Australian Natural Health Magazine - Nourish

These lovely little cakes are extra special thanks to the fruitiness of beautiful extra-virgin olive oil and the tart sweetness of Meyer lemons, though of course regular lemons and/or orange or lime juice and zest would also be delicious too. If you have a nice baby bundt mould, this is the time to use it, but you could just as easily bake these cakes in a muffin, friand or other small cake tin.

Ingredients (makes about 24)

• Melted butter to grease the cake tin
• 1 cup caster sugar
• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Juice and zest of one Meyer lemon
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla paste
• 2 cups self-raising flour
• Pinch of salt
• ¾ cup Greek-style yogurt
• Lemon icing
• 1 cup icing sugar
• Zest and juice of 2 Meyer lemons
   

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C and grease your miniature cake or muffin tin with melted butter. Combine the sugar and olive oil and beat until well combined, then add the zest, juice, eggs and vanilla and beat for another couple of minutes or until pale and creamy. Add the flour, salt and yoghurt and beat for a couple of minutes. Now divide the batter between the cake tin moulds, filling each about halfway full. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown and springy to touch. Let cool in the tin for 5 minutes then turn out to a wire rack to cool completely. To make icing, combine sugar and lemon juice and zest until you have a lovely thick consistency, adding the juice a little at a time. Drizzle the icing on the cooled cakes and top with a rosemary flower for good measure.

Words, recipes and food photography: Sophie Hansen of Local Lovely.