Olive Oil Cake

I’m not much of a baker. At all really. It was a major feat of courage to make chocolate chip oatmeal cookies a few months ago. But, in my quest to be fearless in the kitchen, I’ve been dallying with some simple baking recipes and the results haven’t been too bad. I’ve made a version of Molly Wizenberg’s French Style Yogurt Cake a few times and once, at The Pantry’s holiday party, she tried it which was quite nerve wracking. Luckily she was very gracious.  That cake is super simple to put together, hence it being my practice cake.

The other night, in a deal made with the spouse that I would make an olive oil cake if he did the dishes, I searched about the interwebs for some new olive-oiley, lemoney, cakey inspiration. Some of the eye catching ones that are on my list for future attempts:

Smitten Kitchen : Blood Orange Olive Oil Cake

Cup of Jo: Best Olive Oil Cake You’ll Ever Have

Maialino’s Olive Oil Cake

Unfortunately, I didn’t have any fresh thyme on hand, but I made an herbless version of the “Tea Thyme Yogurt Lemon Olive Oil Cake” from Chindeep.com. Wanting to use my kitchen aid so I’d feel more “bakerey”,  I used it to mix the sugar and eggs for about five minutes to get them nice and creamy. This type of cake is incredibly basic. Mix the wet ingredients, add the dry and pour it all into a baking pan. Top off with a simple lemon glaze and there’s dessert! It came out bright and light, not too sweet. I bet some fresh, macerated raspberries would seriously add to the enjoyment factor. 

Lemon Olive Oil Cake

– Adapted from ChinDeep.com Preheat your oven to 350 and butter a baking pan or simply cover in parchment paper. Mix up 1 cup sugar and 3 eggs until creamy and smooth. If using a KitchenAid keep it going on low as you add ingredients. Add in 1 cup of cream or half and half or plain yogurt.  I used half and half  this time. Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla and 1/2 cup of olive oil.

Separately, mix up your dry ingredients: 1.5 cups of all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons of baking powder, 1 teaspoon of salt and the zest of a lemon or two, depending on the size. If you wanted to add thyme, like the original recipe calls for, add in about a teaspoon or so. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and combine till just mixed.

Pour it all into a baking pan and into the oven for about 50 minutes. Check on it after about 40 just to be sure its turning golden and not getting too brown. Once its done and cooled, mix up a glaze with lemon juice and some powdered sugar to taste. Pour over the cake, slice and serve with hot coffee.