Moist Lemon Basil Olive Oil Loaf Cake
Fluffy and tender lemon olive oil cake recipe filled with lemon juice and lemon zest. It has freshly chopped basil in the cake batter, topped with almonds and drizzled with a lemon icing that is zesty, sour and sweet in every bite.
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl
- Medium mixing bowls
- Whisk
- Rubber spatula
- 9x5 inch loaf Tin
- Baking paper
- Knife & chopping board
- Microplane/zester
Ingredients
- 1 lemon zest
- 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves packed
- 3/4 cup castor sugar
- 1 lemon juice
- 3/4 cup olive oil
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 cup yogurt
- 1 1/2 cup flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
Top with
- 1/2 cup almonds finely chopped
- 2 tbsp sugar
Icing
- 1/2 cup icing sugar
- 1/2 lemon juice & lemon zest
- 2 tbsp fresh basil leaves chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180℃ and line a 9x5 inch loaf tin with baking paper, set aside. Chop the fresh basil until fine, set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl add the lemon zest, freshly chopped basil and caster sugar. With your finger tips rub all of it together for a couple of minutes.
- Add the lemon juice and whisk well, pour in the olive oil and whisk until emulsified or for 2 minutes. Add the vanilla, eggs and whisk again until combined. Pour in the yogurt and whisk until smooth.
- Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and whisk until smooth. Pour into the prepared cake tin.
- Top with the finely chopped almonds, 2 tbsp sugar and bake for 40-42 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let it cool a little while we make the icing.
- In a small mixing bowl add the icing sugar, lemon zest, freshly chopped basil leaves and stir together. Squeeze in the fresh lemon juice and stir until smooth.
- Once the cake is cooled - doesn’t have to be completely cool. Pour over the lemon icing and let it drip along the edges. Let the cake cool completely and in this time the icing will set and the top will form a delicate sugar crust.
- Slice the loaf cake with a bread knife or a sharp knife and serve as it is.
Notes
- Rubbing the lemon zest, basil and sugar together in step 1 is essential to release the oils from the lemon zest and fresh basil so do not skip on this.
- Do not over mix the batter after adding the dry ingredients.
- Finely chop the almond to ensure it stays on the top of the cake batter while baking.