Lemon Olive Oil Cake

A few weeks ago Brenda decided she wanted to try something new for a dessert.  She came up with this lemon olive oil cake.  It came out really good considering this was the first time we have tried it.  We topped it with some fresh cut strawberries and whipped cream.  Yummy!  definitely a keeper.  Give it a try.

Ingredients:

• 5 egg yolks
• ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
• ¾ cup good extra virgin olive oil
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 egg whites
• Whipped cream, and berries for serving

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch springform pan with non-stick cooking spray. Line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper and grease with the non-stick spray.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a wire whisk attachment, whip the egg yolks with ½ cup of the sugar until pale and thick. Combine the olive oil and lemon juice and with the mixer running on low, slowly add it to the yolk mixture. It may look slightly curdled. Add the flour and lemon zest and gently fold into the yolk-olive oil mixture with a spatula.
• Transfer mixture to a separate bowl and set aside. Clean the stand mixer bowl and whisk attachment.
• In the bowl of the stand mixer fitted with the wire whisk attachment, whip the egg whites until foamy, then slowly add ¼ cup of the sugar and continue to beat to soft peaks. Gently fold into the olive oil mixture, just barely until incorporated. Do not overmix.
• Spread into the prepared pan and sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 40-45 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes, then remove the sides of the springform pan and cool completely.
• Serve with whipped cream and fresh berries, or as desired.