Not many people actively dislike sugar and sweet foods but I have a friend who is one of the lucky few. It was her birthday this week so I wanted to bake her something. Obviously a traditional cake was out of the question so I scoured the internet for something suitable and hit on this bacon, gruyere and onion quickbread recipe.

I caramelized the onions really slowly in the bacon fat, on a low heat for about 20 minutes until they were soft and then I turned up the heat to brown them off.  I went with a cave-aged gruyere because I figured a strong, nutty cheese flavor would be important to the balance.

The only change I made to the original recipe was to add a layer of cheddar cheese to the top just before I baked it, to leave a crispy, brown crust on the loaf.

What do you use to frost a savory cake? I decided it best to keep things simple so I decorated it with a sprig of parsley and a chive blossom. I didn’t have a chance to eat any of it myself but my friend assures me it was delicious!