Sunday, March 16, 2025

When Life Gives You Lemons... Celia Wakefield Makes Oil-Lemon Cake

 Julia Spencer-Fleming: I think a lot of us have been feeling life is handing us lemons these days. But why, really, do we use that poor maligned fruit do mean something you don't want? Who among us doesn't feel a lift in spirits when faced with a bright yellow, sour-tart citrus that's the literal embodiment of sunshine? A lemon in the midst of winter for lemon cookies, a lemon at the height of summer for Gin and Tonics and lemonade - and of course, a lemon in spring, sliced over fresh filet of fish, tossed with green beans, or, as Celia shows us today, as the star of a delicious, show-stopping cake.

 


 

Good morning everyone, it’s such a pleasure to be with you all. Thank you Julia for keeping me on my toes recipe wise.

 

I was on the verge of sleep last night when “Zero to Sixty” went through my mind when I realized what my journey had covered over the past three months. Going from marriage to single life, loosing a companion of sixty plus years if we count dating, takes some adjustment. But in coming to this place  I want to follow on with Julia’s post from last Friday and talk a little about gratitude first. I am grateful beyond words for the love and support that has been lavished on me , the lovely memories shared of Victor and his stories, the cards, texts, calls. When I say I believe I’m blessed, I am sincere. My life has taken a sharp turn but it’s a turn with which I am at peace.

 

I think I’ve mentioned in the past that though I don’t comment every day, I do read JRW every day faithfully. I believe we are all looking for some comfort at home so whether it’s Rhys on research which certainly fits in with my passion, or Debs educating us on tea drinking. Did you hear the faint voices of Rhys and I saying “boiling water, boiling water only please” Then we have Lucy with the Key West Women’s Cookbook and I must get a copy of that. I think it was Hank who asked about china, that is the domestic sort and Hallie with SUMO oranges which brings me to a very special gift. One which I could not appreciate or love more.which brings me back to the important part of today - the recipe.

 

I don’t collect my mail every day. The box is not on the driveway or as in England where the post still comes through the letter box in the front door. No, I need to drive or walk, well drive to my box which is a BIG box, big enough for most of the items I order on line as well as all the junk we receive. There was a package a couple of days ago but not from you know who, a box from a friend, a surprise box, a heavy box. Well with all this great community of Reds and readers, my first thought was someone has sent me a book - YEA, how kind, how thoughtful. 

 

I raced back to the house, attacked the tape and nestled inside were lemons. Yes beautiful lemons, how did they know my favorite color is lemon. Or what would be my choice of fruit in a nice cool glass of Pimms? Or that I have great difficulty in passing a bakers display of lemon bars. Oh blessed lemons. Oh kind friend may your trees be fruitful for ever. While I can’t share the lemons with you to my sorrow, I can give you a great recipe for a lemon olive oil cake. Debs was talking about a cuppa and a slice of olive oil cake from her favorite bakery recently. Do keep supporting the baker but here you can be your own baker.

I can’t remember who originally put this recipe up on the NYT, I think it may be over twenty years old and if you search for it look for orange olive oil cake. But when life gives you lemons as Dorie Greenspan would say ‘bake’. 

 

INGREDIENTS:

1 ½ cups flour

1 cup sugar

½ cup medium or finely ground cornmeal - I used Bobs Red Mill cornmeal

1 ½ tsp. salt - I used a 1/2 tsp

½ tsp. Baking soda

½ tsp. Baking powder

1 cups extra-virgin olive oil - taste your oil as it’s the star of the cake. I mixed two brands

3 large eggs, separated - at room temperature

1 ½ Tbsp.lemon zest - the original recipe calls for oranges

½ cup sugar

1/2 cup lemon juice - my lemons are large and it took 1 1/2 lemons to get the right amount of juice

1 ¼ cups whole milk

1 tsp. vanilla

 METHOD:

 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 

Use Cooking Spray to spray your 9” round pan and line the inside base with parchment paper,

 

In a large bowl, combine the flour, 1 c sugar,* cornmeal, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Whisk together lightly.

 

(Celia’s recipe hack) add half of the 1/2 c sugar into a small mini processor.

* Carefully remove the zest from a large lemon and add to the processor then tip in the remaining sugar and whirl until the zest is very finely chopped and mixed into the sugar.

 

Separate the eggs and put the yolks in a medium bowl. Add the the olive oil to the egg yolks and whisk until they are combined and emulsified  

Add the egg whites, milk, lemon juice, lemon zest/sugar mix and vanilla and whisk until thoroughly combined.

