Guardian called The New Vegetarian, an endless source of Exactly What I Want For Dinner Tonight.
Earlier this month, I bookmarked this funny-named dish he calls a cauliflower cake, part of his ongoing campaign to give cauliflower, which he considers as versatile as the beloved potato, “some well-earned glory”. With the better part of a dozen eggs, this at first reminded me of many of the quiche and tart fillings I used to whisk up, but what makes it different is the baking powder and quantity of flour. Sure enough, this makes a sturdy omelet that slices like a cake and works as a hefty main course. But rather than being humdrum, as big baked egg dishes can be, there’s red onion and parmesan aplenty and signature Ottolenghi cleverness like a springform lined with black sesame seeds, a bit of turmeric, minced rosemary and a big handful of basil. It’s unusual and completely addictive and contains magical powers that get 13 month-olds to stay still long enough to eat that entire slice you see above.
One year ago: Apple Cider Doughnuts
Two years ago: Molly’s Apple Tarte Tatin and Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad
Three years ago: Pumpkin Bread Pudding
Four years ago: Winter Squash Soup with Gruyere Croutons
Cauliflower and Parmesan Cake
Adapted, only a little, from Yotam Ottolenghi
Ottolenghi suggests serving this “cake” (think: sturdy baked omelet) as a light dinner with a “makeshift salad of sliced cucumber, dill, mint, a little sugar, cider vinegar and grapeseed oil”. I say make a salad with whatever you’ve got on hand; I was messing around with brussels sprouts and green beans yesterday, so that’s what I made a salad from.
My main changes were to change the weights in the recipe into “American” with cup measurements where I could. He calls for 100 grams of olive oil, which works out to about half a cup, which seemed like a lot to me. I used a generous quarter-cup in the end. Should you use the whole amount, I am sure your cake will just be that much more moist. I also balked at using nearly half a pound of Parmesan (he calls for 220 grams, which is about 2 1/4 cup grated), and used about a quarter instead (1 heaped cup, grated). I might have enjoyed a stronger Parmesan presence so will be less stingy with the good stuff next time.
Ottolenghi says serves 4 to 6, I’d say 6 to 8
1 medium cauliflower (1 1/2 pounds, 23 to 24 ounces or 650 to 700grams)
1 large red onion, peeled
7 1/2 tablespoons (100 grams or 3.5 ounces) olive oil (I used 5 tablespoons, see Note up top)
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary
10 medium or 8 large eggs
Handful (3/4 ounce or 20 grams) basil, chopped
Scant 1 1/2 cups (180 grams or 6.3 ounces) all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 cups finely grated parmesan cheese (200 grams or 7 3/4 ounces, see Note up top) or about 1 generous cup of grated Romano cheese
Salt and black pepper
Butter, for greasing pan
2 tablespoons black sesame seeds
Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C) degrees. Break cauliflower into medium florets (this will cause less mess than chopping it). Place floret in a pot with a teaspoon of salt, cover them with water and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until quite soft. Strain and let drip in the colander for a few minutes so they dry and cool.
Meanwhile, prepare the batter. Halve your red onion and cut a few thin rings off the end of one side; set them aside. Coarsely chop the remainder of your onion. Heat all of your olive oil in a saucepan (I won’t tell if you use the one where you cooked your cauliflower) and saute the chopped red onion and rosemary together until soft, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Whisk eggs and olive oil and onion mixture together. Stir in basil. Whisk flour, baking powder, turmeric, cheese, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt (use 1 teaspoon if you are nervous about this amount) and many, many grinds of black pepper together in a separate bowl and add to egg mixture, whisking to remove lumps. Stir in cauliflower gently, so most pieces remain intact.
Line the bottom of a 9-inch (24cm) round springform pan with parchment paper. Butter the sides generously. Put the sesame seeds in the pan and toss them around so that they stick to the sides. Pour in the cauliflower batter, arrange the reserved onion rings on top and bake cake in the center of the oven for 45 minutes, until golden brown and set.
Serve warm or at room temperature. Before you serve the cake, be sure to run a knife around the pan. This was probably the first time in my life I forgot, and several parts of the seed-crusted sides tore off!
Looks sublime! We’re with Mr. Ottolenghi in his cauliflower crusade! As well as his aubergine one…! This certainly would make a perfect meal…with that glass of wine of course!
yum what a great side dish to add to a fall dinner menu!
This cake looks better than the best quiche I’ve ever had. My mom bakes a vegetable loaf similar to this one. A slice please!!
Thanks for sharing.
Oh wow, this is such an awesome idea! I’m definitely going to bookmark this recipe.
Do you toast the sesame seeds?
This looks fantastic! I have honestly been craving a quiche like no other lately, but this just might take place of that craving. Yum!
I was all thrown when my e-mail read cauliflower and cake in the same recipe :) Sounds like a great dinner, love the poppy seeds on the outside!
Anything with cheese and cake in the title is a must-make for me!
YES – a tip of the hat to Ottolenghi… and to YOU… this looks amazing!
This is lovely, but cauliflower freaks me out. I won’t say why for fear of grossing out other people.
Looks good. I bet I could halve the recipe and make it in a loaf pan, no?
Ooops, I meant sesame seeds… I think my brain turned off after lunch!
As someone who went to Ottolenghi a week ago (sigh, I want to be back NOW), I can tell you it was the best eating experience we had in London – and it was fantastic! It was everything I wanted a place to be. Were I to live across the street, I’d be there nightly, it’s that good. I’ve also been addicted to his weekly column – clipped a bunch of stuff, maybe it’s time I got to make some of it.
Hmm, you know, I’d never thought about cauliflower having a bad rap before, but then, when I saw the title, the first thing I did was go “ewwww”. I think it’s the gas factor.
However, I’m totally intrigued by this. By savoury cakes in general. I tried making bacon and egg muffins for breakfast once, but I couldn’t get my mind around the texture (being one that called for sweet things) and the flavour (fry up).
This looks simply gorgeous.
That is ridiculously pretty. I’ve been trying to incorporate more vegetarian cooking, and embracing the Meatless Mondays movement. I guess I’ll have to add his colum to my RSS feed!
I love making frittatas and often throw whatever leftovers I have into them. This sounds like something I’d really enjoy! It looks so easy to serve in cake form.
I fully agree about cauliflower: it’s fantastic and often forgotten.
I will definitely try this, but will be roasting the cauliflower instead of simmering. I’ve got my kids hooked on roasted cauliflower (tossed with olive oil and a little kosher salt in the oven for about an hour) and this will be another way of serving it
i’ll keep you posted
You know, I’ve never been a big fan of cauliflower, but this recipe makes me want to give it another chance.
Oh and those pictures of Jacob…what gorgeous hair! What deliciously chub cheeks, what a blissful expression! Thanks for sharing him with us :-D
Wow! I was noticing all the Ottolenghi comments also, but for some reason didn’t check him out. Thanks for this wake up call! Such a brilliant recipe…I love clever things, especially if they’re vegetarian. :) Will definitely check out his column in the Guardian. Appreciate your conversions, as always!
Do you think the cauliflower could be replaced with broccoli?
i was immediately intrigued by the title…and HOLY YUM this looks amazing! i can’t wait to be home next week so i can try it out!
Do you think you can experiment with different kinds of cheese in this recipe, or is it exclusively for parmesan or romano?
This looks amazing!!!! I’ve never been a huge fan of cauliflower….the photographs alone have convinced me to be a bit daring and give this recipe a try. The combination of flavors sound heavenly to the point where I’m drooling as I type this =)
Jacob and that hair!!!! He’s so adorable!!!
Gorgeous! I know that cauliflower is endlessly versatile and wonderful, but it definitely has taken some time to embed that fact into my mind. This cake most definitely gives it the glory it deserves!
I never imagined cauliflower could be so exciting. The best I’ve ever done with it was cauliflower cheese but sometimes, you need a change. The other night I tried a soup which was awful so this will be perfect.
The husband loves caulliflower…passing this to him now!
I’m all about some cauliflower. I guess it’s a hold over from when I succumbed to the low carb phase and was making mashed cauliflower instead of potatoes. I still happen to love it so I’m sure I’d love this!
There is no American counterpart for the Ottolenghi book. My friend who brought it back to me from London has previously given me an English Pyrex (yes, Pyrex) measuring cup as Imperial measurements are different from American and metric.
What else do you expect from a country who drives on the wrong side of the road!
I love Ottolenghi too.
I imagine you place the set aside onion rings on top, raw, before you bake the cake? I don’t see anything about that, or am I completely blind?
Looks yummy!
I love the cauliflower/parmesan combination, and this looks absolutely delicious. I will definitely try this soon!
Also, thank you for the link to Ottolenghi’s column. I love how he starts every recipe with a one-sentence tantalizing summary: “Sweet, spicy and smoky, every mouthful is a voyage of discovery.” “A gorgeous, unctuous pyramid pointing all the way to heaven.” Just makes me smile :-) I can see why he’s so popular!
I adore cauliflower and new ways to serve it. Looks like I’ll be picking up some black sesame seeds at the market…
Holy heck, I’m sooooooo making this. Yum yum yum yum yum yum!
great idea! I’ve been wanting something different to do with cauliflower.
ive never seen or heard of anything like this! wow um….i don’t know that i can tackle such a recipe but maybe i can try for a very special occasion and realize it is not so hard after all. i love cali and i love eggs so this sounds very good. you never fail to bring something new to the table, literally!
I have just recently found your blog and I am in love! Your photography really adds to my “I have to get home and make this today” desire! I see that others feel the same way above.
I am a lover of cauliflower, my husband not so much so I often don’t cook with it. I think though that this recipe will be the perfect way to try it in my kitchen.
Keep up the tasty choices and photos! Great blog!
This sounds so interesting and a lovely change for dinner. I love cauliflower but have a hard time feeding it to anyone else. This cake might just win them over :)
If you swap a pecorino romano for the parmesan, you might still be able to get away with using the smaller amount. I always think Locatelli just gives you more “bang for your buck”.
This is a great looking recipe. I will have to try this and take it to the church social.
Deb,
First things first – get yourself to London and go to the restaurant, it’s fantastic.
