An easy, foolproof lemon cake recipe with a hint of coconut. With NO butter and full of olive oil it’s healthier than your average cake.
This coconut and olive oil lemon cake is not your typical every day cake. It has NO butter. Instead, it is full of olive oil. The addition of lemon zest and lemon juice, coconut and carrots give it a refreshing, addicting taste!
I visited my parents some days ago, so I had the chance to rest and empty my head and clear my mind a little bit. And I don’t know why, but every time I step through that door, all my worries seem to vanish. Does that happen to you too? And the best thing, no matter how old I get, is that my mom never stops to spoil me. Yes, I have the best mom in the world.
The second best thing is the cake that is always waiting for me in the kitchen. Yes, you guessed it! Coconut and olive oil lemon cake. Moist, soft, with a bright taste (can you say bright taste?) that can keep well for several days if you store it in an airtight container, or rap it with well with cling film. The moistness comes from the full cup of olive oil, but also from the cup of grated carrot and the milk. And if sometimes you can replace butter with a little (or a lot) olive oil, that’s not a bad thing. Not a bad thing at all.
The strange thing about this cake, is that even though when I make it, I make it EXACTLY the same way as my mom, hers always tastes a little bit better! Guys, it drives me crazy… How can that be? Is it something that I will figure out eventually or is it going to remain one of my life’s biggest mysteries???
So, after careful thought I’ve come to the conclusion that two factors may be responsible for this fact. First, my mom puts all her love in making this cake. I can’t beat that factor. Second, the bundt pan she uses, an old, aluminum pan, just bakes a tastier cake. Guys, I tell you, I have tried really hard to find a similar pan like that, but had no luck so far. So, there’s also nothing I can do about the second factor. Except if next time I visit my parents, this bundt pan happens to (accidentally) fall in my baggage… Hey, don’t judge. I said accidentally…
But let’s get back to this coconut and olive oil lemon cake. This cake I believe is best eaten plain with a light dusting of icing sugar. I prefer eating it as breakfast (sometimes with a big glass of the world’s best smoothie) or as a snack before lunch with my coffee. But really, you can eat it any time of the day you want. You can even eat it after a plate of cuttlefish stew, just to clean your palate!
The steps are very simple, you only have to have your ingredients at the same temperature for best results. A little beating, a little mixing, and after 50 minutes you’ll have your next favorite cake.
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- 1 cup olive oil
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup milk
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 4 teaspoon baking powder
- 3 cups flour
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1 cup shredded coconut
- some powdered (confectioner's) sugar for dusting
- Bring all ingredients at room temperature for best results
- Preheat oven at 340 ˚F (170 ˚C)
- Grease and flour (or spray with non stick spray) a 10-cup bundt pan
- In a bowl combine the flour and baking powder.
- In a glass combine the milk, vanilla and lemon juice.
- In the bowl of your mixer beat on medium the olive oil, sugar, lemon zest and salt for 2 minutes.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat well after each addition.
- On low speed add one third of the flour, then half the milk mixture, then the other third of the flour, the rest of the milk and finally the rest of the flour.
- Add the carrots and coconut and mix gently with a spatula.
- Pour in the pan and bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted inside the cake comes out clean.
- Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes before unmolding.
- When cool, dust with sugar.
- Eat.
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