RECIPE: Easy Olive Oil Lemon Cake

Friends dropping over? Need a cake for work? But have few ingredients in the house and little time or energy to make it? Look no further than this moist and fluffy cake - made with just a few staples. And no eggs required!

Easy Olive Oil Lemon Cake

INGREDIENTS

1 cup soy milk

½ cup olive oil (or rice bran, sunflower oil or a combination)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Juice and zest 1 small lemon

2 cups plain flour

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon bicarb soda

optional extra

¾ cup fruit, such as berries, diced apples, pears or stone fruit.

METHOD

Preheat a fan forced oven to 175C.

Grease a cake tin. I used a springform 20x6cm round tin.

Into a large bowl stir together the milk, oil, vanilla, juice and zest.

Into another large bowl, sift the flour, bicarb soda and add the sugar. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture, a little at a time and stir until thoroughly combined. Be sure not to over mix. If the mix is a little too dry, add a dash or so more milk.

If using, stir through the berries. Pour the cake batter into the cake tin and bake for 40-50 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean (especially checking the middle).

Allow to cool slightly in the tin and then transfer onto a cake rack to cool.

To serve, sprinkle with icing sugar or drizzled melted dark chocolate.

Photo: Freshly Picked with Simon Toohey