Italian Lemon Olive Oil Cake

It's no surprise that while going to culinary school in Italy, I ate some of the best food of my life. And while I'm not usually much of a cake girl, something about this lemon olive oil cake might have converted me into a cake lover.

Instead of using butter or a neutral cooking oil, the fat in this cake comes from extra virgin olive oil. Not only does this help keep the cake super moist, but it also adds a unique and delicious flavor.

While you'd normally think of using olive oil in savory recipes, don't let that turn you off. This cake is sweet, filled with layers of lemon, and perfect as a 'not too heavy' dessert.

What You'll Learn In This Recipe

• Tips to achieve the best cake texture.
• How to make and freeze a cake ahead of time for a party.
• How to enhance the taste with high-quality olive oil.

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Ingredients You Need

• Baking powder and soda: The combination of both of these leaveners will give the cake the proper lift. Double check that your leaveners haven't expired.
• Fine sea salt: I find that a finer sea salt distributes better throughout the batter.
• Lemon peel and juice: We're adding lots of fresh lemon to the cake and the glaze to pack a punch of flavor.
• Extra virgin olive oil: Don't skimp on the quality of the extra virgin olive oil for this cake. You want one that has great taste, and I can teach you how to find the best olive oil.
• Mascarpone cheese: You can substitute with cream cheese. Just know the glaze will turn out thicker than if you use mascarpone.
• Confectioners' sugar: Be sure to sift to ensure there are no large clumps of confectioners' (powdered) sugar.

How To Make This Recipe

Step 1: First, let's whisk the dry ingredients together, including flour, baking powder, baking soda, and fine sea salt.

Step 2: Next, using clean hands, rub the granulated sugar and lemon peel together. This helps the oils on the lemon peel express onto the sugar.

Step 3: In a separate bowl, whisk together the extra virgin olive oil and eggs. Add the lemon sugar and give it a good whisk, then stir in the milk and lemon juice until everything is combined.

Step 4: Sift the dry ingredients into the wet batter. I like to do this in 3 batches, whisking each batch just until combined. You don't want to overmix at this stage, or the cake texture could become tough from too much gluten forming.

Step 5: Pour the batter into a greased springform pan, and bake for 55 - 60 minutes until the top of the cake is golden brown and it's springy to the touch. I like to insert a toothpick into the center of the cake to see if it comes out clean. This means the cake is ready to be removed from the oven.

Step 6: Once the cake has cooled, you can move on to the lemon glaze. Melt the mascarpone in a small bowl in the microwave, then whisk in confectioners' sugar and lemon juice.  Immediately pour glaze over the cooled cake before it hardens.

Expert Tips

• Let the cake cool completely before slicing to ensure perfect texture. Be sure not to add the glaze while the cake is still warm, or it will melt and slide right off.
• Need help choosing a high-quality extra virgin olive oil? I learned in Italy how to taste the olive oil to look for flavors of fruity, grassy, and rich notes.
• Over whisking the flour can result in a dense texture. Mix only until combined!