I made this recipe when I saw it on the Guardian website and was very pleased. I used white whole wheat flour which worked wonderfully. However, I had trouble getting the black onion seeds to stick to the sides of the pan. How did you do it?
What a lovely centerpiece for a small brunch this would make. I’ve been one of those souls who hasn’t found cauliflower wonderful…until I made your cauli potatoe indian side dish a few weeks ago. It was scrumptious. I bet this is too.
Looks just wonderful! I am definitely saving this one!
Hey Deb, this recipe has been burning a hole in my work top for a few weeks now. Looks great, I’m looking forward to trying it.
…weights in the (book?) into “American”…
looks delicious! Yay for cauliflower!
I think I even have the ingredients on hand! Thanks.
Deb,
You never fail to amaze me! I’ve never thought of doing this. I love cauliflower…..and with parm???? WOW!!!! What a great idea, thanks.
Printed!
Ok I’ll say it—I love Ottolenghi. I’m a fan of The New Vegetarian at the Guardian for quite some time now and have tried many of his recipes, which always turn out great. I made this one last weekend and we devoured it!
Magda
I don’t see baking powder in the list of ingredients, but you mention it when describing this. Am I just not seeing it?
An Ottolenghi restaurant was around the corner from our vacation flat in Notting Hill a few weeks ago. We kept walking past, greedily ogling the snowy white spires of meringues piled on a cake stand and other treats. “Tomorrow, definitely tomorrow,” my husband and I told ourselves. Well, that day never came.
Next year in London, however…
Seriously? Where has this been my whole life? I love all brassicas, really. Is the basil necessary? My thyme plan is going wild but basil is just about done for the year (and I find basil tends to be a dominant flavor where I don’t want it to be.)
I’d like to try roasting the cauliflower and adding a bit of heavy cream to the mixture to compensate for the lost moisture. What happened to the baking powder you mention earlier?
Ok Deb, I’m gunna trust you on this one. I’ve made many many of your recipies going in thinking, “This is going to be interesting” and you’ve never let me down. I love cauliflower but this sounds so odd I’m not really sure how it will taste but I’m curious to see what happens. I’m even more intrigued that your baby enjoyed it. I have a VERY picky hubby who would eat nothing but Pizza and Corndogs (shudder) if he had half a chance. Hopefully I have as much luck as you did.
Looks like a fabulous dish. I’m curious as to the cooking time. Since I hate mushy veggies I’d never cook cauliflower more than a few minutes. I hate to ask but doesn’t pre-cooking it 15-20 minutes result in mushy cauliflower? Does it need to be mushy/soft when it’s baking 45 minutes?
Lawsy, this post might have a record number of typos! I was in a terrible rush to finish before the babysitter left this afternoon. As you all can see! Then we went to the park so I am only now getting to your comments.
BarbaraFL — Actually, I felt that mine after 20 minutes was still firm-tender. (I’d been hoping to get it softer because I wanted the extra for a baby snack.) It might have been the cauliflower I had. Anyway, there’s no need to boil it longer that is to your taste.
Baking powder — Yikes, forgot it. It is 2 1/2 teaspoons. Fixed now.
Kate — Basil isn’t necessary, though it changes the flavor, of course. Funny, I had to go to like 5 stands before I could find some and it was not the best. I think there’s definitely room to play with the herbs, whatever you have on hand that you might prefer. Also, thanks for the nice tweet before!
Elle — Weights in the recipe. Thanks. Fixed now.
Josh — A very generous slick of butter. Oh, and now I remember: he suggests using melted butter. I schmeared (and suggest here) cold butter on. It probably makes a better wall of “glue”.
Joan — Ugh, missed that too in my retyping. You put them on top right before you bake it. Fixed now.
Pam — Ottolenghi suggests parmesan or another aged cheese. I suggested Romano, but I am sure there are other wonderful ones.
Beth — Excellent point. You’d probably not want to go over 1 1/4 cups romano and I will update that now. It is much saltier with a stronger flavor.
Cauliflower tart — I cannot believe I forgot that I just made one 8 months ago. I have such mombrain these days; I barely remember making it!
No joke, I seriously remember eating this for lunch one day when out on a job interview when I was living in London. It was remarkably light! Thanks for sharing.
Becca
I have been in vegetarian blah repeat blah recipe land lately. Thanks for the lowdown! I’m going to make a gluten/dairy free version of this bad boy with cauliflower that I’ve roasted on the grill. Charred cauliflower has AMAZING flavor.
I have been so tempted to buy this cookbook many times, but I am always reading the amazon reviews about the Americans having trouble converting his metric to US measurements (which would be me!!!).
I always consult the metric conversion charts online, but they don’t all say the same thing.
Thank you for converting this recipe for me!!!!
Can’t wait to make it. I love a quiche, and I love cauliflower!
Baking powder? Looks like it’s 2 1/2 tsp.
So I just realized that I have been following your blog for a whole year already because of the little link to: “One year ago: Apple Cider Donuts”. That was the first post I read.
Thank you for being an amazing cook/recipe tester and tweaker. I can’t tell you how many compliments I’ve gotten for the crispy chewy chocolate chip cookies. Let alone every thing else I’ve made from this blog’s recipes!
Looks so pretty… and healthy too!
This looks delicious! Why, why can’t someone just send it to me in a transporter right now!
Perfect. I’m having a potluck on Saturday; I have the cauliflower; YEAH!
I will definitely be trying this one…I love cauliflower and so does my family. (And I saw you mentioned in a magazine again this week…yay!)
I saw this on the guardian” website last week. I’m dying to try it! It looks so beautiful!
I do not believe that this could possibly be better than the cauliflower & carmelized onion tart that I’ve made more than a dozen times since you posted it in February. Last week I made a fritatta version of it which was good, that recipe cannot be screwed up even by omitting the crust, however this cauliflower cake is exactly what I was imagining when I attempted that variation. Thank you for reading my mind and I cannot wait to make it! Although I’ll likely have to restrain myself from roasting the cauliflower, carmelizing the onions, and adding truffle salt and dijon mustard!
The slice in the photo looks like it was cut and baked individually for a little while. Why did you choose to do this, or am I just imagining things?
Anina — It wasn’t. I promise, I don’t do any food styling voodoo in my photos! It would only make the experience disappointing for anyone who makes it at home.
This is exactly what I’ve been looking for lately!! I’m making it for dinner tomorrow, except hoping it will still work if I sub almond flour for the wheat flour to make it low carb friendly.
I love cauliflower and can never think of imaginative ways to make it, so will try this pronto! I’m going to make it as is the first time, but was wondering how you think it would do in a pastry crust cause I really, really like my savoury cakes in a crust. Thanks for the inspiration!
This looks great! I think I may oven roast the cauliflower first? I am doing gluten free for a few weeks so I may adapt more like a quiche with egg and cream and no crust? I love rosemary.
Mmmmm. That sounds so strange, but so so so delicious.
This looks so cool! I’ve always been a bit of a cauliflower skeptic, but this is really winning me over. All of those spices and herbs sound amazing! I’d love to serve this for a yummy brunch dish.
This looks fabulous. I am seriously in love with cauliflower right now. Puréed is on par with mashed potatoes, really!
All i have to say is – what a brilliant idea. Never thought of making this with cauliflower. I bake them, eat them raw, mixe them with potatoes etc. But this is a new one for me. Thanks!
I have recently fallen in love with Cauliflower. I grew up eating it when it had been boiled to within an inch of its life and couldn’t believe it could be anything other than bland and watery. Then, I saw someone make Cauliflower Puree on a cooking show, it was a life changing moment. It has replaced mashed potato in our house and everyone who tries it can’t believe that it is cauliflower, it is just so tasty! Also, a few people have commented on the ‘gas’ effect of cauliflower. An Indian cookbook I have suggests that this only occurs when you cook cauliflower with water in it (i’m sure there is a more science-ey explanation somewhere). I have noticed that stir-frying or using it in a tart (or cake, who knew?) does limit this side effect. I have half a cauliflower in the fridge at the moment that i’m going to use to make this tonight, although my 18 month old will be disappointed that he ‘fwowa’ has disappeared from the fridge!
Hi Deb,
This looks amazing! I’m vegetarian but my hubby isn’t so I’m always excited to find dishes that do not have even a whiff of fake meat. I recently discovered Ottolenghi and I bought the new book “Plenty”. So far I’ve made the leek fritters (so amazing with the yoghurt sauce!); the fennel, chickpea, tomato and bread stew which was perfectly filling for cold winter nights here in Australia. That’s all so far, but his book is full of beautiful recipes with a middle Eastern twist.
I also recently discovered Nigel Slater’s column in The Guardian online. I made his tomatoes stuffed with butter beans and I topped it with goats cheese. It was delicious!
I love your blog, I follow every post, and of course my favourite part is the link to an always adorable photo of Jacob. Thanks!
I couldn’t believe this title when I read it. (But the photos have me convinced!) Your willingness to try new things is inspiring, indeed.
this looks beautiful and delicious. i think some chopped up olives or sun-dried tomatoes might send it over the top for me.
This looks fabulous. I’ve been thinking about cauliflower a bit too recently, and how I can work it into some interesting dishes, so this recipe really speaks to me. I can’t wait to try it! I alove love the idea of the black poppyseed crust. Mmmm
Beautiful pictures and thanks for sharing the recipe and link! I agree with the suggestion for roasted cauli.
Oooh, that looks just delicious!
Restaurant #1 for upcoming London trip identified. (Well, I guess I have to narrow it down to one of the four but it’s a start.) I had forgotten how much I enjoyed his fried beans with sumac and sorrel when I made them.
Thanks!
I always roast my cauliflower. Well, I just love this veggie. Bought some more at a roadside stand in Brighton, CO today. Can’t wait to try this cake. Thanks, Deb.
Greetings from Colorado.
Kirsten
Such a small world that you just posted this today as I had a yearning for roasted cauliflower this evening and just baked a beautiful fresh batch…I am surely going to create this incredible recipe as it sounds divine…such beautiful photographs … Thank you for a unique spin on a roasted cauliflower recipe; I truly look forward to digging in and enjoying it!
