Lemony Olive Oil Cake
Two of my absolute favorite ingredients in one amazing cake.
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Here’s what I think: cake is delicious. One cake that I absolutely love is this lemony olive oil cake. If you’ve never had one before, olive oil cake is something truly unique. It’s light, citrusy, and has a subtle nod of fruity olive oil flavor. I like this as a spring/summer cake because it is so light and bright. I know it can be hard to imagine…the idea of an olive oil-flavored cake, but I assure you, this is a cake that will pique your tastebuds’ interest.
Olive oil and lemon are a great combination when it comes to salad dressings and cakes. The two work together in a similar way here to create this elusive flavor that compels you to take another bite so you can find out just what kind of magic you’re eating. I make sure to sift my dry ingredients to lighten the texture of the cake; it’s the little things that can make a big difference.
Onto the rest of the ingredients and a must-have here is the lemon zest. Zest adds a potent lemony essence into the cake, adding a nice citrus zip mixed in with the sugar. And you can’t really have a lemon flavor without fresh lemon juice, so those lemons I’ve zested will be juiced into the cake.
The batter is a beautiful pale color that’s flecked with lemon zest and smells absolutely amazing. My cake disappears into the oven where it becomes a beautiful golden brown and fills my kitchen with the irresistible smell of lemon olive oil cake. I like to top mine with a bit of powdered sugar, totally optional, but you’ll want to make sure the cake is fully cooled before you dust it with sugar. This is a cake that tastes even better the next day! Bright, and almost sweetly savory, a lemony olive oil cake is an absolute delight.
Lemony Olive Oil Cake
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup sugar + 3 tablespoons (reserved for topping)
- Zest from 1 large lemon
- 3 large eggs
- ⅔ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
- Juice from 2 lemons
- cup whole milk
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat an 8-inch springform pan with cooking spray.
- Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.
- In a separate, medium-sized bowl, whisk the sugar and lemon zest together. Set aside.
- Beat the eggs until just foamy. Slowly add the sugar-zest mixture to the eggs. Next, add the olive oil and melted butter.
- Add the lemon juice and whole milk. Whisk until combined.
- Slowly add the flour mixture to the wet, in three batches, stirring with a spatula until just smooth.
- Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of sugar over the top. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the top of the cake is golden and a cake tester comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.
Recipe adapted from Saving Dessert.