Olive Oil Cake with Lemon-Thyme Glaze

Mari Levine

Easy

Difficulty

A dessert that feeds a crowd—what dish better fits both Hanukkah and Thanksgiving? If you’ve never had olive oil cake, don’t expect to bite into an oil slick. Olive oil keeps this cake moist, while also lending it a peppery—but not too oily—flavor.

Ingredients for 6 servings

Cake

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup cornmeal
  • 1½ tsp. baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 3 large eggs
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • ¼ cup whole milk
  • ½ tsp. vanilla extract
  • ½ tsp. fresh rosemary
  • ½ tsp. lemon zest

Glaze

  • ½ cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
  • 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
  • ½ tsp. lemon zest, minced
  • ½ tsp. fresh thyme
  • ½ tsp. olive oil

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9-inch round cake pan and set aside.

2. In medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

3. In large mixing bowl, whisk eggs lightly to break up yolks. Add sugar and whisk thoroughly. Add olive oil and whisk until mixture has thickened slightly, about 45-60 seconds. Whisk in milk, then vanilla, rosemary and zest.

4. Add dry ingredients to mixing bowl and whisk until thoroughly combined; continue whisking until you have a smooth, emulsified batter, about 30 more seconds.

5. Pour batter into prepared pan, and bake cake for 30 to 45 minutes, rotating cake pan halfway through cooking time. Allow cake to cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then gently remove it from the pan and allow it to cool completely on a rack.

6. Meanwhile, in small bowl, whisk glaze ingredients until thoroughly combined. Pour over cooling cake, using back of spoon to spread. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Reprinted from JewishBoston.com

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Mari Levine

Mari Levine is a freelance food writer and an editor for America’s Test Kitchen, where she combines her journalism and culinary degrees from Brandeis University and Johnson & Wales, respectively, with her restaurant and lifelong eating experience. When she’s not working hoisin sauce into everything she eats or binging on anything sandwiched between two slices of bread, she can be found on her bike, engrossed in a documentary, or playing sports that involve throwing and/or catching a ball (the latest: flag football).