Enjoy your evening and happy eating…
Best,
Amie
made this for supper tonight- I thought it was delish but the three other family members all thought it was so/so. I served it as a main and perhaps it would have been better suited as a side for my meat lovers. AND thank you for turning me on to this Ottolenghi stuff.. I had no idea! the Guardian link is fantastic
Love this idea! I just made an amazing roasted cauliflower and swiss chard quiche for dinner last night. I’m definitely a fierce advocate of the under appreciated head of cauliflower and this looks like a yummy way to enjoy it!
PS Super excited to check out Ottolenghi! I must be living under a rock, never heard of him…and I’m vegetarian!
This looks to be a very tall kuku:
http://persiankitchen.wordpress.com/2009/01/26/lima-bean-and-dill-kuku/
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Fresh-Herb-Kuku-231921
I made this for dinner tonight and really enjoyed it. Mine didn’t come out as fluffy as the one in the pic for two reasons (I suspect): 1) I used 4 large and 2 extra-large eggs, and I guess I should have put in a third, and 2) I didn’t add the baking powder in until the very, very end because someone *cough cough* forgot to add it to the original recipe!
If your 13 mo old loved it then I would give this a go at my 23 mo old. Before she loved vegetables now not so much, just pizza and bread and butter for her. Any baby recipes appreciated.
Wow I think this is one of the most unique ‘cakes’ I have ever seen in my life. Just stunning! I can’t wait to try and make a vegan version with vegan parmesan cheese.
Looks delicious! I’ve never seen a baked egg dish with flour in it… I’m curious!
You’re not wrong – He’s a genius .. if you allow me to link you can see all about when I went to Ottolenghi’s restaurant for lunch this week
http://writingacookerybook.blogspot.com/2010/10/my-hero-yotam-ottolenghi.html
LOVE LOVE LOVE Ottolenghi!! I drove my husband crazy last time we were in London because I made him eat there breakfast lunch and dinner!!
I live in London and have been to Ottolenghi a few times – while it good, it is not amazing and is also ridiculously expensive. For dinner, they do these tapas-style small plates which are between 10 and 15GBP each. You are supposed to order 2-3 of those per person! Really not worth it.
Having said that, the food is good and the desserts very good.
I think you misspelled Ottolenghi’s first name: It’s Yotam, a pretty common Israeli name, and not Yoham. The cake looks great, though! :-)
Noaya — I did! Fixed now. Thanks.
The title of this really freaks me out, but after reading the recipe, this looks so tasty!
Wow…cauliflower cake? Who knew? It looks delicious!
Jacob is adorable and looking very active now!
I think that after reading this I will be hit by Ottolenghi fever too. And I also have a new mouth to feed and little time and never seem to have leftovers anymore. Also, I love cauliflower. Thanks for the idea. And, I know I shouldn’t say this, but I am a teeny bit relieved to hear you are also finding it a little harder to cook and do stuff now that you have a little one racing around touching and sucking on everything. Because I often feel more than overwhelmed myself and read your posts and looked at your lovely pictures and feel totally in awe about how you keep it all running so smoothly. ;o)
This is a beautiful dish. It will be a great way to prepare cauliflower this Winter since it is one of the few fresh (and decent) vegetables available. I will definitely take a look at that cookbook. It sounds very intriguing.
Deb, what a beautiful dish this is! Thanks for the link to the Guardian column – I bookmarked it. I am very taken with the spice/herb mixture lining the springform pan – what a fantastic idea!
New to your website – – thank you!! I am up for trying any recipe that takes a much maligned vegetable like cauliflower and turns it into a lovely dish! Perhaps my little ones will partake of it with gusto! Off to the market for a head of cauliflower. . .
You definitely do change your cooking strategy a little when the kiddos come along! This looks utterly amazing! I think even the little guys would like it!
Beautiful colours! I have to say I live close to Notting Hill (west London) and I frequently walk past Ottolenghi, but still haven’t gone in! My friend is always raving about how great it is for brunch. I must go soon…
This looks wonderful! Perfect for a nice fall brunch. Thanks for sharing :-)
I’ve been looking for a good cauliflower recipe! Over my 24 years I’ve neglected this vegetable completely, and now I feel guilty. I was thinking about cauli + turmeric, baked with olive oil, salt & pepper…but when you make it a cake, I just can’t resist that.
I’m going to go with “intriguing”…like cauliflower, love cheese…will have to give it a try. I have also been under a rock..thanks for the info on Ottolenghi!
Wish I checked in yesterday. I made a big batch of cauliflower curry because I could not think of any other quick cauliflower dish ( We Love cauliflower). I look forward to making this. One question. Do you think white whole wheat flour will work in place of unbleached white? Or whole wheat pastry flour?
Cauliflower is such an afterthought in the normal realm of dinner (or lunch or brunch)! I love finding new ways to prepare it.
I made it last night and it was a hit with all my friends!
i’m a big fan of cauliflower, though i’ve never seen it used in this way. what a lovely way to prepare it! yum!:)
this looks sooo good, I am going to attempt this on the weekend!
First time in your site… amazing photos and recipe description! Congratulations!!!
What an interesting way to use califlower! You come up with the best recipes and a clever way of writing about them.
-Brenda
this is so special, wondering and curious about the taste.
Deb, does this remind you a little bit of those old-fashioned Jewish vegetable kugels? Looks great!
celia — I don’t think I’ve ever had one. (Or, my mother is about to call me and say “Yes you have! Don’t you remember…” etc.)
pure autumnal comfort!
My hubby would love this, It looks so delicious and mouth-watering.
My mother’s 70th birthday party was last weekend. I did all the catering- most of which was straight out of Yotam Ottolenghi’s Plenty. Everything was utterly delicious. It’s the best cookbook I’ve come across in a long time!
(The other recipes were from Nigel Slater- somebody else whose recipes always go down well.)
I was going to make my out of town friend the Mushroom Lasagna you posted the other day, but now I must make her this. I keep pulling up this page and just drooling over the idea of it!
My favourite Ottolenghi cauliflower recipe is his salad with cauliflower, curried garbanzos and mango. It’s spectacular: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/apr/24/alphonso-mango-chickpea-salad-recipe
My copy of Plenty arrived last week and is already heavily bookmarked…
This looks very similar to a Tunisian tagine (not to be confused with Moroccan tagine!). I haven’t seen a vegetable recipe that calls for black sesame seeds (nigellas, btw), so I’m very interested in this. I’ll be checking out Mr. Ottolenghi at the Guardian as well! Thanks for the greats recipes and tips.
Black sesame seeds are not nigella ;-) But that’s OK. Nigella is a plant (Nigella damascaena); the seeds are quite peppery.
Deb – I’ve been admiring and making your recipes for a year now. You inspire me. This looks delicious! Also, had my second baby in June and am super excited for your baby food section!
Oh, how I love Yotam Ottolenghi! The restaurant(s); the cookbook; the column; the man! The Notting Hill branch of the restaurant is worth a visit for the spectacular window display alone. Both his cookbooks are permanent fixtures on my kitchen counter. I use them weekly. I’ll be trying this recipe tonight.
Hmmmm, might be something to try with the half a head of cauliflower remaining from tonight’s curried cauliflower & chickpea stew… Yum!
I made this CAKE for dinner last night.
I used what I had on hand, which meant using a yellow onion, no turmeric, and a glass Pyrex pie pan instead of the spring form pan suggested. Anticipating that it would stick to the pan I skipped the crust of sesame seeds. I was pleasantly surprised that my non stick spray actually worked.
Review? Yum. My one year old gobbled it up. Even my husband liked it and went back for more. I will cook it a few minutes less next time because some of sides seemed a little dry. I warmed up leftovers for lunch? Still good. Thanks for inspiring me to try something new!
This sounds great! Cauliflower definitely does deserve some glory.. and this dish is a great way to honor it!
Oooh the sedd crust is an amazing idea. I love this but I bet that trick would work with lots of combos.
i am on the ottolenghi bandwagon – i recently made his smoky omelet, which also featured eggs (obviously) and cauliflower. it was very good and on the make-again list, but i have noticed with the couple recipes that i’ve made from plenty that he’s very liberal with his use of expensive and fatty items. still, i love his ideas and the book has not moved from my coffee table since i got it as a gift two months ago.
This looks amazing… Truly enchanting!! I am going to try it out this weekend… JUST TWO QUICK QUESTIONS that I hope you get to reply to. :(
I don’t like brown sesame seeds (the regular ones I suppose)… Does black sesame seeds have the same taste?? AND on the pans: If I don’t have a 9″ inch spring form pan, is there another I can use? (what about a bundt cake pan? or an 8”x3″ round pan)? Again, this looks amazing… Thank you for sharing!
Seeing a few comments —nigella seeds and black sesame seeds are not the same thing:
http://www.seriouseats.com/2010/08/spice-hunting-charnushka-nigella-onion-seed.html
I think they would be very nice in place of sesame seeds, as would poppy seeds.
Hey Deb – Cauliflower was one of those vegetables I was a little iffy about for ever so long, that is until I tasted mashed cauliflower as a lighter type mash & from there on in I’ve seen so many ways to make this little darlin’ do great things. I’ve not made a cauliflower cake, so I’m pretty excited to create one. Thanks for sharing.
Oh. This seems unusual but is really dragging my curiosity! Well, actually it is really creative doing something like this with a veggie! Wonderful. I think I should try this out. Maybe my kids will be able to eat vegetables without them knowing. LOL
Yummy! I did not have sesame seeds, so I substituted poppy seeds. . . After 50 minutes, my cake still did not set completely, but I could not wait any longer. I had to taste it!! Very good hot and straight from the oven. (I think next time I will use more parmesan, as 1C. did not seem to be enough.) However, at room temperature, it became divine!!!
Cauliflower. Cake. Brilliant. That Otto’s one flippin’ genius.
This looks awesome! My husband and I both love cauliflower so I will probably make this asap :-)
Made this for dinner tonight with simple salad of tomatoes amd cucumbers. Wonderful!!!
This recipe has my mom’s name written all over it. I’ll have to make it for her!!
