There are several things I love about this cake: it’s easy; it’s gluten-free; it’s Paleo-friendly; it uses a modest amount of extra virgin olive oil (some cakes call for as much as a cup of your precious liquid gold); and it utilizes figs, which forever more will remind me of my latest idyll in Abruzzo. I ate the best figs of my life on this trip, all plucked from the trees on the Di Mercurio farm. If you can’t find fresh figs, top the cake with slices of fresh pear that have been tossed in a light coating of sugar and lemon juice.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- Zest of 1 small lemon
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 large eggs
- Pinch of salt
- 1 1/2 cups fine almond flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 8 to 10 fresh ripe figs, stemmed and sliced crosswise
- Crème fraîche or sweetened whipped cream, for serving
Directions
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
Step 2
In a large bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, lemon zest, honey, olive oil, eggs, and salt. Add the almond our and baking powder; whisk again until combined.
Step 3
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and top with g slices. (Arrange in concentric circles.) Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the top is golden and the center is set. Transfer the cake to a rack and let it cool for 20 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the pan, invert the cake onto a cooling rack and let cool completely. Top with a second rack and turn the cake g side up for serving. Serve each slice with a dollop of crème fraiche or whipped cream.
Serves 8 — Recipe adapted from gourmandeinthekitchen.com