* If you prefer not to use a mini prep. carefully grate 1 1/2 Tblsp lemon zest and add the remaining 1/2 c of sugar with the dry ingredients before adding the wet ones.

 

Pour the combined liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients, whisking until the lumps are gone.  

 

Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for about 1 hour, or until it is golden brown on top and a toothpick comes out clean. (My cake took 45 minutes and I did cover the top with foil for the final 10 minutes.

(If the cake becomes too brown before it is done cooking, lightly tent it with foil to prevent further browning.

 

Allow the cake to cool in its pan for 5 minutes before inverting onto a cooling rack.

 

Making the Topping - this is where you can use your imagination to serve as is, to ice, to drizzle as I did, to shake some confectioners sugar over with a stencil pattern.

 

I combined 1/4 cups of water with 1 1/2 cups of sugar in a pan and heated it till the sugar had melted then I added lemon slices and cooked them gently for 20 plus minutes. 

I removed the slices from the lemon syrup, reduced the syrup to thicken then added about a 1/4 C of confectioners sugar which I mixed well then drizzled it over the cake and decorated with the cooked lemon pieces. (I might not do the lemon drizzle next time.

 

Amanda Hesser recommended Creme Fraiche or sour cream mixed with a little brown sugar, Sliced Oranges, or lemons.

55 comments:

  1. Thank you, Celia, for sharing this recipe . . . I'm definitely going to make this cake!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. From Celia: You're most welcome Joan, let me know how it turns out. I'm pleased with this one.

      Delete
  2. How timely! We just bought a big pile of lemons at the produce market. My husband is making limoncello with them. He is however, using all the zest for that. I asked what he was going to do with the rest and he said make lemon bars.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Never do I see the word “limencello” without thinking of Deborah Crombie and her Garden of Innocents. Elisabeth

      Delete
    2. From Celia: Great buy Brenda, I recommend you take a couple of those lemons and make the cake so there's something to enjoy while the Limoncello master gets to work.

      Delete
    3. Elizabeth, thanks for the reminder!! I did love that, too!

      Delete
  3. What a great gift you received Celia.
    Thank you for this recipe, fairly simple. And it seems very good. I’m looking forward to try it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. From Celia: You're most welcome Danielle. Yes the actual making is simple, gathering everything took me a little longer but it was so worth it. Let me know how it goes.

      Delete
  4. Thank you, Celia and your lemon growing friend, for this wonderful beginning to Sunday. Elisabeth

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. From Celia: Dear Elisabeth, you're welcome from me and our friend. I hope you get a chance to make it. Do you come across olive oil cakes where you live? Lemons must be plentiful too.

      Delete
  5. I do love your Sunday recipe column in Julia's week here, Celia. Thank you for this recipe. And thank you for your opening comments about gratitude; I am grateful to know that you're here every day, as I am, even when we don't comment. Be well. And keep baking!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. From Celia: So very welcome Amanda. Being on JRW every day makes me realize what a great community we are. Thank you working on healthy right now, and I have more baking to do.

      Delete
  6. God bless you for still finding the joy despite the major loss and changes in your life, Celia. You are a true warrior. And thank you for sharing this lovely story as well as your Lemon Cake recipe.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. From Celia: Oh Evelyn, what a truly lovely thing to say, thank you so very much.

      Delete
  7. CELIA: Many of us enjoy your Sunday recipe posts.
    I already have an orange-olive oil cake recipe. It may be the similar one from NYCooking.
    But I am happy to try baking it with lemons instead. I havevan abundance of lemons at home since I drink a mug of warm lemon water each morning.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. From Celia: Your'e most welcome Grace and great to see you. Yes there's a plethora of olive oil cake recipes and I had at least one which was basically a bar not a cake. I think I had made it with yogurt. I've found I need to be careful with recipes posted on line when I don't know where they started. I love lemon water, in fact anything lemon.

      Delete
  8. Thank you Celia, the cake looks delicious. I think of my mom, who loved all things lemon, including the color.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. From Celia: Most welcome Gillian, I'm glad to contribute to a good memory of you mom.

