Olive Oil Cake with Lemon and Thyme Glaze
Irresistibly moist with a golden crust, this olive oil cake is as simple as a cake gets. The lemon and thyme glaze soaks in as it cools, giving every slice a fragrant, flavourful finish. Serve with seasonal fruit and a dollop of creme fraiche or thick Greek yoghurt.
Serves 8 | Prep 20 mins | Cook 1 hour
Recipe by Elizabeth Hewson
Ingredients
- 2 cups plain flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 1 1/2 cups caster sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt flakes
- 3 eggs, whisked
- 1 cup full-cream milk
- 1 cup mellow extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
Lemon and thyme glaze
- 45 ml lemon juice
- 115 g caster sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
Method
- Preheat oven to 170 degrees C fan-forced. Oil a 20 cm round cake tin with high sides and line the base and sides with baking paper, leaving a 5-10 cm overhang.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, sugar and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, olive oil, vanilla paste, lemon zest and juice.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix with a wooden spoon until just combined. Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 1 hour, until the top is golden and a skewer comes out clean.
- Leave in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack.
- Mix all glaze ingredients together. Flip the cake right-side up and drizzle the glaze over the top. Leave to cool for at least 1 hour before slicing.
- Serve with sliced seasonal fruit and creme fraiche or Greek yoghurt, drizzled with olive oil. Keeps in a sealed container for 3 days.
Recipe by Elizabeth Hewson from Home Food, photography by Nikki To. Murdoch Books.
