Meyer Lemon, Thyme, and Olive Oil Cake {recipe}

Meyer Lemon, Thyme, and Olive Oil Cake {recipe}

Based very loosely on Mario Batali's Rosemary Olive Oil Cake in the Babbo cookbook. And when I say "loosely," I mean that both cakes have olive oil in it.

INGREDIENTS

1½ cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon Kosher salt
4 large eggs
¾ cup sugar
finely grated zest from 1 Meyer lemon (I got a little more than ¼ teaspoon)
½ cup Meyer lemon juice (depends on size and "juiciness" of lemons, but I used 1 large lemon)
¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
suggestion for serving: fresh berries, Greek yogurt or creme fraiche, a drizzle of olive oil, Maldon sea salt, and extra thyme leaves/sprigs for garnish

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350⁰F. Spray a bundt pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

(Note: You can bake this cake in a loaf pan or a round cake pan. The kind of pan you use will slightly affect your baking time.)

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside for a moment.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, use the paddle attachment to beat the eggs until the whites and yolks are uniform, about 30 seconds. Add sugar and continue to beat until the mixture is very foamy and pale in color, about another 3 minutes.

Add the lemon zest and allow the zest to distribute into the batter.

With the mixer running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil and lemon juice. Turn the mixer to low speed and stir the fresh thyme leaves into the batter, then gradually add the dry ingredients in a few additions.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

In my Bundt pan, I baked the Meyer Lemon Thyme Olive Oil Cake for 25 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through for even color. If you use a loaf pan, the cake may take up to 10 minutes longer (35 minutes total). Start checking at 25 minutes. The cake is done when it is golden brown, springs back when touched, and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.

Allow the cake to cool in the pan for about 15 minutes, then tip out onto a cake rack to continue cooling.

Serve the cake with fresh strawberries and gently honey-sweetened sheep's milk Greek yogurt drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with Maldon sea salt.