      Delete
  9. So glad to see you this morning Celia, to brighten my morning! Lemons are the sunshine fruit, and together (well not together, more alongside) with chocolate, they make my favourite flavours, and a need to try the recipe. First, I have a question on Pimms. When you suggest a tall cool glass of Pimms, is it just Pimms over ice in a crystal glass garnished with lemon, or the lovely concoction that includes muddled cucumber, mint, lemon, and sharp ginger ale – that is how I was introduced to the drink. Both are lovely, and one is such a production, but soooo gooood.
    I will try your cake, and add the drizzle. (you got me on the drizzle…) I tried this cake one time before – not this recipe, but because as I said, I love lemon. The vote (it was served at a party) was it was too dry, which may be an indicator of my cooking or the recipe. I will retry using your recipe, and the drizzle. Because there are only two of us to eat it, I hope it freezes well. Thanks a lot!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. From Celia: Hi back Margo, I agree chocolate and lemons a true marriage. I think I wrote about Pimms a while back but I drink mine with vodka, tonic, cucumber, lemon, mint whatever. The good part of Pimms is it's so adaptable, make it as you enjoy it.
      I also had trouble with a previous olive oil cake but this one is a joy. I was a little afraid that the batter might be too slack but up it baked and is delicious if I say so myself.

      Delete
    2. Thank you both for reminding me of Pimm's! It will be Pimm's season here soon. I make them with lots of ice, some soda water or sparkling water, a splash of really sharp ginger ale, like Reed's, then add lemon, mint, cucumber and anything else that sounds good. Next time, a la Celia's vodka, I may try adding a splash of gin:-)

      Margo, on the lemon cake, I've found that the little cakes I get from the bakery keep just fine in the fridge for a couple of weeks. These are lightly iced and I discovered the icing didn't hold up well in the freezer.

      Delete
  10. Yummy Celia. This makes me remember California and the tree we had in our back yard. I've had lovely conversations with many of the Californians who have been at the Left Coast Crime conference, and then last night I got very sad news that one of my San Francisco first cousins died suddenly at only a year younger than I. Your bright cheery cake fits right in.

    I'm happy to hear of your gratitudes and that you are finding your way after your life turned. Sending hugs.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Edith, you have my deepest condolences. Too young. On a happier note, how wonderful that you had lovely conversations with many of the Californians who have been at the Left Coast Crime conference. I could not make it this year.

      Delete
    2. My condolences, EDITH. Sad news, indeed.

      Delete
    3. From Celia: Dear Edith, my deepest condolences, such a shock and such a loss, I can understand with my last years experiences, my love to you and to all the family.
      I'm glad you had a great time at Left Coast, I am considering!! Bouchercom as it's in New Orleans and my younger g'son is at Tulane, but we'll see. This would be part of my new life and I expect to be at Crime Bake this year DV.

      Delete
    4. From Celia: I have a full day so will be back later to see you all and answer questions. Enjoy the day, it's warming up in Maine and the snow is melting.

      Delete
    5. Thank you, all, and see you in Dedham, Celia!

      Delete
    6. I’m so sorry about your loss, Edith. In my experience, it’s hard to lose someone from our own generation. I’ve lost some cousins, in addition to two of my siblings. Prayers for your whole family.

      DebRo

      Delete
    7. Condolences for your loss, Edith. Cousins are often closer than siblings, and it's devastating to suddenly lose that connection.

      Delete
    8. I’m so sorry to hear of your cousin’s passing, Edith. Hugs. — Pat S

      Delete
    9. So sorry to hear of the loss of your cousin, Edith. xx

      Delete
  11. Celia, so thankful to have you share your stories and recipes with us! Interesting cake--cornmeal is an unexpected ingredient. And I could see why this cake might turn out dry if it was overbaked or the proportions of wet to dry were not followed precisely. I too love lemons--my favorite thing to use them for is a light lemon cheesecake for Easter dinner, to herald the arrival of Spring.

    ReplyDelete
  12. When life gives you lemons, you can usually avoid scurvy.

    For that and many other reasons, I love lemons.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Celia, thank you for sharing your recipe today. Always a joy to read your guest posts and comments.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Thank you Celia for what sounds and looks like a delicious treat! Your original recipe might have been for an orange cake but I think I would prefer the lemon too. Yesterday I picked a largish lemon from my indoor tree and I've been wondering what I will use it for. I also have another in the fridge that I picked a week or so ago. While there are no more lemons on that tree there are blossoms so in a few months' time if all goes well, I'll have more. T

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Judi, I was just thinking about you, and feeling grateful for your advice on pollinating my juvenile Meyer lemon tree. I'm almost holding my breath about it, but it looks as though I have some tiny lemons starting! Just a couple, but it's very exciting. Thank you again!

      Delete
    2. You are so welcome, Karen! I think about you often and wonder how you are doing with your little tree. Don't worry if sometimes for no reason you can think of, on of the tiny lemons falls off. Eventually one or more will develop into an actual lemon!

      Delete
    3. Judi, I missed the advice on pollinating the lemon tree. Would you mind repeating it?

