Espresso and Vanilla Swirl Loaf Cake

Name: Espresso and Vanilla Swirl Loaf Cake
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 3 eggs; 180 gr caster sugar; 200 gr self-raising flour; 65 gr almond meal; 60 ml (1/4 cup) extra virgin olive oil; 1/2 cup (125ml) Buttermilk; 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract; 3 tablespoons of dark cocoa; 50 ml of Illy espresso

With

Silvia Colloca

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Ingredients

3 eggs

180 gr caster sugar
200 gr self-raising flour
65 gr almond meal
60 ml (1/4 cup) extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup (125ml) Buttermilk
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
3 tablespoons of dark cocoa
50 ml of Illy espresso

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease a loaf tin.
Whisk eggs and sugar until pale and creamy.
Add the oil, buttermilk and the vanilla.
Gently fold in the flour, well sifted. Mix until the batter is combined, then add almond meal and mix to combine.
Pour 1/2 of the mix into one bowl and the other half into another bowl along with the cocoa powder and espresso. Evenly dollop batter into the baking tin alternating between both mixtures to create a swirl pattern. Add 3 tablespoons of dark cocoa and the espresso to the remaining cake batter and mix until smooth.
Dollop the cocoa mix on top of the vanilla mix and , using a fork or a chopstick, to swirl the two batters together. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool before serving.

Silvia Colloca

Silvia Colloca is an Italian-born food writer, opera singer, TV producer and host. She has authored seven cookbooks, including Silvia’s Cucina, Made in Italy, La Dolce Vita, Love, Laugh, Bake!, Simple Italian (2024), and The Italian Homecook (2025), all published by Penguin.

Silvia’s most recent television work is Silvia’s Italian Masterclass (Channel 10), with its latest season airing in October 2025. The series is currently funding for Season 4. She has also appeared as a special guest on SBS’s Mastermind in 2025. Her earlier TV credits include the SBS Food series Cook Like an Italian, which has screened internationally across three seasons, as well as Made in Italy with Silvia Colloca (SBS), filmed on location in the Le Marche and Abruzzo regions and earning her a 2015 TV WEEK Logie Award nomination for Best New Talent. She also co-wrote, co-produced and hosted the ABC prime-time series Silvia’s Italian Table in 2016.

Outside of food and television, Silvia has enjoyed a career as a celebrated opera singer and actress. In 2022, she released her debut solo classical album with Universal Music, which topped the Classical Charts for over 20 weeks. That same year, she performed with Andrea Bocelli at his Sydney concert, a once-in-a-lifetime experience.