This cake is bright and lemony, but also nutty; and surprisingly buttery (and vegan).
I am a huge fan of Bon Appetit; and a regular binger of all the content on their Youtube channel. I'd have to say that my top 3 favourites are Gourmet Eats, Reverse Engineering and One of Everything.
When I still lived at my parent's house, who were regular subscribers to the BA magazine, it was always the highlight of my morning when I woke up to find a brand new monthly edition. I loved to flip through the pages with stunning food photography, read the most intriguing recipes, and get introduced to ingredients that I've never even dreamed existed.
I no longer receive the magazines (I should probably start, now that I'm thinking of it), but I am on their email list. Which brings us here.
With the new year, most sites and magazines are doing their top 2019 round-ups. BA is one of those magazines, but one that I was ACTUALLY excited about. Flipping through their 2019 Hot Ten list, I came across this stunner, and I decided to make this super-moist olive oil cake (which is No. 4 on their 2019 Hot Ten list). This is a recipe from Ochre Bakery in Detroit, which, already by name just SOUNDS grand. This cake is bright and lemony, but also nutty; and surprisingly buttery (considering the fact that it's vegan).
Now, I would like to just warn you if you are a perfectionist when it comes to baking...
This cake is quite finicky
Even in the BA Test Kitchen the pros still struggle with a cake that sink in the middle. It seems to me like it's pretty much inevitable for this recipe - this is probably due to the fact that you can't incorporate air into olive oil the way you can with butter. Add on the use of the pistachios ( which weighs down the mix), you're just not going to see a rise unless you have some kind of magical baking powder.
I didn't over stir it - combining the wet into the dry ingredients took two or three strokes; but still it sank in the middle... Nevertheless, it's simple to make and requires minimal equipment - I stirred together in a bowl without a mixer. The taste makes up for the fact that it sank a little bit - AND you can always cover it with glaze and pistachios. You can keep the fact that it's a little droopy a secret... so shhh.
My cake took around 70 minutes to be fully done rather than 50-60, but it's possible that it was just my oven. However, I would recommend testing the doneness of your cake at around the 60 minute mark.
I know this looks gorgeous and golden when it comes out of the oven, and it's so tempting to slice into it right away... But bon’t even think about lifting this cake out of the pan before it’s completely—and seriously.. I mean COMPLETELY cool. Unless you want to be cleaning up a crumbly mess on your kitchen counter. Because this cake is vegan, meaning it has no eggs to keep its structure, it has a very delicate crumb that needs time to set. The best things in life take time.
You might be weary of using olive oil in a cake, but I thought that the olive oil flavor came out subtly. The pistachios were subtle as well, but nice; and I didn't find that the lemon flavour overpowered the nuts. Overall, I found that it had a very balanced flavour profile - not too sweet; and elevated by the glaze.
Speaking of the glaze - I'm a sucker for lemon glaze. If I could, I would put it on everything.
The recipes makes more than enough, so you might be fortunate enough to have some left over to sprinkle on everything else that you eat that day. You can never have too much lemon glaze, in my opinion - so I would say to make slightly less than the recipe calls for if you don't want to have much left over.
The texture of the cake was slightly oily, but not in a bad way. I'm trying to avoid using the word "moist," but that's a pretty accurate description. There. I said it.
The dam cake was moist.
It was also pretty crumbly, but also, not in a bad way (which is why you need to let it rest) - it was still sliceable.You would never know that this cake was vegan (other than the no eggs making it crumbly thing). It's one that I'll keep this in my recipe book to make again; as it was pretty much inhaled in my household - and definitely recommend going ham on the lemon in the glaze.
LEMON-PISTACHIO LOAF
Makes 1 (9x5") loaf
INGREDIENTS
⅓ cup vegetable oil, plus more for pan
¾ cup raw pistachios
Zest of 2 lemons
1¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp baking powder
¾ tsp kosher salt
5 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
7 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, divided
2 cups powdered sugar
INSTRUCTIONS
Place a rack in middle of the oven and preheat to 325°F.
Grease a 9x5" loaf pan with olive oil, then line with parchment paper, leaving overhang on long sides. Lightly oil the parchment paper (makes an easy release).
Pulse pistachios in a food processor until finely ground (don't worry if some of the pieces are a little larger). Set aside a heaping tablespoonful (or two).
Whisk lemon zest, flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt, and remaining pistachios in a large bowl. Whisk olive oil, 2 Tbsp. lemon juice, remaining ⅓ cup vegetable oil, and ½ cup water in a small bowl to combine.
Pour oil mixture into dry ingredients and fold with a rubber spatula to combine, being very careful not to overmix (this batter contains a high ratio of liquid, which means it can get gummy if overworked).
Pour into prepared pan and tilt to distribute; batter should come halfway up the sides.
Bake cake until golden brown all over, it springs back when gently pressed, and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 50–60 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cake cool completely in pan, for at least 2 hours. Using the parchment overhang, lift the cake out of pan and place on rack. Gently peel away parchment.
Whisk powdered sugar and 3 Tbsp. lemon juice in a medium bowl, drizzling in remaining 2 Tbsp. lemon juice as needed until you have a thick but pourable glaze.
Pour glaze over cake, letting it drip down the sides. Immediately top cake with reserved pistachios, then let sit until glaze is set, at least 30 minutes.
Serve and enjoy!
NOTES
Cake can be made 3 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.
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