Meyer Lemon Olive Oil Cake
Beat the cane sugar, olive oil, eggs, Meyer lemon juice, zest, thyme, and vanilla with an electric mixer until creamy, then mix in the whisked flours, baking powder, and salt in thirds with the milk. Pour the batter into a parchment-lined 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan and bake at 350° until a tester comes out clean. Cool completely, pour over a glaze of confectioners’ sugar whisked with 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and garnish with lemon slices and thyme sprigs.
An olive oil cake is a study in understated elegance — moist, tender, and subtly rich, with a Mediterranean soul. This one is perfumed with floral Meyer lemon and finished with a bright citrus glaze, so the fruity olive oil and the sweet-tart lemon play off one another beautifully. It is sophisticated without being fussy, the kind of cake that feels equally right at an elegant dinner or a quiet afternoon, and that keeps beautifully for days.
The Olive Oil Crumb
Whisk the olive oil into the batter with the eggs and sugar for a cake that bakes up moist and tender with a subtle, fruity richness. A good olive oil is the heart of this cake, so use one you love to taste — it lends both moisture and a distinctive, sophisticated depth to the crumb.
Meyer Lemon and Citrus Glaze
Perfume the batter with floral Meyer lemon zest, and finish the cooled cake with a bright citrus glaze. The Meyer lemon's gentle, floral character is the perfect partner to the fruity olive oil, and the glaze adds a sweet-tart finish that keeps the cake bright and moist for days.
Meyer Lemon Olive Oil Cake
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat the oven to 350°. Coat a 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan with vegetable oil spray. Line the pan with parchment paper and spray again.
- Whisk together the flours, baking powder and salt in a small bowl.
- Use an electric mixer to combine the cane sugar, olive oil, eggs, lemon juice, lemon zest, thyme and vanilla until creamy.
- Mix in ⅓ of the flour, followed by ⅓ of the milk.
- Continue until all the flour and milk is incorporated into the batter.
- Pour the batter into the loaf pan.
- Bake until a tester comes out clean, about 40 to 50 minutes.
- Remove the cake from the oven and cool completely.
- Remove the cake from the pan and place onto a serving platter
- Place the confectioners’ sugar into a small bowl.
- Whisk in 2 tablespoons lemon juice until smooth. Pour the glaze over the cake.
- Garnish the platter with fresh lemon slices and thyme sprigs.
The Heart of the Table
An olive oil cake is a quietly sophisticated thing to share — understated, elegant, and confident enough to need no adornment. There is a gracious hospitality in serving something so refined yet unfussy, the kind of cake that trusts good ingredients and treats your guests to something a little special.
The Art of the Host
Use a good, flavorful olive oil, and glaze the cake once cooled so the finish sets cleanly. It keeps and even improves over a day or two, so it is lovely made ahead — a little citrus zest on top makes an elegant finish.
Neighborly Grace
- The Preparation: This cake keeps beautifully for several days thanks to the olive oil, and the flavor deepens with time. Bake it a day or two ahead and keep it covered; it is one of those rare cakes that is even better the next day.
- The Pour: A glass of Prosecco or a limoncello suits the Mediterranean spirit; for a non-alcoholic pairing, a sparkling water with Meyer lemon keeps the citrus bright and the cake feeling light.
- The Vibe: Serve it in simple slices, perhaps with a few berries or a dusting of sugar, at a dinner or a quiet afternoon. This is refined, Mediterranean-inspired baking — understated and elegant, made to prove that simplicity can be the height of sophistication.