This easy French Ham and Olive Cake is a perfect snack. It’s often enjoyed by kids here in France when they get home from school fir their “goûter.” You’ll find many examples of different recipes on Marmiton, a French recipe website. I recently posted pictures on the CuriousProvence Instagram and was asked numerous times to post the recipe- so voilà ! In French, this is called Cake aux Olives et Jambon- yes they use the English word “cake.”
This recipe is simple and very forgiving. For example, you can add a little less flour and another egg instead, or add a little more cheese. Once you have the base you can make a vegetarian version with fresh goat cheese, semi-dried tomatoes and lots of thyme. Play with it to make it yours!
As always, the quality of ingredients makes a difference to the end product of any recipe. However, this is a satisfying cheap eats and is often made here in France with jarred olives and pre-grated cheese. (Crazy I know!) If you use good-quality olive oil and ham though, you’ll taste the difference. Enjoy!
This recipe takes 1 hour. 15 minutes of preparation and 45 minutes cooking time.
Ingredients
- 200g of all-purpose flour
- 1 sachet of dried yeast
- 3 free-range eggs
- A generous pinch of salt
- Ground pepper (be generous)
- 1 heaped tablespoon of dijon mustard
- 10 cl of olive oil (100ml)
- 10 cl of semi-skimmed milk (100ml)
- 150g of grated Gruyère or Comte cheese
- 200g of ham hock, diced
- 150g of sliced green olives
- Butter for greasing
*For the ham, you can buy it in French supermarkets already diced. Internationally, you should be able to find pre-boiled small ham hocks. You can also of course use shredded leftovers from a ham roast.
*If you like extra cheese- go for it!
Method
Pre-heat your oven to 200°C (390°F). Grease a standard size loaf tin.
In a dry frying pan, fry the diced ham for 2 minutes until golden. Set aside.
In a mixing bowl add the flour, yeast, eggs, salt, pepper, and oil. Mix well then add the milk, grated cheese, sliced and drained olives, mustard and the ham. Mix well.
Pour into the loaf tin and place in the oven for 45 minutes. If you notice that the cake is browning too quickly, you can place tin foil on top. Take it out of the oven and leave to cool in the tin. Enjoy lukewarm or cold as a snack. You can also be sophisticated and serve it with salad like a quiche but I honestly think it’s better eaten with your fingers.
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Merci, merci! So excited to try this!
Made this ham and olive cake to share with friends at a birthday celebration with champagne and a range of other hors d’oeuvres – it was delicious! A savoury cake is different from the usual snacks and the recipe worked really well. Thank you Curious Provence.