Olive Oil and Lemon Cake

1/19/2015

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what you'll need:

Olive Oil Lemon Cake:

3/4 cup all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup whole milk
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
zest of half lemon
fresh berries

Swiss Buttercream:

6 lg egg whites
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 cups unsalted butter
pinch of salt

Okay, so I am not sure about all of you but I am officially ready to break up with Winter. I know it is only January but all the comfort food and chunky sweaters have me begging for a little Summer time simplicity.

This past week my cousin Sharon came up to visit. Sharon is from Tennessee, but don't be fooled, she is a born and bred New Yorker and a slayer in the kitchen. Every time she is in town we offer up a wide selection of "New York Style" treats we know for sure she can not get down South. Food is a huge part of our family, then again we are Italian so food is always the center of attention. Nonetheless, this was perfect timing! I really needed some good material to discuss for my first blog post, what better than hosting a girls lunch and then having to write all about it?!

I decided to keep the menu simple and clean - avocado bruschetta, fresh tri-color beet salad and a pasta Caprese salad. The star of the show was undoubtedly this wonderfully light Olive Oil Lemon cake. I found the recipe off of a blog I frequent called, The Little Epicurean. When I saw this cake I knew it was THE one. I have been waiting for the perfect excuse to make a "naked cake" as it is the trendy thing to do in baking these days. "Naked" means exactly what you think - bare, not covered in frosting and leaving it all out for everyone to see. I find this to be a subtle way to mix natural and chic elements together - the results are always so sophisticated and appealing.

DIRECTIONS: (3 - 6" round cake pans)

Olive Oil Cake:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Butter 3- 6" cake pans and lightly dust them with flour. The original recipe calls for lining your pans with parchment paper - either one works well.
Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together melted butter, olive oil, and milk. Set aside.
In the bowl of stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat eggs, sugar, and lemon zest until mixture is light in color and slightly thick. I also squeezed out a little bit of the lemon juice into the mixture. Although the recipe did not call for this, I think it helped enhance the lemon flavor, overall.

STEP 3

STEP 4

STEP 5

6. Alternate adding the flour mixture and wet mixture, beginning and ending with the flour
mixture. Mix well and don't forget to scrape the sides.
7. Divide batter between prepared cake pans. Level batter using a spoon or
spatula. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Let cool for 5-10 before releasing out of the pans.

STEP 6

STEP 7

Swiss Buttercream:

In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together egg whites and sugar. Place over a double boiler and continue to whisk until all the sugar has melted. You can test this by dipping your finger into the warm mixture and rubbing it together with your thumb. I promise - you will not burn your finger. The mixture should be smooth and you should not be able to feel any grits of sugar.
Return bowl to stand mixer. With a paddle attachment, beat mixture at medium-high speed until it cools to a little warmer than room temperature. Reduce speed to medium and add butter one tablespoon at a time. (Cut into squares with a knife - sticks of butter have the lines to measure out each tablespoon) *make sure your butter is soft enough to slice nice and easily.
Once all the butter is in, increase speed to medium-high and continue to beat until buttercream is light and fluffy. I found my buttercream to be a little loose and not thick enough. I suggest preparing your buttercream the night before and keeping it in the refrigerator over night. This gives the buttercream time to thicken and get nice and cool, almost like ice-cream, yum!