This sharp and squidgy olive oil and lemon cake makes for the perfect teatime treat, or serve with crème fraîche, for a summery dessert. For the best texture, make this cake at least a day ahead to allow the syrup to soak through evenly.
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Yields:
12 serving(s)
Prep Time:
15 mins
Cook Time:
1 hr 35 mins
Total Time:
1 hr 50 mins
Cal/Serv:
270
Ingredients
For the cake
2
unwaxed lemons
100ml
extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to grease
4
medium eggs, lightly beaten
275g
caster sugar
100g
ground almonds
75g
semolina
125g
plain flour
1Tbsp.
baking powder
For the syrup
1Tbsp.
extra virgin olive oil
50g
caster sugar
Juice 1/2 lemon
Directions
Step 1For the cake, put the lemons in a medium pan and cover with just-boiled water. Bring to the boil, reduce heat to low and bubble gently for 30min until very soft. Drain and leave to cool. Grease and line a 20.5cm round springform tin with baking parchment.
Step 2When the lemons are cool enough to handle, cut them in half. Holding them over the pan or a bowl (to catch the juice) pick out and discard the pips. Whizz the lemons in a food processor with any reserved juices to a chunky purée. Preheat oven to 170°C (150°C fan) mark 3.
Step 3In a large bowl, using a handheld electric whisk, beat the olive oil, eggs, sugar, lemon purée and a pinch of salt together until combined. Stir in the ground almonds, semolina, plain flour and baking powder.
Step 4Scrape mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 50min-1hr or until golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Step 5Meanwhile make the syrup. Gently heat the oil, sugar and lemon juice in a small pan, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Increase heat and bubble for 1min. As soon at the cake comes out of the oven, drizzle over the syrup. Leave to cool in tin.7 Remove cake from tin, cut into slices and serve with Greek yogurt or crème fraiche.
To store: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
An experienced and highly skilled team of food writers, stylists and digital content producers, the Good Housekeeping Cookery Team is a close-knit squad of food obsessives. Cookery Editor Emma Franklin is our resident chilli obsessive and barbecue expert, who spends an inordinate amount of time on holidays poking round the local supermarkets seeking out new and exciting foods. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Her favourite carb is pasta, and our vibrant green spaghetti is her weeknight go-to. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating crispy corn and nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time (though she cannot resist a slice of tres leches cake). With a wealth of professional kitchen know-how, culinary training and years of experience between them, they are all dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work (and if they don’t – we’ll have the answer for why*) every time (*90% of the time the answer is: “buy an separate oven thermometer”!).
