Loving: lemon olive-oil cake

Most of you who know me know that I like to bake cakes above all else. There's something deeply satisfying about every step of the process, going from a simple heap of flour and sugar to something that gives people a sense of celebration and special occasion.

I baked this cake for no other occasion than to try out the appealing flavor combination - lemon and olive oil. It presents itself as a very simple and rustic cake with no frosting or decoration, and the rugged and imperfect look of it made it all the more appealing to me. The olive oil replaces butter entirely, so I dare to call it relatively healthy as far as cakes go. It would also be a good recipe for vegans. You don't miss the butter at all because the flavor of the olive oil shines through, and makes the cake incredibly moist.

The cake good enough to can stand on its own, but for extra moisture and something refreshing, I served it with some creme fraiche mixed with Meyer lemon zest and confectioner's sugar on the side. I also sprinkled the top of the cake with just a little confectioner's sugar and the candied lemon peels I made earlier this week. So simple, easy and yummy! This one's definitely a keeper.

Recipe: Lemon olive-oil cake
Adapted from Epicurious
Ingredients
3/4 cup olive oil (extra-virgin if desired), plus additional for greasing pan
2 large organic lemons or 3 organic Meyer lemons
1 cup organic cake flour (not self-rising) or pastry flour
5 large organic eggs, separated into 5 yolks and 4 whites (use the extra egg white for your morning eggs)
3/4 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar (separate sugar into three parts: 1/2 cup, 1/4 cup and 1 1/2 tablespoons)
1/2 teaspoon salt

Special equipment: an 8 or 9-inch (24-cm) springform pan; parchment paper; electric mixer

Preparation
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 325°F. Grease springform pan with some oil, then line bottom with a round of parchment paper. Oil parchment.

Finely grate enough lemon zest to measure 3 teaspoons and whisk together with flour. Halve lemon, then squeeze and reserve 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice.

Beat together yolks and 1/2 cup sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until thick and pale, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to medium and add olive oil (3/4 cup) and reserved lemon juice, beating until just combined (mixture may appear separated).

Using a wooden spoon, stir in flour mixture (do not beat) until just combined (once you add the flour, the batter will start to bubble like hot lava - cool!)

Beat 4 egg whites with 1/2 teaspoon salt in another large bowl with cleaned beaters at medium-high speed until foamy, then add 1/4 cup sugar a little at a time, beating, and continue to beat until egg whites just hold soft peaks, about 3 minutes.

Gently fold one third of whites into yolk mixture to lighten, then fold in remaining whites gently but thoroughly.

Transfer batter to springform pan and gently rap against work surface once or twice to release any air bubbles. Sprinkle top evenly with remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar. Bake until puffed and golden and a wooden pick or skewer inserted in center of cake comes out clean, about 40-45 minutes. Cool cake in pan on a rack 10 minutes, then run a thin knife around edge of pan and remove side of pan. Cool cake to room temperature, about 1 1/4 hours. Remove bottom of pan and peel off parchment, then transfer cake to a serving plate.

Cake can be made 1 day ahead and wrapped well or stored in a cake keeper at room temperature.

Some notes on the recipe:
• I splurged on a really fruity, good quality extra-virgin olive oil, but you can also use non extra-virgin olive oil if you want a more subtle olive oil flavor.
• Don't be afraid to add more lemon zest and lemon juice than called for - here I doubled what was on the original Epicurious site.
• Experiment with regular and Meyer lemons. Meyer lemon rinds tend to be sweeter, with a more subtle lemon flavor.
• I used a great stone-ground organic pastry flour instead of cake flour, and it made for a very tender cake. I think the recipe seems flexible enough that you can use all-purpose flour if you don't have either pastry or cake flour on hand.
• I reduced the temperature to 325 degrees to too-quick browning at the top. Adjust to 350 depending on your oven and the size of your pan.