Cooking Therapy

As much as I love butter, olive oil has to be my favorite fat to use in cooking (maybe it’s the Greek in me). The taste, texture, and aroma of olive oil brings back fond memories of Mediterranean Summers. Besides the above reasons, using olive oil in place of butter makes the fluffier, softer, and less prone to harden after a few days. My recipe below is a delicious treat for welcoming Summer. The taste of the lemon and saffron combination will transport your thoughts to your favorite beach. Add ice cream and you really have a winner! Try it out today!

Prep Time: 20 Minutes

Bake Time: 45 Minutes

Serves: 10

Ingredients

For the cake:

4 large eggs, at room temperature, yolks and whites separated

¾ cups of sugar

¾ cups of olive oil, regular or extra virgin is fine

1 cup flour

½ cup of almond flour

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup of Meyer lemon juice

Zest from one Meyer lemon (will be used in both the cake and syrup)

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon sea salt

For the syrup

¼ cup sugar

¼ cup water

1 teaspoon of Meyer lemon zest

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 good pinch of saffron threads

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Grease a 9-in springform pan with oil and line the bottom with parchment paper and grease it as well. Set aside for now
• In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients: both flours, baking powder, lemon zest, and sea salt
• In a separate bowl, beat together the egg yolks with half a cup of sugar until well blended on a high speed. Once blended, reduce speed and add olive oil, vanilla extract, and lemon juice, beating until it becomes combined. Slowly add in the dry ingredients and stir using a wooden spoon
• In another separate bowl, beat the egg whites with clean beaters until they become foamy and slowly add the remaining ¼ cup of sugar in, beating until peaks start to form.
• Fold the egg whites into the cake mixture one at a time, gently folding to mix. Transfer the batter to the springform pan and make sure it is leveled
• Bake until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center. Let cool for about 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edge before removing pan. Let cool before serving and you remove the parchment paper and bottom of pan. While the cake is baking, before you take it out of the oven, make the syrup
• Combine all the syrup ingredients in a saucepan over a medium heat. Stir until it begins to boil then reduce heat to a simmer, all while continuing to stir. Once the sugar has dissolved and the syrup has thickened, slowly pour over the cake while it is cooling. You can also use a brush to spread the syrup on the cake if you don’t want it too syrupy.
• Once the cake has finished cooling, cut it in even pieces and serve
• Enjoy!