Sunshine on a rainy day

Today is windy and wet with scattered thunderstorms forecast.On days like this what one needs is to bring some sunshine to the breakfast table and this is the perfect way to do it - a cake that is more suited to breakfast than afternoon tea.A few days ago we found a harvest of nesperas sitting on the old chair by the garden gate.Our only thought of how they might of got there was that the neighbour had leaned through the gate and put them there by way of a gift from his kitchen garden.Eaten as a fresh fruit they also mix well  with other fruits in fresh fruit salads,so I have been including them on the recent guests breakfast plate, and yesterday when the guests checked out I bade them a farewell with a gift of a packed fruit salad for their journey up to Lisbon.I still had a fruit bowl full of them so to use them up I made this simple sumptuous cake.The only real work involved in this recipe is the removal of the stones and membrane and I always prefer to peel the tough skin before eating or cooking them.By removing the skin it allows the fruit to soften as it cooks and infuse the entire cake with a fruity perfume.The combination of the olive oil and milk in the batter is also the secret to a moist, tender cake with lots of character.
Bolo de Nesperas  
500 gr deseeded nesperas in halves,(peeled optional but not necessary)

4 large eggs

200 gr sugar

200 gr flour

1 bsp baking powder

2 tbsp milk

5 tbsp olive oil (extra virgem)

Preheat oven to 180 º C. Grease a loaf pan with a little oil. Sprinkle with flour. Wash and dry the Nesperas. Cut them in halves lengthwise and remove the stones. Peel the fruit. Beat the eggs and sugar until the mixture is fluffy and pale. Add flour, baking powder, milk and oil. Beat well.
Fold in the Nesperas.Transfer the dough to the loaf pan.Put on the middle shelf of the oven and bake at 180 °C - for about 40-45 minutes. Check with a skewer for doneness.Allow to cool completely before slicing.