      Delete
  15. Celia, what a wonderful picture of your cake. I love the lemon peel decoration. Your post this morning was so beautiful and gives much to think about. I am sorry for your loss.
    My grandson loves lemon curd so I am making him some today, and will see him tomorrow.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Another lover of lemons here--I squeeze a big wedge of lemon into my breakfast hot tea every morning (and add a BIG spoonful of sugar--oh dear). Julia, thanks for inspiring Celia to write for us, and, Celia, thanks for inspiring me to make this wonderful cake the next time I need a guest dessert. It sounds delicious. I'll start with a glaze and then see if it's really needed.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Deb Romano
    Celia,
    This sounds yummy! I love anything with lemons. I did a lot more baking when I was younger, and I especially liked making lemon bars. I wish we had lemon trees here!

    DebRo

    ReplyDelete
  18. Lovely, Celia! Something fresh and lighter for spring. I've made lemon and blueberry loaf bread, but not a cake.

    ReplyDelete
  19. After chocolate, and possibly tarragon, lemon is my favorite flavor! Ever since Julia's comments about lemon olive oil cake I've been looking at various recipes, and here you are, Celia, with a time-tested and carefully presented one, tied in a strand of lemon peel. Thank you.

    It's so good to know you are doing well, too. Attitude is everything, and yours is helping you move forward in a healthy way, grieving still, but with gratitude. You are a good example, Celia, dear.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Hank Phillippi RyanMarch 16, 2025 at 12:14 PM

    Oh, this is my very favorite kind of cake! I just never knew a good recipe… Thank you so much! Xxxxx

    ReplyDelete
  21. Hank Phillippi RyanMarch 16, 2025 at 12:15 PM

    Quick question, though… With the lemon sugar mix be liquidy or dry-ish?

    ReplyDelete
  22. Thank you for the recipe and tips, Celia. I have seen similar recipes before but I balk when I read olive oil and cornmeal. In cake? Maybe the addition of beautiful lemons will push me over to try it! I'm so happy to "see" you here once again with Sunday recipes.

    ReplyDelete
  23. A lovely gift, Celia, and a lovely post. It't always such a treat to see you here. Your gratitude and attitude have inspired me today! As has your cake, although I'm happy with my little cake I bought at the bakery this morning. I love lemon pretty much on and in everything, although I'm not fond of lemon bars as they are too sweet for me. I use lemon as the finishing touch on so many recipes, especially things like bean or vegetable soups. It just brightens all the flavors, and it also reduces the need for salt. Happy Sunday, everyone!

    ReplyDelete
  24. And speaking of olive oil, here's a fun little plug for Texas Olive Ranch. Did you know that olives grow in south Texas? They have all sorts of fancy and flavored oils which are delicious, but I order their basic extra-virgin by the liter direct from the company. So good! https://texasoliveranch.com/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Our favorite winery in Sonoma, Gloria Ferrer, , also grows olives and produces amazing olive oil.


      Delete
    2. I am so jealous - olives and citrus in Texas. Have no idea of moving there tho it does sound nice!

      Delete
  25. Lisa in Long BeachMarch 16, 2025 at 1:24 PM

    When I was a baby, a Greek family friend spit on me to make me an honorary Greek; hence, my lifelong love of lemons. This looks delicious!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lisa in Long BeachMarch 16, 2025 at 1:26 PM

      Also, I love my Sciabica Family olive oil from Modesto at https://sunshineinabottle.com.

      Delete
  26. Thanks for the recipe as I have observed many postings of this type of cake especially among Italian recipes! I myself was given an indoors lemon tree a few years back that actually produced the most delicious lemon. Recently, I noticed a new lemon sprouting out of one of the branches and it has really woken up my get ready for spring work plan! Thank You! Alicia Kullas

    ReplyDelete
  27. It's lovely to see you here today, Celia, and with such a yummy recipe. You always seem like a center of calm to me, which radiates out to others. In fact, in you fixing your recipes, I can imagine you rather floating through the creation of them, seamlessly go through the steps with nary a nervous twitch. I would be checking and double-checking the recipe and instructions in danger of a whiplash.

    I find the gifting of lemons from your friend so wonderfully unique and gives a positive spin to the old phrase, "when life gives you lemons ..." This friend must know that when you're given lemons, something beautiful will certainly follow. It certainly looks and sounds delicious.

    And, I'm glad you're finding peace after Victor's passing. I know it must have been such a hard loss.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Celia - what a perfect way to use those lemons. I am delighted and as I still have about 50 lemons left on my tree, you have given me the perfect recipe to use them up! Thank you! And I’ll send you more next year so get your lemon recipes ready! XOXO

    ReplyDelete