One of my favorite Christmas presents this past year was Ottolenghi Simple. Written by New York Times best selling author Yotam Ottolenghi, this book was briefly mentioned in my What I’m Reading Januay post. It has since become a staple on my kitchen counter. Even our eleven year old has taken to it and recently she made the Blueberry, Almond and Lemon Cake…only we didn’t have lemons so we substituted with orange.

Using the book’s guide, we knew this recipe used ten items or less and was good to make ahead. At the beginning of the recipe Ottolenghi states “for all the pans and molds that can be used to great effect in baking, there’s nothing quite like a simple loaf cake to reassure one that all is okay with the world.” I love this. Isn’t it so true? Something about a loaf cake or loaf bread warm on the counter just screams love. When your eleven year old makes it, it pretty much triples that feeling.

You can find the recipe in the cookbook or on line as it was at one time posted in The New York Times. While it can be stored three days in an airtight container, we found it was definitely best consumed right out of the oven.