It is late March and as I sit here in the dreary damp darkness, looking at the fog clinging to the trees outside my window, I can’t help but reminisce of my time, exactly one year ago, in the citrus orchard at the Anna Tasca Lanza cooking school in Sicily. I can still smell the intoxicating scent of the lemon blossoms hanging in the air. I can still taste the perfectly balanced flavor of the ruby red blood orange flesh. And I can still taste the citrus zest-flecked cakes that were served to us every morning with tea and coffee, made by a talented Sicilian woman named Enza. This recipe is inspired by those cakes. It is an extremely unfussy recipe, very simple to whip up if you have a last minute guest coming over for tea or coffee, and it scents the house with a hint of citrus. A scent that is not quite as intoxicating as lemon blossoms, but special just the same. The citrus trees and their blossoms of Sicily had such an impact on me that I recently bought myself a Meyer lemon tree to put in a pot to keep near the window in my bedroom during the winter months and move out to the patio in the summer months here in the Pacific Northwest. I have lovingly tended this little tree and it has blessed me with an abundance of heavenly scented blooms. The scent instantly transport me back to Sicily, much like the flavor of this simple cake.

Citrus Olive Oil Cake

250 grams (2 cups) flour of your choice (I like Einkorn)

150 grams (3/4 cup) maple sugar (or other sugar of your choice)

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

150 grams (5 ounces) plain yogurt of your choice

2/3 cup good extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

3 eggs

grated zest of 1 lemon and 1 orange (organic)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9-inch springform cake tin with parchment paper. Alternatively, you can brush the insides of the pan with olive oil. Set aside.

Place flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Mix well with a whisk to make sure there aren’t any clumps. Next, add the yogurt, olive oil, vanilla, eggs, and citrus zest. Stir until just combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. While still warm, turn the cake out onto a large plate. If you’d like, dust the top of the cake with powdered sugar (as they do in Sicily) or garnish with citrus slices. Enjoy with tea or coffee.

Citrus Olive Oil Cake

Stuffed Artichokes