Meyer Lemon Cardamom Olive Oil Cake with Lemon Glaze
Meyer lemons are a winter gift—fragrant and with an orange-y touch of sweetness—they lend themselves to so many applications. My Meyer Lemon Olive Oil Cake is moist and tender as cakes should be—but my trick to really bring the lemon flavor home is to soak the cake in a bit of lemon juice as it cools. I’ve also discovered the versatility of this cake—the moderate sweetness level lends itself perfectly to breakfast, snack or dessert which is why I love serving the glaze in a small jug for dessert, allowing the versatility of everyone to take a slice and pouring however little (or a lot) they want on their slice. If you can’t find Meyer lemons, zest 4 regular lemons and one small orange.
Serves 8
INGREDIENTS
Unsalted butter, softened, for greasing the pan
2¼ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan
1¾ cups granulated sugar
5 Meyer lemons, zested
1 tsp cardamom
1 teaspoons kosher salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1¼ cups whole milk
3 large eggs
½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, divided
1 tsp vanilla extract
¼ cup limoncello
Powdered sugar, for dusting
Lemon Glaze
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
¼ cup lemon juice
2 tbsp whole milk
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 350F. Butter and flour a 10 cup capacity Bundt pan.
In a medium bowl, add sugar and then zest lemons over the bowl (that way you’ll capture all the essential oils in the sugar) whisk together until combined. Add the flour, cardamom, salt, baking soda, and baking powder and whisk until combined. Set aside.
In large bowl, combine olive oil, milk, eggs, ¼ cup lemon juice, vanilla extract and limoncello and whisk until smooth,. Add the dry ingredients and whisk until just combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for about 1 hour, until a thin serrated knife inserted comes out clean. Cool for 15 -20 minutes then invert onto a cake plate. Poke holes with a thin skewer around the top and slowly pour remaining ¼ cup of lemon juice over top. Let cool completely before serving.
For the glaze, whisk together confectioners’ sugar, lemon juice and milk in a bowl until smooth. If glaze is too thin, add a touch more confectioners’ sugar by the teaspoon full until it’s thick but pourable.
To serve, dust cake with confectioners’ sugar and serve with glaze in a small jug alongside.