I live across the street from Ottolenghi in Islington….. Wonderful salads and a great cook book!
So I have been drooling over the cauliflower caramelised onion tart for a few weeks, but as I get home so late from my commute, never have time to bake in the evenings.
Tonight I am going to make either this cauliflower cake or the cauliflower and caramelised onion tart from February.
Deb or any other commenter who has made these recipes? Which do you recommend the most?
I tried my first ottolenghi dish recently – it was also cauliflower – in a tahini sauce – but I too found that he used an obscene amount of oil – but had great flavours – so I was interested to see you also reduced the oil! Wish my 20 month old would still eat such food but it is all just plain jane stuff now!
Hi Deb, this looks delish! Are you only supposed to use the cauliflower “flowers,” not the stem?
Hi Kate — I used everything.
Syndey — The one with caramelized onion is very rich and absolutely delicious. Even a little sinful, which of course just makes it tastier. This is more of a main course, heavier, and more interestingly spiced. We’ve gotten a few days of meals out of it.
Gen Santanelli — Black sesame seeds have a slightly different flavor but no reason you cannot swap what you have (or poppy seeds, as some have suggested). The reason for the springform is so the cake can be easily removed. It doesn’t have the lightness of a regular cake (and won’t pull away from the sides as it cools, like a layer cake would) so you may have trouble getting it out of other pans. Doesn’t mean you can bake it in, say, a square pan but you do risk having to cut it out of it.
Yes, yes, yes. Delicious and lovely and will make soon.
But, BULK! That’s the ticket sister. My family doesn’t want to eat fast food or processed food ever – we all want homemade food all the time and I’m trying to not let my career go completely down the drain, so…
Thank you for healthy – multi-meal food.
xo
Just had to check in – my husband and I are on a mini weekend in Barcelona and we are eating TAPAS, TAPAS AND MORE TAPAS. I’m thinking a skinny slice of your cauliflower cake on top of a toasted slice of bagette -and voila – just another tapas item! I am going to have to try this when we get home!
So this recipe has forced me out of lurkerdom. I happened to have all the ingredients on hand so I made it last night.
Umm.
I wanted to love it, but we really didn’t. It was, truly, a not-sweet cake. For dinner. It was weird, honestly. Sort of bready, with hints of cauliflower and cheese flavor. On the upside, it was very easy and used only ingredients on hand, and aside from the cup of Parm it was cheap. It certainly may have been user error, but I don’t think I’d ever make it again–and I think a frittatta with cauliflower (maybe roasted instead of boiled?) and cheese would have been much more to our taste.
FWIW.
I think I’m just going to have to make both. I can’t choose. It’s like Sophie’s choice. I think I will attempt the cauliflower and caramelised tart first, as living in London I can make it to an Ottolenghi it out (on the to do list tomorrow!)
Am a very basic cook, so a little bit nervous about attempting these and will comment again in the relevant posts to let you know how it went.
I have a dairy allergy, and this cake sounds AMAZING. What would you suggest replacing the cheese with?
Nan, as mentioned some comments above, it’s basically what’s known as a kuku in Persian cuisine, a name I’ve always liked.
This is a triumph! I made it w almond flour (diabetic-friendly), dried rosemary and parsley instead of basil. Delicious and beautiful presentation for a tapas meal. Thank you!
This I’m making for sure this weekend. Oh, the scrumptiousness!
I am an Ottolenghi addict! I take that book to bed with me. I’ve tried several of his recipes, and they’ve all been fantastic.
I tried this and it’s great! One ‘procedural’ note: I placed the well-drained florets in the pan and poured the batter over them. Less ‘breakage’ and it came out fine.
I changed almost everything about the recipe and it still turned out great. This recipe is super versatile and delicious (well, at least my version tasted great). Thanks for the awesome inspiration!
I made this for dinner tonight, and my family and I found it pretty bland :(
Like Sarah said, it’s like a not-sweet cake, but without any bursts of flavour to redeem it. I kind of think it’s a waste of 2 full cups (!) of parmesan….
Greetings, Deb:
I have cauliflower in frig waiting for this evenings dinner – which recipe would you suggest this one or the cauliflower and onion tart? Decisions, decisions. –
You know Deb, I LOVE your recipes, your pics, your writing, but the REAL reason I check in nearly daily is for the latest pic of Jacob. He is growing so fast, and it has been wonderful watching from this side of the screen. Thank you so much to you both for brightening the week for so many of us with his new pic per posting! Hoping you won’t ever stop….
Just slipped this beautiful thing into the oven. The major change I made was to use 10 ounces broccoli & cauliflower, plus a yellow and red pepper, in place of all cauliflower (fridge odds and ends, you see). And I used toasted sesame seeds in place of the black seeds. Oh, and I used the entire container of grated Parmesan that my thoughtful boyfriend bought yesterday — it was less than the amount in the recipe, but it’ll be fine, I’m sure (and I’ll buy a new container today to replace it).
Smells lovely so far. I’m thinking the leftover chocolate souffle cupcakes will be dessert.
I love good cauliflower recipes– definitely an underrated vegetable! I’m a big fan of mashed cauliflower, or your cauliflower soup, and both are good enough to keep me from branching out. This, though, looks amazing. Can’t wait to try it.
Rebecca #154, your nasty comments aren’t appreciated, thanks very much.
I am half of a small catering company in Oakland, Ca. We loved your sight first but we too caught a serious case of Ottolingi fever over the summer. I think we caught it from David Lebowitz.
We are both in awe of Mr Ottolingi, and his partners’, innovative approach to combining flavors. We are very lucky to have the local resources and cooking influences of Northern California available to us; that said, it has been necessary to improvise on some ingredients not even we can find. ( Not even at the Bowl*)
We ordered both cook books from Amazon, but haven’t really used the second one as it seemed better for colder weather. ( Which was here most of the summer and arrived in full force to day. But if you cook summer food in summer it helps it feel like summer no matter how cold it is.)
We are making this cake for a brunch event next weekend.
Hummm Baby, Go GIANTS!
* The Berkeley Bowl is a Berkeley grocery establishment that if you are ever visiting the Bay Area, and you are a foodie, should be on your list things “todo” right after the seeing the other bridge.
This is the oven right now and it smells great! I’m serving it with some keilbasa in case the kids don’t love it. Thanks for all the interesting recipes!
Throwing brunch tomorrow and successfully convinced my mom and cousin that we should make this. Any thoughts on making this in advance and then bringing it to room temp. to serve?
I am a long time reader, but this is the first time I have ever commented — I couldn’t resist commenting because this cake is simply wonderful! Thank you for always introducing us to fantastic recipes from unexpected sources. I think part of the wonder of this dish is that the name, ‘cauliflower cake,’ is just so unappealing, in sharp contrast to the lovely result. The cake almost reminds me of a Tortilla Espanola, the tapas dish…
Incidentally, I used the full serving of parmesan and about 75grams olive oil, and it has an really irresistible flavor and is soft and moist and really just perfect… hmm, I’m leaving the posting and commenting going back for my second slice now!
Thanks again!
Just a little FYI: the baking powder is missing from your steps.
I really hope this turns out tasty. It’s in the oven right now, but I’m making it for tomorrow as Ottolenghi’s recipe said it tastes better the next day.
Baking powder — Thanks. Now added!
This looks so good, I think we need some savory breakfasts in our house this will be perfect.
This recipe reminds me of cauliflower samosas my mom used to bake while growing up. Of course the similarity is – savory breakfast!
ohhh i wish i could replace the eggs with something else…. buttermilk like in cakes or milk n vinegar? I don’t know but i cant be eating eggs right now and I’d really like to try this out!
Made it today. Definitely missing the info about adding baking powder, in the steps, but I added it at the most obvious time (to me), with the other dry ingredients. Also, I don’t think it needs as much oil – in fact I think the amount of oil listed is absolutely ridiculous. I used about 3 tablespoons. The cake turned out really really well – it will be a recipe I make often in the future. YUM!
i like quiches a lot and think i would like this cauliflower one too. never had this kind of crust before though! looks good!
Since I’ve been on low carb, I’ve learned about the wonders of cauliflower. It really is versatile and I love it. I’m thinking of low carbing this recipe by simply subbing some of the ingredients, specifically the flour. I would probably use flax meal. Is the flour there to bind?
just found your blog through another…good stuff…i will have to try the apple cheddar scones! yum
Beautiful! Can’t wait to try it!
a question… recipe calls for a lot of eggs (flavor, color, binding agent, rise) but, could one sub egg beaters w/o dramatic consequences?
i know there must be a lot of gasps @ this point.
I also made the cake last night while also making PW’s short ribs and goat cheese polenta so that I’m not stuck at school eating MSG laden chinese food for lunch.
I had a slice this morning and it was delish. This was after I managed to:
1. use 2 larger than medium heads of cauliflower
2. add 3 eggs at the last minute because I worried about not having enough batter after I had added the cauliflower
3. eyeball baking powder
and general cooking mayhem all around. I was lazy and skipped parchment paper for the bottom of my 10 inch cake pan (no spring form yet) which is making pretty slices a challenge.
But alas, if it came out with what I did, I’m pretty sure anybody can make it!
Looks awesome. Fits right into my current eating menu. You talked about getting more than one meal out of it. How did you reheat it and do you think it could be frozen? If so, how would you reheat that?
Now here’s a cauliflower recipe I can sink my teeth into — and still enjoy all week as leftovers. Thanks!
I can’t wait to try this. But I gotta comment on quiches not being hefty enough for many, many meals. I have been making the quiche recipes form Thomas Keller’s Bouchon cookbook. He makes his in a 9X2 ring form, and the result is 9X2 of dense, thick and decadent quiche that we have a tough time finishing even over a few days. The quiche, made this way looks spectacular, too. I do end up putting in more veggies in mine as the custard in this recipe is quite rich as is. And the only negative is that it takes longer to cook (1 hr 30 min to 1 hr 45 min, plus pre baking the crust). Here’s a link for Michael Ruhlman’s (co-author) which is very similar to what’s in the cookbook. http://ruhlman.com/?s=Quiche
Yum, looks very nice and must be yumm. thanks for sharing!
