Bacchus Ristorante, Vancouver, British Columbia
from The Best Places Northwest Desserts Cookbook

This moist, aromatic cake is an easy and not-too-sweet option for dessert, or a great accompaniment for an afternoon cup of tea. Delicious as is, it would be tasty topped with fresh berries and a dollop of whipped cream, or drizzled with a simple glaze of lemon juice with powdered sugar. Pure olive oil, rather than the more deeply flavored extra virgin olive oil, is the better choice for this cake.

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 cups sugar 4 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest 2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest 4 eggs 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice 3 tablespoons whipping cream 3/4 cup olive oil

Preheat the oven to 300º F. Butter and flour a 9-inch square or round cake pan.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt, and set aside. Combine the sugar, lemon zest, and orange zest in a medium bowl and rub the mixture between your hands until fragrant and moist. Cream together the sugar and eggs in an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Slowly add the lemon juice and cream and mix until blended. Add the dry ingredients in 3 parts, alternating with the olive oil in 2 parts, and mix until blended. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes.

Makes 8 to 10 servings