Olive Oil Cake Recipe

Mmm, this Lemon Olive Oil Cake Recipe is truly delicious. It produces a light but moist cake with a decidedly citrus tang, which contains no fat other than olive oil - a healthy choice. If you use extra-virgin oil then the full fruity flavour will come through into the finished cake. I prefer a lighter olive oil, which doesn't obscure the lemony flavour. Use organic eggs with their rich golden yolks to give the cake an appetising yellow colour. The whisked whites give the cake its lightness.

LEMON OLIVE OIL CAKE

The cake keeps very well for 3-4 days in an airtight tin or box, and would be a good lunch box choice. It's also great as a dessert with diced fresh strawberries or a handful of raspberries and a spoonful of low fat vanilla yogurt. The family's verdict? Yum - a lovely lemony treat! We'll definitely be adding this Lemon Olive Oil Cake Recipe to our binder of 'favorite cakes'.
Ingredients

125g (1 cup) plain flour (cake flour, not self-rising)
finely grated rind of 1 large lemon
5 large eggs (separate the eggs, and keep 1 white to use in another recipe)
200g (3/4 cup) caster (superfine granulated) sugar
175ml (3/4 cup) olive oil
juice of half large lemon

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4/350F. Grease a 24cm (9 inch) springform cake tin/pan, line base with baking parchment and grease again.

Mix the lemon rind into the flour. In another bowl, beat the egg yolks with 140g (1/2 cup) of the sugar with an electric beater until the mixture is pale and thick. Gradually pour in the olive oil and lemon juice (don't worry if the mixture looks curdled at this stage), then lightly fold in the flour.

Wash the beaters thoroughly in hot water with detergent, then place the 4 egg whites and a pinch of salt into a clean bowl and whisk until holding soft peaks. Gradually add the remaining 60g (1/4 cup) of sugar, continuing to beat, until the whites hold a peak.

Carefully fold a little of the egg whites through the other mixture, then add the remainder and mix through gently.

Pour the mixture/batter into the pan and knock the edge of the pan lightly against the kitchen counter to disperse any trapped air. Bake for around 45 minutes until risen and golden, and a fine skewer comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes, remove outer rim of springform pan, then leave until cake has cooled completely. Carefully remove pan base and parchment.

To store, wrap well and keep in an air-tight tin or box.

Picture of slice of Olive Oil Cake

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