Thanks for this one! It was very tasty when I made it last night according to your recipe and I think it will be a great base to improvise from for next time. Yummmm!
Thanks for this recipe, I made it yesterday for a party and it was a big hit.
Cauliflower is starting to grow on me now that I am older, in fact I just posted a cauliflower recipe. I still find that it doesn’t taste good enough to eat on its own, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be a great component in a recipe! This looks good I’d like to try, but I’d have to go shopping first, lots of ingredients I don’t normally use in this one!
This was awesome! And, for once, mine actually came out looking just like yours does. Rarely do my versions look so nice, but this one was perfect.
The only hiccup was that the innards of mine turned out to be nowhere near set after 50 minutes. Unfortunately I only noticed this after it had been cooling for a while. The top looked so set! I wasn’t sure if the clean-knife-test was applicable to this not-quite-a-cake, so I didn’t do it, but I wished that I had. Anyway, after it spent a lot more time heating back up in the oven and cooking, it did eventually pass the clean-knife-test and was terrific.
I also substituted poppy seeds, since I had just assumed poppy seeds after seeing the picture and glossing over the recipe, and therefore had no black sesame seeds. Worked out fine.
I made this for dinner tonight and it was awesome! It made such a beautiful presentation too!
This looks great BUT wasn’t very good. Very spongy – the taste was bit off – I’d prefer less flour and perhaps more “eggy-ness”. But probably wouldn’t make it again –
I will have to get me one of those cookbooks. I love to try dishes like that. I will have to give this recipe a try, too. You always make things look so easy to make.
Cauliflower is sometimes one of those vegetables that we forget about. Usually we steam it and that’s about it. But it’s so versatile. Pasta with cauliflower or as a puree. It’s a great vegetable. I love this use of cauliflower. Great brunch dish.
This is just another one of your recipes that I am trying. Will let you know how it goes. It is just beautiful!
Simply delicious. We made this last night and it was pretty simple to make. Thanks again for a great recipe!
I made this without the cheese and without the rosemary, and it was still fabulous.
I think I may have done something wrong in cooking it — the flavors were there, but the cake part was dense. I did not see to add baking powder at the time I made it, and it seemed like there was too much flour. I’d love to try this again w/o the flour and just make it more of an egg fritatta type.
I made this on Saturday, without baking powder, and it was delicious. Really excellent. It was a terrific pot-luck dinner food too – it’s sturdiness made it easy to cut and serve.
I wonder how it would be different with baking powder… Only one way to find out!
If I made this again, and was making it a day ahead of serving, I would use regular onions. The red onions look pretty, but they turn a green-ish color a day later as they react with the egg protein.
I made this with a large cauliflower and 8 eggs on a Friday and it made 6 hearty meals for the two of us, so it was worth the effort. The sesame seed edge really made a great flavor and texture. This would be great a brunch party dish.
i made this with a gorgeous orange cauliflower (and less turmeric) and threw in some sorrel because it is growing so well at this time of year, and you made me think of it. lovely. My 2 year old chanted “yummy yummy”as she bit into her slice. Very quiche-y even without the buttery crust. Thanks for another winner!
I saw this and had to make it. I did not have tumeric so I substituted sweet curry powder and I used panko bread crumbs instead of sesame seeds. It was delicious. My husband who does not like curry at all, let alone cauliflower, loved it. Thank you for the fabulous recipe. This will be added to my list of favorites.
On my site, I mostly try and use recipes that I dig up from my stash of cookbooks, but when i see things like this, I get thrown all off track and just have to make it immediately. So damn you and thank you. This looks amazing.
This was wonderful! Quiche to a whole new level. I totally forgot the parm, so we doted the hot cake with some goat cheese and it turned out great! Also, I had an unknown bag of spice that I’m pretty sure after tasting that it was curry. I made the kitchen smell fantastic! Thanks Deb for always opening us up to new culinary treats!
Tried it for dinner tonight. Amazing! Delicious! I used the full 2 cups of Parmesan — totally worth it!
Have been looking for a tapas dish for my book club-this one looks just about perfect. Will cut it into small squares and arrange on a platter. Thanks for this lovely site.
Well this has to be the craziest thing I’ve ever attempted. As a recent convert to your Kitchen, I’ve learned not to question. In spite of some gitches (had to sub mostly whole wheat flour discovering too late that I was almost out of all-purpose) I was completely wowed when I cut into and tasted this last night. It didn’t look as pretty as yours as the ww flour made it brown and maybe that also had something to do with it being somewhat dry around the edge and not completely set in the middle but the flavors were lovely and though the texture was a little off I’m inspired to perfect this one. Thanks! One question: the red onion rings on top turned green, what’s up with that?
I’m not sure what I was thinking, but since this appeared just as I noticed a lingering head of cauliflower in the back of the fridge, I used this recipe for the head of *purple* head of cauliflower I found. That was a regrettable choice. It tasted fine but the cake is the most awful shade of teal.
I just made this this past weekend for a movie night I didn’t want to be in the kitchen for. Divine, divine, divine! It’s my – and my husband’s – new favorite meal. Reducing the oil and keeping the parm cheese at 2 cups were both great suggestions. Thank you for this recipe!
How pretty this would be with the purple and white cauli mix that Trader’s is currently carrying. So many mixed reviews, can’t wait to try it for myself! :)
Had some for lunch today (leftovers) and it appears red onion doesn’t play well with eggs (?)…they turned a grayish green color. Still good, definitely not spoiled…but slightly weird to eat when your evolutionary senses are screaming at you to put*the*fork*down and step away. I’m glad I didn’t listen
Kathryn–A thousand times no on the purple cauliflower! The purple leaches badly, and it turned my cake an awful teal color. (I also don’t recommend boiling purple cauliflower unless you enjoy gray vegetables.)
Cauliflower, yum!!
Made this yesterday, and it’s delicious! Thank you for the recipe. FWIW I did not find that the black sesame seeds had such a distinctive flavor – so the other substitutions would probably be fine. I will likely just leave them out next time.
I made this the other day. It was delicious. My 11-month old had a huge slice to herself. I made it again this yesterday, but switched out the cauliflower with broccoli and extra sharp cheddar, added an extra red onion and 3 cloves of garlic, used the 5 tbps of oil and added tbsp of butter. I actually think I could have put 2 tbsp of butter. Didn’t have tumeric or black sesame seeds either time but didn’t miss them. Oh, and i also rubbed a butter over the top when I took it out of the oven!
This will become a staple at our house for sure! Thanks.
This is really, really good. I made the recipe as originally written, except that I was out of AP flour so substituted half white bread and half whole wheat pastry flour. It turned out fantastically so I think I’ll try all WW next time. This recipe took what I sometimes don’t like about quiche (watery, especially when reheated) and eliminated it. I have a hunch this will freeze well too. I’m just thinking of all of the variations I could do. Cheddar and broccoli is coming for sure, maybe gruyere and…I’m not sure yet. But it’s really a great format, which reheats beautifully.
My husband is fully unwilling to own a springform pan, now, since during our last move we found SIX in the house. So I made do with an 8″ square pan, and cooked two of the cakes, each with half the mixture. To make sure the cake came out of the pan, I made a parchment sling (adhered to the pan with cooking spray), and then buttered the inside of the paper to make the sesame seeds stick. Worked perfectly, and I was able to wrap up the second cake in the parchment and put it in a gallon ziplock to keep it for another day of meals.
The recipe is great! Even better now that I know I don’t have to buy a new pan. :)
Delicious…in french chou-fleur !!!!!!
this was absolutely fantastic! thanks for the introduction into cauliflower… now if I could figure out how to make this in smaller portions since I’m just one person… any suggestions? or other one person recipes you love? thank you!
I just HAD to make this cake even though I didn’t have all the ingredients (of course. It’s always that way isn’t it?) The biggest trouble was having only 6 eggs
but I thought that if I use a bit less cauliflower it would fine so I plunged ahead. Also I subed the super awesome israeli Feta from TJs for the parm. The last minor hurdle was not having a red onion so I used shallots and just to have something to decorate the cake with I used half a red pepper (the other half I sauteed with the onion). As I was mixing everything I had a bit of panic attack that I didn’t reduce the flour enough (I used a full cup) so I added a nice glug of milk to make it all more liquidy and….Success!!! It rocked!! thanks so much, and also for highlighting Yotam– I never heard of him before but I am now a big fan!
Instead of boiling the cauliflower, I grated it using a box grater and sauteed it with the onion. It was a little dryer and more caramelized than the recipe, but it worked BEAUTIFULLY. Delicious with a salad of red onion, roasted beets, grapefruit and goat cheese, and, because I’m a pig, a nice hunk of sourdough. Thank you, Deb!
I just put this in the oven. I didn’t have red onion or rosemary, so I substituted cippolini and sage. I used 8 large eggs, but after putting in two cups of flour, my batter was waaaaay too thick so I dropped in just a bit of milk until it was creamy again. I am very much looking forward to it! I had a little fingerful of batter and the flavor is delicious.
I made this with gorgeous golden/orange cauliflower (it always cooks so beautifully) but it was exactly the same color as the “cake” and lost in the white whole wheat flour and turmeric colored batter. Next time, no turmeric, white onions. I substituted raw sesame seeds which browned beautifully. During cooking, my pan leaked oil/melted butter – do I not know how to put it together (it was my first use) or is this a common occurance?
Hm, not huge on cauliflower but it looks wonderful. I’ll have to try it out.
I made this based on Ron’s suggestion to grate the cauliflower. Very tasty and I loved the sesame seeds. I think I didn’t have enough onion and perhaps not enough Romano. It was good but did not blow my socks off. I do like the cauliflower theme since you won me over with the cauliflower tart. Maybe I should try again with whole cauliflower.
Never heard of cauliflower cake before.. I am very curious how this cake taste but ingredients are awesome. In my list of cake baking!
I made this last night, and it was DELICIOUS! It’s the first time I’ve been able to get my 3 year old to eat cauliflower since she was a baby. Thank you!!
yum, made it tonight and had many pieces….
