Triple-Lemon Olive Oil Cake Recipe

While we don’t usually recommend cooking with extra virgin olive oil (we want to preserve those precious polyphenols and get the most flavor and nutrition out of them!), we couldn’t resist making a classic Italian olive oil cake with a lemon-infused oil. In this recipe, adapted from Maialino’s Restaurant in New York City, and published as a Genius Recipe on Food52, we change out orange for lemon, packing the cake with that lemony punch through lemon juice, lemon zest, Limoncello liqueur, along with Casina Rossa EVOO infused with fresh lemons from Sorrento. We recommend making it the day before serving, so the flavors can meld and the olive oil can work its magic with the delicate 00 flour we use here.

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Oil a 9-inch cake pan or spray it with cooking spray and line the
bottom with parchment paper.

2. Whisk together flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and baking powder in a large bowl. Set aside.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together olive oil, milk, eggs, zest, and Limoncello. Add to the dry
ingredients, whisking until just combined.

4. Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the
center of the cake comes out clean.

5. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then run a thin knife around the edges to release it from the pan. Invert the
cake onto a wire rack and cool completely before serving. This cake is best made one day ahead, to
let it develop flavor and texture.