Lemon Olive Oil Cake For One Person

For a moment, I would like to celebrate unfrosted cake. It is an art form, perhaps lost on those of us who do not have regular tea time each afternoon. Unfrosted cakes are a delightful treat. They’re not overly sugary or sweet, and they have the added bonus of being MUCH easier to make than cakes with things like frosting, layers, decoration, etc. This is not a cake that celebrates something big, this is a cake that celebrates the everyday small things, really well. Try to have a slice of this cake every day and be in a sour mood, I dare you.

This cake is sized for single people. You will need one 9-inch round cake pan and that’s all the cake you’re making. There is nothing sadder than throwing cake in the garbage and this recipe ensures that as little of that happens as possible. This cake is also very (forgive the use of this word) moist. Why does that matter? It means it will stay fresh and lovely long enough for one single person to EAT IT. I think ahead, I do this for you.

Is this cake good? Whelp, I couldn’t get a picture of the entire thing before I had a slice, that’s how frikkin scrumptious it is. I have always loved both lemon cake and olive oil cake, makes sense to unite them for the forces of good. In the future, I hope to riff on this recipe using alternative flours and flavors, I think it’s a great basic unfrosted or tea cake recipe to explore with. Also, it’s cake…we should always have cake.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup olive oil

2 eggs

2/3 cup almond milk (or any milk you have)

juice of one lemon

zest of two lemons (you can just zest one lemon if you want, it’s fine, I just like a really lemony cake)

a dash of lemon extract if you have it, but don’t feel the need to run to the store

1 cup sugar (I used raw turbinado sugar because it’s all I had, leading me to believe that any kind of sugar works here because you’re not supposed to bake with it really)

1 cup flour (I used white bread flour, but I have other experiments to conduct)

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

big pinch of sea salt

You will also need one 9-inch round cake pan, and something to grease it with.

Instructions:

First, I need to tell you a secret. When I made this cake batter and poured it into a cake pan, then and only then did I realize I FORGOT THE EGGS. So, I poured the batter back into the bowl, whisked my two eggs, and then mixed them into the batter really well. The eggs went in last. I repeat, the eggs went in last. I have no idea what kind of bad baking practice this is, but I do know it yielded REALLY good cake.

Preheat your oven to 325, grease your cake pan and set aside. In a mixer or a bowl + whisk, combine the wet ingredients including the lemon zest and whisk together very well. In a separate bow, combine all dry ingredients and mix very well. Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix together with a rubber spatula until well incorporated. I didn’t use my mixer to combine wet + dry, I only used it to whisk up the wet.

Pour batter into prepared cake pan, and bake for 36 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let your cake cool in the pan on a cooling rack. I was unable to get my cake out of the pan, so I just sliced it out of there and honestly, it worked just fine. Enjoy with a cup of tea and some sort of true crime documentary. Also delightful for breakfast.