Made this last weekend when my date came over and we both really liked it. Served it with your tomato sauce with onion and butter, roasted baby new potatoes and green beans. Had plenty left over and it made some lovely lunches.
Great recipe, I just made it for lunch! I live in Barcelona, Spain and I have to say it reminds me the Spanish Tortilla, but flavors are completely different, and I prefer baking than frying. Thanks for this post!
Ana
I just made the second batch of the week. My kids ate it without complaining! For those wondering about a gluten free version, I substituted brown rice flour for the flour (equal amounts) and added a pinch more baking powder. I don’t think you would be able to tell it was gluten free. Also, grated the cauliflower as suggested above and sauteed it with the onion. Just doubled the saute time. I think the grating helped with the texture for the little ones.
Delicious!! Great new recipe to add to our collection. I am excited to try it with different add-ins too. How about add a little bacon for more of a brunch flavor, or mushrooms and spinach. Thanks for your inspiration!
Delicious! And I definitely agree that it serves closer to 8; it’s remarkably filling. I used poppyseeds instead of sesame seeds because I had them on hand. I also (unintentionally) had a few larger chunks or cheese in my finely grated parmesan and I might increase that next time– it’s nice to discover a melty ooze of cheese here and there. Makes excellent leftovers for several days, at least. Thanks for the recipe!
It took about an hour and half at 350F for this cake to turn dark yellow. Do you think it’s my oven? I looked in after 45 minutes and some of the egg mixture was still liquid so I left it alone for another 45.. I think I put it in at 8:48 and took it out around 10:15:(
Other then using 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder instead of 2 1/2 I cannot figure out where I went wrong. It’s very pretty but tastes kind of blah. I kind of think maybe it’s not fully cooked or not fully cooked and missing salt .. I only used 1 teaspoon? I am not sure. I would like to try this again but I am not sure what to change. I was hoping you can help me out.
Thanks,
Anna
Made this last night in a cast iron skillet (45min @ 350) and it came out beautiful and cooked perfectly. The flavor was subtle, but savory. And it’s very filling. Instead of rosemary I used some French Provencial herb mix I had on hand, and poppy seeds by accident instead of sesame. I paired with a spinach, tangerine and cranberry salad. The meal looked and tasted straight out of the local gourmet cafe. The cake would be great for breakfast or brunch too. Thanks Deb!
Looks AMAZING! I wonder if I could pull this off with Romanesco? We’re getting so much in our CSA box here still.
This is beautiful, but I found it to be so subtle as to be tasteless. Maybe some green chile. And mine also needed a much longer cooking time. Do usually have success with your recipes, so thanks,
Martha
I am so excited, this is in the oven right now and smells delicious! I adapted it very heavily to fit with what I had on hand.
– used 7.75oz of a mixture of goat + cream cheese (no parm) and used my hand blender to combine it with the eggs and oil + a healthy dollop of homemade pesto
– roasted the cauliflower with olive oil + salt + pepper (instead of boiling)
– used sauteed leeks instead of the onion
– did not use any of the other herbs, spices, or seeds
Just made this and thought I would let everyone know that for a more rustic version (and if you don’t have a springform pan), you can make it in a cast iron skillet. I preheated the oven with the skillet in it, then add a pat of butter to the hot skillet, swirl it around, toss in the sesame seeds, and pour the batter right in. No parchment paper needed, and it didn’t stick at all. It also cooks more evenly in cast iron, for those of you who commented that the top was done but the middle was still gooey :)
Have not made it yet but am now looking forward to more cauliflowers from my CSA basket, instead of fretting about what to do with them. Bonus points that the presentation is so kid-friendly, and the crust-less-ness mom-friendly.
I do not have black sesame seeds on hand, but think I now found a new way to use up the poppy seeds lying around in my pantry.
Thank you for the inspiration, as always!
Deeelicious! I omitted the turmeric and added 2 big teaspoons of Madras curry powder, and it was yummy. Even my 12-year-old, who firmly believes he hates curry, loved it. He also hates the texture of cooked onions, so I cooked the chopped onions in the oil with the rosemary, let them cool, and then strained out the onion (I know, I know). But the flavor was there (I used the full 1/2 cup oil), so I was happy. Thanks for taking up the caulifower banner!
It looks amazing. but the thing here is that this is very healthy…anything that has green color to me is very attractive…
Deb, wanted to tell you that we had great success in freezing these slices. Leaky veg? No way! It reheated like a champ (and tasted great with hushpuppies). I hope others have the same success in freezing the cake.
absolutely lovely! a friend of mine brought this to a brunch over the weekend and it was amazing…i’m going to attempt making it for breakfast tomorrow and see how it goes. nervous about the spring form pan but going to give it a try!
This was wonderful, and I’m adding it to both my “meatless meals” and “different things to do with cauliflower” repertories. I did a half recipe (the other half of the cauliflower was destined for cauliflower rice) and baked it in a Corningware casserole. While I couldn’t get the effect of a slice of cake, it dished up nicely and the sesame seed crust came along with the cake.
I’m planning on doing this next week (my meals for this week are already planned out and consist primarily in leftover – boo), but I am sitting here at my computer, wondering why on earth someone who is into healthy and good eats would boil cauliflower, rather than steaming it. Doesn’t boiling fresh produce leach the good nutrients from veg and into the water, thus discarding it? Methinks I’ll use my steamer to cook it before proceeding with the recipe, which has the added advantage of cooling vegetables more quickly than those that are boiled, and not requiring time for water to drip out before using.
Also, in regards to the comment in your description about breaking off the florets instead of cutting so as to be less messy, I have found over the last couple of years that snipping off florets using my kitchen shears is even neater, and lets me get more of the stem into the usable final amount. Enjoy!
Help…can you make all of it ahead and then pop it in the oven before a fray of family comes over….
Absolutely fantastic! I was intrigued by the title, and after baking it up last night and sharing with a few of my friends, this recipe will definitely be a keeper. Thank you.
Finally got round to making this as part of my Christmas party food selection – I also did your empanadas (perfect, as ever) and I was absolutely delighted with the results. Lots of curious looks but everyone raved and went back for more once they tasted it. I used all the cheese (all parmesan) and I found the seasoning to be just right given that ~I served it at room temp. Mine was slightly moist in the centre which was fine with me – that was after about 40 min, I whipped it out quick because my oven is very efficient. Try it if you haven’t already!
Deb, how well does this cake hold up over the day? I was planning to take this to a dinner, but it’s a 45-minute drive. Do you think that baking it at home, letting it cool, and then reheating it the dinner destination would work out? Or, is the cake too delicate and souffle-like to be carted around and reheated?
This is a FANTASTIC recipe. I made it in October for a zombie themed book club (cauliflower=braaaains) and have been asked to make it 5-6 times since. I find that an hour in my oven instead of 45 minutes makes it perfect. When I travel with it, I leave it in the springform pan and just take the whole thing with me. It’s gotten the best reviews when it’s at room temperature. Also, I’ve made a gluten-free version twice with my celiac mom, who uses a pre-made gluten-free flour substitute mix (like Pamela’s or Bob’s Red Mill), and it’s become one of her favorites — it tastes just like the original, you can’t tell it’s gluten free! Thanks for this, SK!
If you ever have an extra baby you don’t need, may I have it?
Made this last night it was awesome. My wife was skeptical, but loved it in the end. Had no sesame seeds, but poppy seeds were a nice sub.
Went light on the salt and regretted it a little. Went with about two cups parm, I thought it was a good amount.
Really filling.
This is amazing and like you said my 2 year old cleaned his plate and asked for more. Since I didn’t have cauliflower on hand I made the cake with broccoli, halved the recipe and baked in mini cupcake pan got 2 dozen mini cakes out of it. Absolutely delicious! Thanks
J’ai testé cette recette sans mettre le pourtour de graines de sésame noire. C’est délicieux ! Merci beaucoup pour l’idée ! http://www.odelices.com/blog/?p=2334
I had the end of a cauliflower left and no idea what to make for dinner tonight – this recipe turned out to be just right! I’ve never seen a savory cake recipe before, but I really rather liked it.
Amazing…have made this twice and can’t convince myself that it isnt the best thing in the world….it is!!! thank you for sharing, I wouldn’t have known!
JS
made this and added a bunch of tofu instead of one egg, and beat up a “raw seed bar” to put on the sides and bottom.
tips: Definitely add as much crunch to the outside/bottom as possible, it is terrific with a crust.
Eat within a day, the onions turn a disgusting shade of green and it sweats. Still tastes good, but looks horrible.
bake more than you think it needs, you really want a firm middle.
I thought this was really good–the texture was awesome. But honestly I’d trade it for the cumin roasted cauliflower you posted any day– much less effort, way more WOW factor.
I’ve made this twice, for a dinner with a friend and for the husband and toddler. Big hit all around. Making it again tomorrow for a potluck lunch. It is every bit as decadent, satisfying and addictive as it looks. Thanks Deb!
Made this last night and substituted saffron for turmeric, since I didn’t have any in the house. Turned out beautifully and absolutely delectably delicious. If you ever have extra eggs in the fridge, this is the way to make sure they don’t go bad! Thanks so much for your unendingly perfect recipes. I can never go wrong with SK!
I made this a few months ago but forgot to stir in the Parmesan before baking and had to settle for sprinkling it on top. No one thought anything was missing and I will probably skip the cheese in future also – it’s quite a healthy meal without it!
I’ve made this about 5 times so far, with little variations depending on what I have on hand (including a complete departure with broccoli and cheddar). GREAT way to use up excess eggs from my hens. Anyway, tonight I made it with sauteed mushrooms and have to say, that took it over the top. Also, after I made up the batter, I realized my springform pan had emphatically resigned a few months ago, so I poured it into an angel food cake pan instead. With the hole in the center, it seemed to cook up more evenly, and looked gorgeous.
I’ve just had this for dinner tonight and loved it. I only had a small cauliflower so halved the recipe and cooked it in a 7 inch springform pan, this made enough for a family of four with leftovers for a lunchbox for tomorrow. I didn’t haveany rosemary and was a little heavy handed with the turmeric, but liked the gentle flavour it added. Will definitely be making this again, might have to try some broccoli next time.
