…a fluffy lemon olive oil cake with help from her pals Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo, the restaurateurs behind some of Jennifer’s favorite Los Angeles eateries, such as Son of a Gun. Texture is softer than you would expect.

Ingredients 

  • 1 1/2 cups high-quality olive oil, plus more for the pan
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 1/4 cups sugar
  • 1 1/4 cups whole milk
  • 1 tablespoon Amaro del Capo. (I wasn’t able to find this in a liquor store. Recipe suggested to use extra vanilla instead. I used Grand Marnier.)
  • 1 teaspoon orange zest
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2/3 cup fresh lemon juice
  • zest of 2 large lemons
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 cup Sugar in the Raw (for topping)
  • powdered sugar for dusting

Directions 

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Prepare a 9-inch springform pan with olive oil and a lining of parchment paper. 
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, olive oil, and sugar until smooth. Then whisk in milk, Amaro, orange zest, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla.
  3. In a separate large bowl, mix all the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and slowly incorporate the wet ingredients. Whisk until smooth—a few lumps are okay!
  4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the Sugar in the Raw over the top and bake for about 50 minutes to 1 hour.
  5. Let the cake cool completely before dusting with powdered sugar and topping with a scrape of lemon zest.

For this cake to reach its full potential, it’s essential to use a good olive oil, meaning an extra-virgin variety with a pure, quality taste.

Because of the cake’s olive oil base, the batter will be more liquidy than you might be used to. Once it’s transferred into a springform pan, the batter will be sprinkled with an even layer of coarse sugar. As it bakes, this will give the crust a crisp, golden, and crackly finish.

Note: I found that the cake turned out better in a smaller spring form pan with the excess making about six well baked muffins. The larger cake didn’t bake as well. No need to line muffin tins with parchment. Use foil baking cups.