Spanish lemon and yogurt cake

🎂The concept of making baked goods with olive oil instead of butter is still quite new to me! But having lived in Spain for a few years now I realise that most Mediterranean cakes and muffins are made this way. It is best to try and use a high quality extra virgin olive oil if you can, as nutrients such as vitamin E and its antioxidant properties will still remain intact. You can use a milder olive oil if you prefer a more subtle taste.

Use the yogurt cup to measure the rest of the ingredients.

E.g. 3 cups of flours - 3 cups using the yogurt cup.

If you can't find a lemon flavoured yogurt you can substitute with a plain yogurt which also works fine.

I'm using a 23cm wide baking tin.

Try to use a baking specific flour brand if possible.

Ingredients

1 lemon flavoured yogurt, approx. 125g (I use the Activia creamy lemon version)

3 eggs

3 cups of plain flour

1 cup of olive oil (ideally extra virgin)

2 cups of sugar

1 packet of baking powder - 16g approx.

zest of 1 medium sized lemon

juice of 1/2 - 1 medium sized lemon

peach jam

butter for greasing

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C/356 F and grease the baking tin with butter (or line with parchment paper).

2.Grate the lemon zest and set aside.

3. Squeeze the lemon juice, making sure no seeds fall in, and set aside.

4. Empty the yogurt into another container, clean and dry the yogurt cup.

5.Using a large bowl, combine the eggs and sugar and beat using an electric hand mixer. I usually start at a low speed, and increase to medium, and repeat this procedure every time I add a new set of ingredients.

6. Measure out the correct quantity of flour and set aside.

7. Add the olive oil, yogurt, lemon juice and zest into the bowl and whisk until the ingredients are mixed.

8. Sift the flour into the bowl and add the baking powder. Whisk again until the mixture is smooth and lump free. There is no need to over whisk.

All the ingredients have been mixed

9. Pour the mixture into the baking tin, using a plastic spatula to help scrape the sides and bake for 30- 35 minutes until golden-brown. Once baked, insert a knife into a few different parts of the cake, if the knife comes out completely dry it is baked. If the knife doesn't come out clean, bake again for a further few minutes and test again. You can cover the cake with aluminium foil if you think it's getting burnt.

10. Once cooled, decorate the top with peach jam.

11. Enjoy with a nice cup of tea!

Comments

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