Savoury Loaf Cake with no yeast added, a delicious appetizer for every party or celebration. This savoury cake is made with ham, cheese, olives and sundried tomatoes which makes it the perfect bite for a picnic or BBQ too, and it can be enjoyed pretty much any time of the day.

This is one of those recipes that are so popular in Romania, but are kind of hard to explain what is actually is. Whilst it does have the shape of a loaf of bread, it is not a bread per se, as it's not meant to be a side dish, and it has no yeast added.
Instead, we call it " chec aperitiv", which could a translated as an "appetizer loaf cake" and it's particularly popular for any large parties as it's super easy and quick to make and can easily feed a crowd.
Apart from the basic recipe which calls for eggs, flour, oil and baking powder, pretty much anything can be added to it: for a vegetarian version I am a big fan of cheese, olives, peppers, sun dried tomatoes, mushrooms, courgettes, sweetcorn and so much more.
If you are a meat person, you can add ham, any leftover meat: chicken, bacon, beef, etc, but also salami and other deli delicacies.
It's a fail proof recipe that works every single time, and it's a big hit with all ages - my version of this appetizer bread tastes a bit like pizza, so what's not to love about it?!
Ingredients used

- flour - I used self-raising flour for a lighter texture, but plain flour could also be used
- baking powder - it helps with the raising
- eggs - at room temperature
- oil - I prefer an odourless oil like sunflower or vegetable oil as it does not affect the overall taste of the loaf
- ham - it can be either leftover or deli ham, cut into cubes
- cheese - I like strong cheddar cheese for its sharpness, but any other hard cheese would work too
- olives - I used pitted black olives, but green olives work well too - or even a combo
- sundried tomatoes - make sure you squeeze some of the oil out, as the loaf could end up being too greasy
Step-by-step photos and instructions
- in a large mixing bowl, crack the eggs in and use a hand mixture to beat them well until the mixture triples its volume and has a pale yellow colour
- sift in the flour, add the baking powder and oil, and mix again
- add the rest of the ingredients and use a spatula to combine them
- flour and oil a large loaf tin, and transfer the mixture to it
- bake in the preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius (350 Fahrenheit, 160 degrees fan oven) for 35 minutes or until the top is golden and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean

Expert tips
This savoury bread or cake couldn't be easier to make - it uses ingredients that you already have around, and it's so easy to tweak based on whatever else you have around. Apart from the loaf shape, you can also turn them into mini savoury muffins like my Cheese and Bacon Muffins or Cheesy Carrot and Courgette Muffins.
Make sure you use a non-stick tin that is well oiled and floured so that the loaf can be easily removed once it's baked, otherwise removing it from the tin could be quite a task.

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Savoury Loaf Cake
Ingredients
- 6 medium eggs
- 150 g self-raising flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 4 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 100 g grated cheddar cheese
- 100 g cubed ham
- 100 g sliced and pitted black olives
- 100 g chopped sundried tomatoes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 Fahrenheit, 160 fan oven).
- In a large mixing bowl, crack the eggs, and use a hand mixer to beat them well until they triple their volume and have a pale yellow colour.
- Sift in the flour, add the baking powder and oil and beat again.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and use a spatula to fold everything in.
- Flour and oil a large loaf tin, transfer the mixture to it, and bake for 35 minutes or until the top is golden and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- To remove the loaf from the tin, run a sharp knife around the edges of the pan, it should come out easily.
- Leave the loaf to cool down completely before slicing.
Video
Notes
- This savoury cake couldn't be easier to make - it uses ingredients that you already have around, and it's so easy to tweak based on whatever else you have around. Apart from the loaf shape, you can also turn them into mini savoury muffins like my Cheese and Bacon Muffins or Cheesy Carrot and Courgette Muffins.
- Make sure you use a non-stick tin that is well oiled and floured so that the loaf can be easily removed once it's baked, otherwise removing it from the tin could be quite a task.
Janet Ohalloran says
Can this be frozen to be given as gifts later?
Daniela Apostol says
Absolutely, that should be fine.
Lynn says
Sounds really tasty, will be making soon
Daniela Apostol says
I am you enjoy it!