INGREDIENTS
1¾ cups sugar, divided
6 eggs, divided
²?³ cup buttermilk
Zest of 3 lemons, divided
½ tsp. kosher salt
¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1½ cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
¼ cup pine nuts
½ cup lemon juice
4 Tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cubed
PREPARATION
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Line the bottom of a 9-inch round cake pan with parchment paper.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together Ÿ cup sugar and 2 eggs on medium speed until eggs appear pale, about 5 minutes. Add the buttermilk, 1 tablespoon lemon zest and the salt. Mix until combined. Pour in the olive oil and mix again. Set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and baking soda. Add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients and mix on low until a batter forms.
• Pour the batter into the cake pan and sprinkle the top with pine nuts. Bake 30 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before removing from the pan.
• For the lemon curd: In a double-boiler, whisk together the lemon juice, the remaining 1 cup sugar, the remaining lemon zest and the remaining 4 eggs until thick, 7 to 10 minutes.
• Remove the bowl from the heat and whisk in the butter until melted. Using a fine-mesh sieve, strain the mixture and refrigerate until completely chilled, about 1 hour.
• Before serving, spoon the lemon curd generously over the cake.
This article appears in November 2014.