Lemon Pomegranate Olive Oil Cake

My mom has a green thumb. That was one trait I clearly did not inherit from her. I have killed cactus before. These pomegranates clearly did not come from my own garden as I have a dead herb garden and tomato plant right now (the lemon tree looks fine though). The pomegranates came from my mom’s garden. When I last visited, my mom handed me a basket and said, “It’s pomegranate season. Pick which ones you want.” It was even better than the farmer’s market.

I like the flavor of pomegranate, but not a huge fan of eating them. They are so much work. First you have to open it up, then you have to pick out the little kernels of fruit, and then you have to eat around the seeds. I had to get creative with what to make out of the pomegranates since I clearly wasn’t going to eat them as is. I decided juice the fruit and make an olive oil cake because olive oil pairs extremely well with citrus fruit. Not to mention it’s a super easy cake to make!

Lemon Pomegranate Olive Oil Cake

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour + extra for pan dusting
• ½ cup cornmeal
• 1 cup sugar
• ½ cup olive oil (good quality)
• ½ cup lemon juice
• ½ cup pomegranate juice
• 1 lemon, zested
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs

Directions

Preheat oven to 350℉

1. Spray bundt cake pan with cooking spray (I use Pam baking cooking spray) and lightly dust with excess flour.
2. Mix dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Then add wet ingredients to bowl and whisk together.
3. Pour batter into pan. Drop pan on flat surface 2-3 times to release any air bubbles.
4. Bake in oven for 45 mins until cake sides are browned and pulling away from the pan. Or until a tester toothpick comes out clean.
5. Allow to cool for a few minutes before removing from pan.
6. Continue to cool on a cooling rack.

Olive oil cake is great because it’s moist without being overly greasy and tastes delicious. Personally, I believe olive oil cake is much healthier because there aren’t copious amounts of butter; there no butter at all! The cake has a rustic taste to it with the crunch from the corn meal and crust. The center of the cake is soft, moist, and crumbly. I like to serve the cake with a side of whipped cream, crushed pistachios, and sometimes fresh seasonal berries. Usually people opt out of the whipped cream to save calories, but I think it’s a must have. The crumbly, crunchy cake goes really well with a softer, creamier texture. I usually make an almond flavored whipped cream (mix 1 pint heavy whipping cream, 1 tablespoon sugar, ½ tablespoon almond extract until medium peaks form). Chris is picky with cakes and even he said it’s his new favorite!