BACON AND BLUE CHEESE CAKE

- Butter or bacon fat for preparing the pan
- 1½ cups (210 g) flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder (preferably aluminum-free)
- 1 teaspoon chile powder
- ½ teaspoon coarse salt
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- ¼ cup (60 ml) olive oil (if possible, use one that’s very fruity)
- ½ cup (120 g) plain whole-milk yogurt
- 1½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
- ½ small bunch chives, finely chopped (about ¼ cup) or scallions
- 5 ounces (140 g) blue cheese or Roquefort, well crumbled
- 2 ounces (60 g) grated Parmesan
- 8 strips of bacon (about 5 ounces/150 g), cooked until crisp, then crumbled into pea-sized pieces
Instructions:
Two hints: To make the blue cheese easier to crumble, leave it unwrapped on a plate in the refrigerator to dry a bit a day ahead. The second tip is to reserve the bacon fat and use that to grease the pan, which will add aromatic smokiness to the cake.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease a 9-inch (23-cm) loaf pan with butter and line the bottom with a piece of parchment paper.
-  In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, chile powder, and salt.
-  In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, olive oil, yogurt, mustard, and chives until smooth.
-  Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and use a rubber spatula to stir in the wet mixture, stirring just until the wet ingredients are almost incorporated. (A bit of flour should still be visible.) Don’t overmix.
- Fold in the blue cheese, Parmesan, and bacon bits until everything’s just moistened. Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
-  Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the cake springs back when you gently touch the center.
-  Let the cake cool for 5 minutes, then tilt it out onto a wire rack. Peel off the parchment and let cool before slicing.
- STORAGE: The cake can be wrapped in plastic and kept at room temperature for up to three days. It can also be frozen, well wrapped, for up to two months.