Apartment Therapy The Kitchn | New Favorite: Lemon Olive Oil Cake

New Favorite: Lemon Olive Oil Cake

We sense a theme. Lemons are all we want right now. Lemons and olive oil combine in a sunny, new favorite cake - it's really the best thing we've had in a long time.

This Lemon Olive Oil Cake from Gourmet is a tender, soft, so-light cake that we just love. It's made with plenty of lemon zest and lemon juice. We use a fruity olive oil for a rich taste and flavor, and it's lightened at the end with whipped egg whites so the rich fruitiness is balanced by its airy texture. It's good for breakfast, tea, and after dinner.

We added a little lemon thyme too to give it a slightly herbed flavor - the savory taste was a pleasant note in this already not-too-sweet cake. We served it with fresh lemon slices and creme fraiche.

How are you using lemons right now? Try this cake if you haven't already - it's a rustic gem.

Comments (9)

This cake is very good--especially when baked in the recommended 9 inch springform, which produces a higher cake. I've found it to be a foolproof treat. Children like it better with the light olive oil, giving it a milder flavor than the virgin olive oil. I love it any way!

posted by eightisenough on February 19th 2008 at 11:13am
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Yes, sometimes we do a 1.5 sized batch and bake it in the 10 inch - also to make it higher and lighter.

posted by faith on February 19th 2008 at 1:46pm
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This cake has been my stand-by, fool proof, always satisfyin' dessert of late. It's often enhanced with vanilla ice cream or gelato...I've tried lemon, pistachio, and chocolate chip with it.

posted by krister on February 19th 2008 at 7:21pm
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Do I really need to buy a spring form to make this cake? I have a cast iron pan, glass casserole dish, and a le creuset french oven, will any of these be ok with modifications? I have limited space and don't want to add another specialty item.

Thanks

posted by shayna on February 21st 2008 at 10:05am
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Shayna - no, you could probably use 2 regular 9" round cake pans. You could try it in the 9x13 glass casserole dish too - it's very adaptable.

posted by faith on February 23rd 2008 at 8:02am
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AWESOME! Thanks.

posted by shayna on February 23rd 2008 at 10:39am
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I made this cake for a Saturday brunch with friends. As those reviewing the recipe on epicurious suggested more citrus and a 30 minute baking time, I doubled both the zest and juice and reduced the overall baking time by one-third with excellent results. I couldn't decide between extra virgin and regular olive oil, so I used half of both and decorated with candied lemons and kumquats. It's a really lovely cake that's remarkably light in texture.

posted by wig3000 on February 24th 2008 at 9:31am
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Looks wonderful - and I love the phrase 'rustic gem!'

posted by Farmgirl Susan on March 7th 2008 at 4:28pm
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My attempt at this utterly failed. I'm not sure if it was the not having a hand mixer part, or putting in too much lemon juice liquid. But it came out way too eggy, and I threw half of it away.

posted by happiness on January 16th 2009 at 1:41pm
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