Recipe: Piece of Cake Lemon Cake (using olive oil)

PIECE OF CAKE LEMON CAKE

"In honor of my favorite fruit, here is an easy cake that stars lemons in all their mouthwatering, puckery glory. Olive oil takes the place of butter, which may sound weird but tastes great, and makes for an ultra-moist treat."



Makes one 9-inch cake

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
3 lemons
2 eggs
1/2 cup whole milk
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil*
1 1/4 cups sugar
Fresh sliced strawberries, for serving
YOU WILL NEED:
Measuring cups, measuring spoons, 9-inch round cake pan, parchment paper, medium bowl, zester, paring knife, small bowl, large bowl, small spoon, whisk, wooden spoon, toothpick, oven mitt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9-inch round cake pan with parchment paper so that the paper reaches just over the edges of the pan.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and stir to mix.

Using a zester, zest one of the lemons. Cut the lemon in half, juice it into a small bowl, and remove any seeds. You will need 1/4 cup juice; so juice the other lemons if needed.

In a large bowl, crack the eggs and remove any shell with a small spoon. Add the milk and whisk for no more than 1 minute, then add the olive oil, sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice and stir well with a wooden spoon.

Add the dry ingredients (flour mixture) to the wet ingredients (milk mixture) all at once and stir stir until well combined. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan.

Bake until the edges pull away from the sides of the pan, 40 to 45 minutes. To test, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake; if it comes out clean, the cake is ready. If there are crumbs attached, bake for a few more minutes and test again. Remove from the oven (use an oven mitt) and turn the oven off. Let the cake cool for 10 minutes, then move it to a plate by lifting up the parchment paper from both sides, or slice the cake right in the baking dish.

Serve warm with fresh sliced strawberries. Lemon cake will keep, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap at room temperature, up to overnight.

*For the best flavor, choose extra-virgin olive oil over "pure" or "light" olive oil. The "pure" oils are actually more processed than extra-virgin (also called cold-pressed) and may taste spicy or bitter.

Used by permission to Recipelink.com from Clarkson Potter
Adapted from source: New Favorites for New Cooks: 50 delicious recipes for kids to make by Carolyn Federman