Let's talk olive oil and baked goods.
Until a few months ago, my only encounter with olive oil used in baking was an accident. During college, one of my roommates made cupcakes from a box mix and assuming all oils are created equal, mixed olive oil into the batter. Well needless to say, the rest of us in the apartment had a field day with this little mix up and continued to joke about the olive oil cupcakes for years to come.
Fast forward to my 25th birthday, which I celebrated at Rosemary's - a great Italian spot in Greenwich Village. After an amazing Italian feast, the waitress brought us one final treat for our taste buds. The treat was none other than their signature olive oil cake....guess the joke is on me!
For those who don't know, a Meyer Lemon is a cross between a regular lemon and a mandarin orange. This combination results in a sweeter tasting lemon - perfect for lemon flavor minus the sour kick. Meyer Lemons have become en vogue in the past few years and now can be found in most grocery stores. I recalled seeing a Meyer Lemon version of olive oil cake while paroozing different blogs, so with the itch to make an olive oil cake, I decided this would be the perfect application. I also was about to get in trouble with my roommates if the Meyers my mom so graciously gave me a week ago continued to take up space (and slowly deteriorate) on our kitchen counter.
This cake is not overly sweet, but the citrusy notes make for a palate pleaser. The use of cake flour and the proportions of egg, oil and yogurt create a light, airy, yet moist texture. I'm officially a believer in olive oil desserts!
Note: Tastes best after it has been removed from the oven and has cooled for about 20-30 minutes. The cake becomes more dense the longer it goes uneaten!
Note: Tastes best after it has been removed from the oven and has cooled for about 20-30 minutes. The cake becomes more dense the longer it goes uneaten!
The recipe:
1 3/4 cups of cake flour* (see substitute below)
2 teaspoons baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 cup granulated sugar
Zest of 2 Meyer lemons
3 eggs
1/4 cup lemon juice (from ~2 lemons)
Scant 1 cup whole-milk plain yogurt
2/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
¼ cup powdered sugar to sprinkle on top of the cake
Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.
Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.
Remove from the oven and cool for 20 minutes. Remove from the cake pan and cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar.
*If you do not have cake flour on hand, or do not want to buy any, substitute with all-purpose flour and corn starch. Measure out flour, remove a scant 2 tbsp of flour and return to the container. Measure out a scant 2 tbsp of cornstarch and add to the flour. Sift the new flour mixture 3-5 times so the flour and cornstarch are fully incorporated.
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a 9 1/2 cake pan with olive oil, then dust it with flour.
Add the zest to the granulated sugar and rub together to infuse the sugar with the zest’s lemon flavor. Add eggs to sugar mixture and beat together for about 2 minutes until the mixture has lightened in color and grown in size. (If you have an electric mixer use whisk attachment for 2 minutes).
Whisk in the lemon juice and yogurt. Slowly pour a stream of olive oil into the mixture and continue to stir until combined. Mix in flour a small amount at a time until the mixture is combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for 40-50 minutes.
Tastes best served warm.
