This French-style savory loaf cake (similar to a quick bread) is made with sun-dried tomatoes, olives, feta, parmesan, and fragrant herbs. It’s ready in under 1 hour and is the perfect snack for entertaining, or enjoying at any time of day.
Why You’ll Love This French-Style Savory Cake
In France, savory cakes are commonly served as an apéritif (aka party snack). They’re cut into slices or squares for easy sharing, alongside dips, raw veggies, saucisson, and other small bites.
My version is inspired by Provençal flavors and produce, and I hope it makes you feel like you’re savoring a slow meal under the Mediterranean sun with some excellent wine. My partner actually told me that this recipe gives major focaccia vibes, so I think it was a success. But it’s actually a “quick bread”, meaning it uses baking powder instead of yeast, with no kneading required. All you need is one bowl and 10 minutes of prep time.
So if, like me, you’re craving juicy summer tomatoes, but still stuck in that awkward in-between season of winter and spring produce, this cake will tide you over beautifully. Enjoy!
A Closer Look at the Ingredients
Fillings and toppings
- Sun-dried tomatoes: Oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes are the best choice for this recipe, as they are tender and have a balanced flavor profile. Check the ingredient list for additives (herbs and garlic are totally fine and will add complementary flavors, but try to limit additives like sugar or chemicals). Sun-dried tomatoes that are dry-packed may be too tangy, sharp, and chewy for this cake. If you only have the dry-packed variety on hand, soak in hot water for 10 minutes to soften them up and mellow out their flavor.
- Olives: Use a pitted olive variety that you enjoy eating. For me, this means a mix of green and dark marinated olives. For example, I love Taggiasca olives, Kalamata olives, and Castelvetrano olives. I personally try to avoid strong, salty black olive varieties in this recipe – but follow your personal taste!
- Feta: I recommend buying a block of feta cheese and crumbling by hand.
- Parmesan: While you may not be able to distinctly identify the taste of grated parmesan in this recipe, the cheese serves a key purpose: adding moisture and a savory background note to the cake. I have made this dish with two different quantities of parmesan, and the version with more was a clear winner!
- Sesame seeds: I like to sprinkle a mix of black and white sesame seeds on top of the cake for visual appeal. This is optional.
Dry ingredients
- Flour: All purpose flour works well here.
- Baking powder: To help this quick bread rise.
- Black pepper: For background flavor.
- Herbes de provence: This commonly found dried herb mix typically contains rosemary, oregano, thyme, marjoram, and sometimes other herbs like basil and parsley.
- Garlic powder: Adds a lovely savory backbone to this cake, without overpowering the other flavors.
Wet ingredients
- Eggs: You’ll use whole eggs for this recipe.
- Milk: I use regular whole milk for the best texture, but any variety will do.
- Olive oil: In my opinion, no Provence-inspired recipe is complete without olive oil. It adds necessary fat to this savory cake to create a moist, tender texture. If necessary, you can substitute with a neutral flavored oil.
French-Style Savory Cake with Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Olives, and Feta
Equipment
- 1 loaf pan – approx. 9 x 5 inches (22 x 12 cm)
Ingredients
Dry ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (150 g)
- 1 Tbl baking powder (11 g)
- ground black pepper (to taste)
- 1 Tbl dried herbes de provence
- 1 tsp garlic powder
Wet ingredients
- 3 eggs
- ½ cup whole milk (125 ml)
- ¼ cup olive oil (60 ml)
Fillings and toppings
- ⅔ cup grated parmesan cheese (60 g)
- ¼ cup packed chopped sun-dried tomatoes (35 g – see notes)
- ¼ cup packed chopped olives (35 g – see notes)
- 7 oz. crumbled feta (200 g)
- handful of white and black sesame seeds (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ conventional heat (180℃), or 325℉ convection/fan-forced (160℃). Line a loaf pan with parchment paper, or brush it with oil and sprinkle with flour.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together all the wet ingredients.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix using a rubber spatula until almost fully combined.
- Measure the parmesan cheese and reserve a sprinkle for later. Add the sun-dried tomatoes, olives, feta cheese, and parmesan to the mixing bowl. Fold into the batter with a spatula until evenly distributed. Don't overmix.
- Transfer the batter into the loaf pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle the reserved parmesan and sesame seeds.
- Bake in the middle of your oven for 35-45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool in the loaf pan for 10 minutes. Then remove it and place on a wire rack to cool completely. Let the cake cool for at least 1 hour before slicing. Once completely cooled, store in the fridge. If you have leftovers, you can reheat individual slices in the oven as desired. This cake is excellent warm, at room temperature, or cold.Enjoy!
Notes
Did you make my French-Style Savory Cake with Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Olives, and Feta?
Please let me know how this recipe turned out for you! Leave a comment below and tag @jessicahomekitchen on Instagram.
Looking for more French-inspired recipes? Try my Apricot & Green Olive Tapenade!