SMITTEN! THIS. Yes to this! I found this after a desperate & panicked search of your archives and thank GOD I did. I own this cookbook and clearly need to run through it again because THIS. Amazeballs. (I subbed thyme for rosemary and next time I’m thinking of using spelt flour instead but don’t let those little bits let you think I didn’t love every second of this because… THIS. Yes.) /end scene
I made this over the weekend and it is just wonderful! I did have to substitute curry powder for the turmeric as I had just run out. I enjoyed this dish a lot, but felt like the cauliflower flavor was rather muted. Perhaps substituting broccoli for the cauliflower would help. Although, then I wonder if the parmesan (which was quite strong!) would be the right cheese. Could I use cheddar instead or would it be the wrong flavor with the egg, rosemary, and basil?
Wine recommendation?
I just made this (yes, 2 years later). The texture was so interesting! My husband asked, “Is this a frittata or bread?” which was totally spot on. But we really enjoyed it. I think next time I’ll add more turmeric (I couldn’t really tell it was in there) and use more and fresher parmesan. Thanks for the recipe!
I was really skeptical about this one (so many different things!!) but holy crap! DELICIOUS! I made this with a side of your dijon brussel sprouts and it was simply magical when the dijon sauce “accidentally” soaked into the “cake” while on my plate. Yum. Definitely one of my favorite things you’ve ever had on here.
On a side note my leftovers, unfortunately, were less than stellar. It lost a lot of moisture while in the fridge and heated up oddly (weirdly crunchy in places, super squishy in others). I wrapped mine in foil because it was all I had at the time, but did anyone else fair better with a zip top baggie or tupperware? I want to make this again, but not if I can’t get better leftovers out of it.
my version is in the oven. I had a spare pie crust ready and so skipped the seeds. But yum. Cauliflower is one of my favorites.
Back again to say this is still DELICIOUS. I’m trying some wackadoo new diet so I subbed almond meal for the flour and used a combo of parmesan, gruyere and fontina because I had some odds and ends to use up. The almond meal still worked GREAT and we’re loving the leftovers. I also subbed a white onion for the red onion because in my last go of this, the red onion made the leftovers turn a super-odd shade of blue… I think just a reaction with the acid in the recipe. Thanks again, Deb!
I just saw this recipe and had to report that my mother in law, who hates to cook (and, to tell the truth, it doesn’t like her, either) has a similar recipe for a broccoli cake that she makes every Thanksgiving and I love it. I was horrified when I asked for the recipe (which she wrote down on a card after a home economics teacher told it to her years ago) for what I thought was quiche and saw that it has Bisquick in it but I got over my food snobbery and continue to make it when I don’t have much in the refrigerator because my kid will eat broccoli in anything. It’s similar to this cake but doesn’t have any fancy spices in it, just 3 cups of broccoli (or cauliflower), 1/2 cup of onion, 1 cup Bisquick, 1/2 cup of oil, 1 cup chedder, 1 tsp parsley and some salt and pepper. I’m also happy to report that my preschooler adores it. This post is inspiring me to tweak the recipe a bit.
I made this last night from an old print out, so it was missing the baking powder. It turned out fine, but I think it would’ve been better with it (I was wondering if something was missing, but didn’t think to double check). We ate it with a little chutney – yum. On a separate note, I received your cookbook as a gift and I love it, but I keep looking for the comments!!
This recipe looks wonderful. Do you think I could ramp it up for 60 people for an outdoor wedding as part of a lunch buffet? I was thinking maybe cooking in a jelly roll pan? Do you think it would cook at the center? Really appreciate your advice.
Hi kristin — Maybe? Sorry that was not more helpful. This cake was so dissimilar in texture to anything I’ve made before that’s harder for me to have an idea of other formats it would work in. I’d consider it halfway between a quiche and a cake, though, which might give you a better idea of what might work.
Hi Deb- Thank you for providing a recipe that I’m completely addicted to. I’ve made this three times in less than two weeks- and have already bought the ingredients to cook it a fourth this week (my husband is starting to wane a bit, but I’m totally playing my six months pregnant card). I used broccoli instead of cauliflower – and added chicken sausage. I nixed the turmeric and basil. Good. Lord. Amazing. And it was only made more amazing by pairing it with the green bean and fried almond salad. I’ve shared the recipes, and your blog, with everyone I know. Thank you.
Hi Deb,
Just wanted to add in my kudos for this recipe. I made this for a “fancy” vegetarian dinner party and everyone loved it. My only changes were (a) curry powder instead of the turmeric, and (b) a blend of poppy seeds and brown mustard seeds instead of the sesame seeds because I didn’t have any. I also needed to make it gluten free, so I just subbed in some all purpose gluten free flour + 1 tsp of xanthan gum, and it worked great. I thought the fresh basil and rosemary really made it pop.
I paired it with your chopped minty/lime salad and it worked really nicely. thanks!
I made this a couple weekends ago for an outdoor dinner party as a vegetarian option (with adjustments to make it gluten free, for my little celiac self) and it was a huge hit. Even the non-veggies loved it, and the slightly-more-cake-like texture made it way better for leftovers than regular quiche. I would have never trusted a dish that included such an odd collection of ingredients were you not so convincing about it – and correct! Great job again, Deb. Your recipes never fail me.
This recipe sounded intriguing, so we made it asap. The top didn’t brown as much as in the picture. It seemed a little dry. The taste of the basil and Rosemary was really mild and nice. Could use more cheese. But what it really needs is a warm sauce! Too bad that a first class author won’t take the time to explain every detail of a recipe so it WILL turn out great.
I made this yesterday and it is delish. I can’t wait to eat it for lunch every day this week. I don’t have a springiform pan and did it in a regular round cake pan, turned out great. I love cauliflower and this brought out all of the great flavors it has. Sweet, earthy, great texture. Nice job, Ottolenghi!
This is DELICIOUS. But any idea why I’ve had a dark spot in the center everytime I’ve made it? Is it a baking powder problem? The dark spot tastes weird, too.
Debra, do you think it will be terrible to substitute white flour with matzoh meal flour, and would you substitute one to one,.. add potato starch.. any advise?
You know, this is such a strange cake — kind of a cake, kind of a quiche — that it’s hard for me to imagine how it would work with a flour alternative. But I bet you’d be fine with the combo you mentioned.
I made this last night and it was fantastic! I reduced the flour to 1 cup, used smoked asiago cheese, regular sesame seeds (I forgot black at the store) and fried up some fresh chicken sausage from whole foods (removed from casing and crumbled) with the onions and added all together. Just had some leftovers for breakfast and it was even better today!!
Hi Deb,
Congrats on the baby girl! Wanted to let you know I made this last night and it was fantastic!
Hope you’re doing well with the lil’bundle of joy!
Made this for dinner last night, and it was superb! I roasted the cauliflower instead of simmering it (personal preference) and used a 9-inch cake pan instead of a springform (cake came out with no problem). Thanks for such a wonderful recipe!!
Made it tonight and the whole family LOVED it! It goes in my list of favorite recipes! Thank you Deb, you are the best!
Does this freeze well? When reheating from frozen to you recommend heating from frozen like a quiche or do you think thaw first?
Made this yesterday with leftover riced cauliflower and subbed out the flour with almond meal (pantry/fridge clean out FTW). I couldn’t believe it but it worked perfectly and tastes amazing. My cauliflower hating husband requested the leftovers for lunch today. I’ve also made it as per the recipe above and honestly they were both delicious.
Hi Deb! I do not have a springform pan. Do you think I could make this in a regular cake pan?
MM — The issue here would be volume — a regular cake pan in the same diameter might overflow. Use a larger pan or bake some off in muffin cups.
Amazing. I made it over the holiday weekend, finally got around to having a slice last night and pretty immediately cut a second one for myself.
I’m with Ottolenghis when it comes to how many this serves – four, tops. The reason is that I just polished off one third of it all by myself and am pretty sure I’ll go for another slice in an hour. I should go and freeze it now, I think.
Hello! I made this cake and loved it! I would like to make it for an upcoming dinner but would have to make it a day ahead. Was thinking of tightly wrapping it in foil. Would that work?
I realise I’m about 6 years too late to this party but I finally made – I used a parmesan infused olive oil and it was sensational – even more so the next day. Will definitely see a repeat performance!
This made an exceptionally good dinner last night, and we’ve just had leftovers for breakfast spread with requeijao (a Brazilian cream cheese), and enjoyed it even more cold – that lovely earthy turmeric flavour seemed to develop overnight.
The only major change I made was to roast the cauliflower rather than boil it, because I prefer that flavour. My cauliflower was barely a pound so I roasted some cubed squash alongside to make up the veggie weight.
We’d run out of sesame seeds and whilst I’m excited to try it with them next time, their absence wasn’t felt.
Having a severe pan deficiency right now – most of our stuff is in storage – I baked it in a tube pan, which worked great because it baked fast and came out extra tall and beautiful. Just greased with butter and lightly floured it popped out cleanly.
And a final note on portions: My husband and I can eat frightening amounts of food, but this will definitely render a hearty 8 portions for us.
halving this and prepping it all the night before to bake tomorrow morning – crossing my fingers it turns out as good as it sounds!
Found this in a recent sk email. I made it! And loved it. I am a egg fan.. most anything and there cauliflower was a great combo along with no crust fuss. I make frittatas often and I sometimes find them dry short of adding a ton of fat. So I found this version darn near perfect! I also added an onion jam with it. Delish.
This cake is so simple and delicious. I didn’t even have half the ingredients and it turned out amazing. I was going away for a bit and wanted to get rid of cauliflower and eggs that had been sitting in the fridge — added a couple cloves of garlic in with the onions, used white instead of red onions because it’s what I had, didn’t have basil, rosemary, or turmeric; used paprika and coated the bottom as well as the sides of the pan with sesame seeds since I can’t get enough of them. Seriously, this was so good and I can’t even imagine how good it is with the right ingredients. Agh! <3
Thanks for all the new ideas, Deb. I realize you are feeding a nest full of open mouths now, however there are few times when I would have the occasion to make something so big, since I live alone. In the past, I have made something similar but smaller using my cast iron pan. For those looking for an alternate baking format, let me tell you that a cast iron pan works beautifully and there are no issues getting it out provided it is well greased to begin with. I have also made said dish with half the filling in a six inch cast iron pan. I used 1/2 a cauliflower and 6 eggs. Using a cast iron skillet means you can serve from the pan at the table…which is another bonus since then it does not need inverting.
