Celebrate Spring with a gluten-free lemon cake

By Lynda Balslev, columnist | Bay Area News Group

This olive oil cake heralds the spring season and warrants a place at your Passover or Easter table. It’s drenched with lemon, and it’s gluten-free, to boot. Elegantly simple and refreshingly versatile, this cake is, in fact, welcome at any time of day, which makes it even more irresistible.

A key component to the recipe is a lemon simple syrup, which bathes the just-baked cake, accentuating its brightness and ensuring long-lasting moistness. You may be tempted (understandably) to dig in as soon as the cake is hot from the oven, but try to restrain yourself. Let it absorb the syrup and cool completely to develop its flavor.

Another ingredient of note is the cornmeal, which adds a unique and slightly crunchy texture to the cake, which is part of its appeal. The recipe specifies for medium-grind cornmeal, but if you prefer a softer texture, use a fine-grind cornmeal.

Serve the cake simply and unadorned, along with a cup of coffee or tea, or dress it up with a dollop of whipped cream and/or candied lemon peel. If serving with whipped cream, reserve 1 to 2 tablespoons of the cooled lemon syrup and add to the cream while whipping.

Lemon Olive Oil Cake (Gluten-free)

Active Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour and 5 minutes, plus cooling time
Yield: Makes 1 (9-inch) cake

Cake:
1 1/2 cups almond meal (or almond flour)
1 cup medium- or fine-grind cornmeal
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup fruity olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon almond extract

Syrup:
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup sugar

Heat a conventional oven to 350-degree (or a convection oven to 325 degrees). Grease a 9-inch springform pan and line with parchment.

Combine the almond meal, cornmeal, baking powder and salt in a bowl and whisk to blend.

Whisk the eggs and sugar in a large bowl until light in color, about 2 minutes. Mix in the olive oil, lemon juice, zest and almond extract. Add the dry ingredients and mix to combine without overmixing.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Transfer to the oven and bake until the cake is golden brown and a knife inserted into the center is clean, about 45 minutes. (Cooking time may be a bit shorter if using a convection oven.)

While the cake is baking, prepare the syrup. Combine the lemon juice and sugar in a small saucepan over medium-low heat and whisk until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat. Set aside 1 to 2 tablespoons for the whipped cream (optional).

Transfer the cake from the oven to a wire rack. Brush the top with some of the syrup and cool 10 minutes. Remove the sides of the pan and brush the cake on the sides with more of the syrup. Cool completely.

Serve plain or with whipped cream and/or candied lemon peel for decoration. To whip the cream, add 1 cup heavy cream to a mixing bowl fitted with a whisk attachment. Whip the cream until traces of the whisk appear. Drizzle in 1 tablespoon cooled (not warm) syrup and continue to whip until soft peaks form.

To store the cake, wrap in plastic and store at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 1 month.

Lynda Balslev is an award-winning writer, cookbook author, and recipe developer based in northern California. Visit TasteFood at TasteFoodblog.com.