Lemon and Blackberry Olive Oil Cake

While I was never a super-dutiful blog follower, I did like to visit a few specific food blogs time and again. This was all before I began my own blog. Once I started blogging myself, I simply stopped being a blog consumer. I didn't do this consciously...rather, I had just simply stopped, totally unconscious of any reason why. Looking back, I initially figured I had gotten too busy. But then, the other day I was talkling about this with Jill and I realized more fully why I was avoiding the very blogs I used to enjoy perusing. I didn't want to somehow be influenced by them when commiserating on what to write about in my own blog. I would hate to subconsciously, out of some reverence for something I had come across, end up writing about something or photo-featuring something that someone else had already blogged. I always like to give credit where credit is due.

But, since beginning my blog I've met some other sister-bloggers and have come to love the camaraderie and enjoy their blogs.

Anyhow, this topic came about because today’s recipe comes straight from another blog. I don’t know this blogger but he is also from the Chicago area and has beautiful pictures. Looking at his recipes, I came across this cake which seemed a perfect use for the blackberries I had in the fridge. I wasn’t sure I was going to put this on the blog but Jill sampled the finished product and loved it so I thought, why not. And here is the recipe for you. The cake tastes better the next day, so go ahead and make it the day before serving.

Lemon and Blackberry Olive Oil Cake
Barely adapted from here

(Print this Recipe)

1 cup sugar
Zest of 2 lemons
7 ½ Tbsp butter, melted
1 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 cup Unbleached flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
1 to 1 ½ cup blackberries

Pre-heat oven to 350° F. Butter a 9″ cake pan and line it with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, rub lemon zest into the sugar and set aside, this will release essential oils and give out an amazing fragrance!

Add olive oil and lemon juice to melted butter and set aside.

In another bowl, combine flour and baking powder, also set aside.

Add eggs and sugar-lemon mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat at high speed until it becomes pale yellow and has almost doubled in volume, about 3 to 4 minutes. Keep the mixer running at slow speed and add oil mixture.

Remove the bowl from the stand mixture and fold in the dry ingredients, being careful not to over-mix.

Pour 2/3 of batter into lined cake pan. Sprinkle blackberries on top. Cover with remaining batter and bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Cool on rack for 10 minutes before inverting the cake onto the racks. Sprinkle confectioner’s sugar on top.