Lemon olive oil cake

Ingredients

• 200ml extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for greasing
• 300g caster (superfine) sugar
• 3 eggs
• Finely grated zest of 3 lemons
• 125ml lemon juice
• 250g plain (all-purpose) flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 300ml milk
• 2 tsp vanilla bean paste
• Icing (powdered) sugar, for dusting

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F). Lightly grease a 22cm (9 inch) round cake tin with extra virgin olive oil and line the base with baking paper. Set aside.
2. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the sugar and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the extra virgin olive oil, eggs and the remaining sugar until well combined. Add the lemon zest and juice, then give it another whisk.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, bicarb and salt to combine well and get rid of any lumps. In a third bowl, combine the milk and vanilla paste.
4. Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture, then pour in half the oil mixture and half the milk mixture. Starting from the centre and using a wooden spoon, stir to combine the wet and dry ingredients, working your way slowly to the edge of the bowl, incorporating everything as you go to create a smooth batter. Add the remaining oil and milk mixtures and continue mixing until a smooth batter forms. Note that the batter will be quite wet, so don’t panic.
5. Pour the batter into the cake tin, sprinkle with the sugar you saved earlier, then bake for 50–60 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean.
6. Leave the cake in the tin for 10–15 minutes to cool slightly before you turn it out on a wire rack, then let it cool completely, resisting any temptation to dive in. Dust with icing sugar to serve.