Surely this is thef to publish someone else’s recipe and provide no link to Ottolenghi’s book to buy. Isn’t this copyright infringement? I am astonished because the adaptions to this recipe are so minor and you provide details of the original recipe anyway.
This post links to his book (the most recent at the time), his website, his column in the Guardian, and to the specific column this recipe is from (so, two Guardian links) and credit is given consistently and decisively throughout. I’m not sure it could be possibly be more respectful to the origin of the recipe and its creator.
Love cauliflower, love Ottolenghi, love Smitten, just saw this recipe. I halved it (because I didn’t think the rest of the family would be loving it after the third round or so) and baked it in a 7″ springform pan. I tweaked it a bit by roasting the cauliflower the night before and using leeks instead of onions (which were in my CSA box last week). Came out great, although I think I may have overbaked it a bit–40 minutes. My sesame seeds snuck under the parchment and were a bit hard to deal with (many ended up on the kitchen counter), so I like the idea of putting them on the bottom too and skipping the parchment. My pan was non stick, so came out easily. Will make again!!
So good! I’m always on the hunt for good vegetarian dishes to take to family get togethers, something that will appeal to my vegetarian daughter and, well, everyone else. This was a huge hit and everyone asked me for the recipe. I made it ahead of time and served it at room temperature. (And used a good curry powder rather than turmeric as that is what I had on hand.)
This was good! I’m always looking for hearty vegetarian recipes. I do wish I had roasted the cauliflower, and even though I used 2 generous cups of parm, I feel like it could have used more….or maybe the addition of some smoked mozzerella? (I did use 10 extra large eggs….big fam with teen boys…..maybe I should have increased all the ‘flavor’ ingredients to scale….hmmmm) Next time I’ll add extra onions and some roasted garlic. I can’t wait to have it for breakfast tomorrow.
Does anyone have a suggestion for a substitute for the black sesame seeds. Just can’t find them here.
I saw on another website someone said cumin seeds or nigella seeds.
Can I double this recipe? Can I make it in a cast iron pan with parchment?
Aloha!
Can I omit the flour and do the recipe the same? I understand it may not be as dense or fluffy, but I cannot eat the flour.
Thank you for your time and expertise!
Mahalo,
Rebecca
Just made this! WOW. Great flavour, looks amazing. I saved 1/2 of the Romano and put it on top (pushing it in gently with a spoon). Then I roasted some riced cauliflower from Trader Joe’s. Finally, I also used a pre-heated 9″ cast iron skillet with melted butter as advised by other readers.. Nothing crunchy was to be had in my house, so we went without. Lovely taste and appearance.
Could you sub another flour do you think? I can’t eat white flour or grain based flours these days sadly. Preferably almond flour as a sub? Or just omit entirely…. Thanks for your time!
Hi Deb! I have been making this cake for a few years and absolutely love it. I know some people who avoid all cheese (huh? I know…), and I wondered if you have any ideas for substituting the parmesan? Also, sometimes I use chickpea flour for a little added protein. Thank you!
I needed to make a non-dairy version so I used vegan Parmesan and it turned out great!
Any thoughts on making this gluten free? Would you sub a one for one flour mix or some other single flour? Or do you not think it would work at all?
So happy to see this up, had everything to whip it together, roasted cauliflower for flavor preference, subbed kale for basil, delicious any time of day meal.
Another extraordinarily easy to prepare and absolutely delicious Smitten Kitchen recipe! Thanks Deb, the Cauliflower & Parmesan Cake has been awarded a place in our regular rotation. The savoury cheese, stellar notes of black pepper and subtle rosemary in the background all combined for a lovely entree joined by steamed asparagus and baby potatoes. Thumbs up all around the table!
I have probably made this about 10 times now. I usually cut it down and only use around six eggs and 3/4 of a cauliflower, then cook it in a 9″ cake pan. I never bother with the seeds , and I sometimes add in a little bit of bacon (or soy breakfast scramble this last time!), basically whatever extra I have lying around. It’s always really satisfying and great to eat for lunch/dinner leftovers through the week. Also, sometimes people think the cauliflower is potato!
Do you think this can freeze and reheat?
Yes, it should be fine.
Hi Deb…..I realize this is WAY long after. Liquid measurements s/b in ml not in grams…so 100 ml. of olive oil would be more like 1/3 cup. (about 250 ml. in one cup of liquid….)
Love this recipe – trying it today! Thank you.
I found this only so-so. I made it as written except that I did not include the sesame seed crust. I found the flavor a bit lacking, and I think I would have preferred an egg-only base rather than the cakier consistency of the egg + flour. For me this won’t be a make again, although I hope that after resting for a day perhaps the leftovers will be better tomorrow.
I have to agree, though I don’t “like” to! It was too cakey, and (for me) not enough cauliflower. As you say, would prefer to leave out the flour part. It was more interesting than…..good. Sometimes Mr. O. goes for the sensational and that is of course his prerogative. ;-)
Same here, it was an odd recipe and a rare miss for me. I love all of the ingredients individually and was excited to try them together. The flour didn’t add anything except a weird texture and unnecessary calories. The black sesame seeds didn’t add almost any flavor, and the basil was a slightly odd flavor combination with the rest. The red onions turned greenish and unappetizing in the fridge by the next day :(
It was a bit bland and definitely needed something more (hot sauce? roasting the cauliflower? scallions? more herbs/seasonings? bacon?) and I’d skip the flour altogether next time. Or maybe just make a regular quiche, the spinach quiche recipe here is lovely with or without the crust.
I am so glad you have suggested leaving out the flour. I have to be gluten free and was wondering if anyone has tried it with gluten free flour. Now I might leave it all out, or put a half of a cup in. It sounds delicious.
Wow, it’s funny to look back at this and appreciate his foresight about cauliflower’s versatility. The world seems to have caught up! Probably even Ottolenghi didn’t see cauliflower pizza crust coming.
I’ve made this once before following the recipe exactly, and then I made it again yesterday with a more random assortment of leftovers in the fridge (broccoli stems instead of cauliflower, which I sauteed with the onions), and about a cup of shredded zucchini.
Both times it’s seemed a little on the dry side, but I might tinker again and add the additional olive oil that’s left out. Plus I’m at high altitude which requires a bit more liquid. The second time I added a splash of milk and it still wasn’t enough.
Overall the recipe is so impressive looking and promising that I want to keep at it until it’s perfect! I also think some spice would be great in here, like a little cayenne or chopped jalapeno.
This came up as a reply not sure why so I’m reposting as a question.
Just found this recipe and am intrigued to make it. I have a 10” springform pan and a 9” cake pan. Should I not be cheap and go buy a 9” springform or do you think one of the pan sizes I have should work? (Well it’s also a space issue on storage for another pan).
Definitely use one of the pans you have — the 10″ springform for a thinner cake but easier removal.
Bless you! As I’m at the store and decided to check my email and you responded!!! That’s for the quick input. My pocketbook appreciates it.
I make egg bakes all the time and never include flour. Is it necessary here? I prefer to limit the empty carbs.
This isn’t a classic egg bake — it’s more of a cake, or halfway to a cake.
I made this tonight. Everyone enjoyed it! I will make it again. In fact it would be a dramatic dish to bring to a potluck. Thanks!
I don’t have turmeric. What could I use to substitute? Thank you!!
I like quiches, but not cauliflower. I made this to use up some CSA cauliflower and liked it a lot better than I expected! It’s surprisingly flavorful. I’m thinking of making it again now that I have some more cauliflower to use up. I did add some microgreens that I had on hand. And I froze half of it after cooking, it reheated very well.
I love this recipe. It’s so decadent! I’ve made the recipe as is twice before but this time I tried it as muffins, halved the recipe (it made 12), and used broccoli, added a touch of cheddar and omitted the basil and sesame seeds as it was what I had in my kitchen. I will continue to experiment with different veggie combos and will probably use papers in my muffin tins next time as these stuck so much I had to carefully dig them out. I love the snacking size and will see what happens if I freeze a few.
Do you ever use parchment muffin liners? I have these and find that they do stick less.
This does taste great! I actually made this for dinner last night. I tired of seeing “ooooh looks amazing” comments but no actual feedback. Grrrr. So I made it because I happened to find myself with a 6.75 lb head of cauliflower and needed recipes, pronto. 😂
It took 25 more minutes for mine to bake to get the middle close to solid. Every cauli could be different, maybe mine was retaining a lot of water weight 😉 so it was runny.
The flour flavor came thru, I would try only 1C flour, vice 1.5C.
I did not have sesame, but used poppyseed – it gave a nice crunch to the edge. Didn’t have basil, so skipped it. Yes, as Deb mentioned in a reply, the herbs/spices could be tweaked without harm. Double the turmeric, for sure. Really, cannot add too much of the pepper grinds – thought I had plenty but it was mild. Maybe a little 🌶 spice blend would be good. I did use all the olive oil (maybe that’s why it took longer to bake solid, too?) and it was a delicious result. Size is definitely more than 4 servings, easily 6-8.
I would surely make this again. (You should give it a try, too, since you’ve read this far!)
Would like to make this ahead for a party –
Does this freeze well?
If you have done this in advance – all suggestions would be much appreciated!
Thank you
It freezes well but I haven’t done it in many years. I’d defrost in the fridge, rewarm gently so not to twice-bake it.
I’m a firm fan from the land of Australia, hooked on your vibrant, easy to follow recipes and entertaining, tongue-in-cheek banter. Recently have loved the cauliflower and parmesan cake via Ottolenghi and the mosaic apple tart with salted caramel. The cauliflower cake was made for the veggo’s at Sunday family dinner but was taste-tested by everyone with unnanimous lipsmacking from all! Every recipe I try has become a family fav. Thanks Deb for your inspiring no-nonsense approach to feeding the family and their friends great food!