Lemon Rosemary Olive Oil Cake

My husband is a sucker for lemon desserts, so when his birthday rolled around this year, I challenged myself to create a new cake recipe just for him.  I decided to try my hand at a Paleo adaptation of a traditional Italian olive oil cake while giving it a bit of a twist.  I remembered a delicious lemon rosemary cake that I once had at a bakery and felt the combination would work well with olive oil.  That was a great guess because the final result was spectacular! This Lemon Rosemary Olive Oil Cake is probably my favorite cake recipe I’ve ever created.  It’s moist and spongy with a large crumb and perfect flavor.

This cake recipe can easily be made into a coffeecake by baking in a bundt pan and glazing with a simple lemon juice and honey glaze (mix one part of each, heat and then brush over the cake surface immediately after removing from the pan, while it’s still warm) and skipping the lemon curd and frosting.  The cake will take 50 to 60 minutes to bake in a bundt pan.  This makes a lovely treat while skipping the fuss of making lemon curd.

Prep time: 20 to 30 minutes plus cooling and chilling
Cook time: 35 minutes
Yield: 12 to 16 servings

Lemon Curd

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs
• 4 egg yolks
• 2/3 cups honey
• 1 cup fresh lemon juice
• zest from 4 lemons
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup ghee or butter (or substitute coconut oil)

Directions:

1. Whisk all ingredients together in a small saucepot. Place on stovetop over medium-low heat.
2. Once the fat melts, stir constantly for 5 to 7 minutes until the mixture thickens. Remove from heat.
3. Pour through a fine mesh sieve into a jar or bowl. Discard zest.
4. Chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour. Curd will keep for several weeks in the fridge.

Lemon Curd Frosting

Ingredients:

• 1 cup coconut cream
• 2 teaspoons gelatin
• 3/4 cup chilled Lemon Curd (see above)
• 3 tablespoons honey

Directions:

1. Bloom the gelatin in the coconut cream and then heat over medium-low heat in a small saucepot  until the gelatin dissolves.
2. Remove from heat and transfer to a jar or bowl. Chill until set, 1 to 2 hours.
3. In a small blender jar or food processor, blend chilled coconut cream, lemon curd and honey until light and fluffy. Immediately frost cake, or blend again before frosting.

Lemon Rosemary Olive Oil Cake

Ingredients:

• 1 cup olive oil (the higher the quality the better)
• 3 eggs
• 2 egg whites
• 1 cup honey
• 2/3 cups coconut milk or cream
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons lemon zest
• 2 cups cassava flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon very finely chopped fresh rosemary

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325F. Grease and flour two 8″ or 9″ round cake pans or use silicone cake pans.
2. Beat olive oil, eggs,  honey, coconut milk ,lemon juice and lemon zest in the bowl of a standing mixer with the whisk attachment until creamy.
3. Combine the remaining ingredients and fold into the egg mixture until fully combined.
4. Pour batter into the prepared cake pans.
5. Bake for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
6. Let cake cool completely before frosting.
7. Gently invert cake pans to remove (it can help to run a knife around the edge first). Spread remaining curd between the two layers. Spread the Lemon Curd Frosting over the top and sides. Decorate with fresh rosemary if desired. Serve!