Dessert doesn’t have to be super sweet for it to be enjoyable! Avoid the sugar overload and have this decadent lemon olive oil cake instead!

MAKES 1

INGREDIENTS
For the olive-oil cake
1¼ cups white sugar
2 eggs
1 cup full-cream yoghurt
¾ cup olive oil
Zest and juice of 3 lemons
2 cups self-raising flour
For the lemon syrup
½ cup lemon juice (2–3 lemons)
¼ cup white sugar
For the buttercream
125 g butter, softened
½ cup cream cheese
5 cups icing sugar
Zest and juice of 1 lemon

METHOD
For the olive-oil cake
1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Line two 15 cm cake tins.
2. Cream sugar and eggs until fluffy. Fold in yoghurt, olive oil and lemon zest.
3. Sift the flour and gradually fold it into the mixture.
4. Pour into the tins and bake for 1 hour 15–25 minutes, until the cakes are golden, spring back when touched and a skewer comes out clean. Leave in tins.
For the lemon syrup
1. While the cake is in the oven, boil the lemon juice and sugar in a pot for 5 minutes, until slightly thickened.
2. Pour the hot syrup over the hot cakes. Allow to cool.
For the buttercream
1. Whip butter, cream cheese and 1⁄2 icing sugar until fluffy.2. Add remaining icing sugar, lemon zest and 2 tbsp lemon juice. Whip for 5 minutes, until the buttercream is pale and cloud-like. Refrigerate.
To assemble
1. Trim the tops of the cakes to make sure they’re flat.
2. Spread buttercream on one of the cakes, then place the other cake on top. Ice the outside of the cakes.

Optional: Decorate with lemon leaves and blossoms.

Recipes & styling: Chiara Turilli
Photography: Samantha Pinto

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