serves 10 to 12
The morning this post started taking shape in my mind, I was putting the finishing touches on this cake for an event at Isabella’s school. She was unveiling her Mount Vesuvius project as part of her social studies unit—the third graders were celebrating different cultures and she had chosen Italy. I chose to make an olive oil cake for two reasons—it was breakfast friendly, and I figured I could easily adapt my lemon poppy olive oil muffins into a cake which would be more likely an Italian recipe than muffins. Like our own lives, it’s interesting what you can do with the same ingredients when you look at them in a new light.
1 2/3 cups (238 grams) flour, plus more dusting the pan
1/2 cup (125ml) extra virgin olive oil or regular
1 (200 grams) cup sugar
2 teaspoons (10 grams) baking powder
3 large eggs (150 grams), at room temperature
Freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon (50ml)
Freshly grated zest of 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon (3 grams) coarse sea salt
1/2 cup (125ml) milk
Confectioners’ sugar, to dust the cake (optional)
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Coat the sides and bottom of a 10-inch springform pan with butter. Lightly dust with flour, and set aside.
Whisk the flour, lemon zest, baking powder and salt in a bowl.
In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar, olive oil and lemon juice together until well blended. Add the flour mixture and pour in the milk, stirring well with a wooden spoon to combine. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 35 minutes, until the edges are golden and a metal skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let it cool completely. Before serving, dust with the Confectioners’ sugar, if desired.
{Make It Vegan} Swap in almond milk for the cow’s milk, and 3/4 cup soy yogurt for the eggs.