Lemon Olive Oil Cake

A simple blueberry sauce recipe is also included. The bright color of the sauce is beautiful for plating, and the flavors mesh so well together that these recipes will stay in your rotation.

Ingredients

1 ½ cups Whole Milk Ricotta

2/3 C Olive Oil

1 ½ C Sugar

Fine Zest 2 Lemons (reserve zested lemons to use juice in blueberry sauce)

3 Eggs

1 ½ C AP Flour

¾ C Almond Meal

1 T Baking Powder

1/3 t Baking Soda

¾ Salt

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F; grease a 9-inch springform pan and line with parchment paper.

2. Whisk the ricotta, olive oil, sugar, and zest in a large mixing bowl until combined.

3. Add one egg at a time until they are all incorporated.

4. In a separate large bowl, whisk the flour, almond meal baking powder, baking soda, and salt until combined. Whisk well to ensure that no clumps exist.

5. Transfer the dry ingredients to your wet ingredients and whisk together until everything is combined.

6. Pour the batter into a 9-inch springform pan and bake for 60-65 minutes or until browned on top and firm in the center. While the cake is baking, make the lemon glaze and the optional pistachio crumble and blueberry sauce.

7. Place the cake onto a cooling rack and let it cool to room temperature before decorating and serving. Mangia!

Lemon Glaze

1 ½ C Powdered Sugar

3 T Fresh Lemon Juice

Fine Zest 1 Lemon

Pinch Salt

1. Finely zest a lemon, then juice it.

2. Combine all ingredients using a whisk and adjust the consistency if needed. If it is too runny, add more powdered sugar; if it is too thick, add a little more fresh lemon juice.

3. Use it to cover the cooled lemon olive oil cake.

Pistachio Crumble

2 T Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature

1.6 oz. Sugar

2 oz. Pistachios, Shelled and Chopped

1.6 oz. All Purpose Flour

Pinch Salt

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Mix the butter and sugar with a rubber spatula in a mixing bowl, followed by the remaining ingredients.

3. Break up the crumble and place it on a small baking sheet. Put in the freezer to set up, approximately 10 – 15 minutes.

4. Pull from the freezer and bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until the crumble is golden brown.

5. Let cool on the pan, and reserve for garnishing the cake.

Blueberry Sauce

¾ C Sugar

1 t Cornstarch

¾ C Water

1 pt. Blueberries rinsed

1 T Pure Vanilla Extract

1 T Fresh Lemon Juice (Use the zested lemons from the cake)

1. Combine sugar and cornstarch in a small saucepan. Whisk in the water.

2. Add the blueberries, vanilla and lemon juice.

3. Bring mixture to a boil over medium/high heat and then reduce to a simmer.

4. Let the mixture reduce until it starts to thicken.

5. Remove from the heat and strain through a sieve.

6. Cool and reserve for plating your cake.

Assembly

1. Put the cooled cake on a cake stand or serving platter.

2. Cover the entire cake with the lemon glaze.

3. Sprinkle crumble over the cake.

4. If individually plating the desserts, after glazing, cut the cake, wiping the knife after each cut. Place the slice of cake on the dessert plate. Place some sauce and pistachio crumble on the slice and some on the plate.