Lemon Olive Oil Cake

I love replacing butter in recipes with olive oil. Even though I'm a fan of butter, extra virgin olive oil brings a nice fruity flavor to cakes and other recipes. Butter can be heavy at times in flavor and texture. By using olive oil, this cake is light and the perfect end to a meal. Aside from cutting the lemon into segments (pictures below), this recipe is relatively easy to put together. Serve with fresh berries and you have a nice, lovely cake to be enjoyed any time. 

Note about the olive oil: Use extra virgin olive oil for the best flavor. Extra virgin is the first pressing of the olives resulting in the most fruity, fresh flavor of all the olive oils. Subsequent olive oils (virgin, pomace, etc) are made by pressing the olives a second or third time to extract the oil. 

I baked this in a bundt cake pan but you can use any cake pans you want or even use muffin tins. 

Lemon Olive Oil Cake
Yield: 1 10-inch bundt cake (or 1 9 or 10-inch cake) 

Cake:

• 3 medium sized lemons
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil 
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 4 large eggs
• 2/3 cup Greek yogurt (use 2% or whole milk yogurt for best results)
• 1 cup white whole wheat flour
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon poppy seeds

Icing:

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 2-3 tablespoons milk

Supreme or segment the lemons (pictures below):
Remove the zest (the yellow skin) of the lemons with a fine grater. You should have about 1-2 tablespoons lemon zest. Set the zest aside. 

Cut each end of the lemon enough to revel the flesh. Cut between the pith (the white part) and the flesh of the lemon to fully remove the outer skin. Hold the lemon over a bowl. Cut out each segment of flesh between the membranes and place in a bowl. When all the lemon segments have been removed, squeeze the lemon over the bowl; discard any seeds. In all, you should have about 1/2 cup lemon segments and juice. Set aside until ready to use. 

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Make the Cake:
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease and flour a bundt pan, cake pans, or muffin tins. Set aside. 

In a food processor, combine the lemon zest and sugar. Pulse for 10-15 seconds to blend together. Place the sugar in a mixing bowl. Add the olive oil, honey, eggs, and yogurt. Whisk to thoroughly combine. Stir in the lemons and juice. 

In a small bowl, whisk together white whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, and poppy seeds. Add dry ingredients to the olive oil mixture. Stir to combine ingredients well. 

Pour batter into prepared pans. Baking time will vary depending on the size of the pans. For muffins, bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.  For bundt or cake pans, bake for about 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 

Cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from the pans and cool completely on a wire rack. 

Make the icing by mixing together the powdered sugar and milk to desired consistency. Pour over cooled cake. Serve with fresh berries.