ITALIAN LEMON OLIVE OIL CAKE W/RICOTTA CREAM AND BLUEBERRY COMPOTE

 I had this lemon olive oil cake for the first time in Italy, and was blown away by the simplicity and sheer goodness. The cake is great on it's own, but the cool ricotta cream and warm blueberry compote take it to the next level. This is delicious, and one of my favorite desserts! 🍋

LEMON OLIVE OIL CAKE

Ingredients

1 1/2  cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup sugar

1 TBL. lemon zest

3 large eggs

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter (melted and cooled)

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 cup buttermilk

Powdered sugar, for dusting

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease well a 9 inch round pan.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix sugar and lemon zest until combined.

Add eggs and whisk well to combine.

Whisk in oil and melted butter.

Add lemon juice and buttermilk. Whisk until combined.

Add mixture to flour mixture and fold with a rubber spatula until combined. Do not overmix the batter.

Pour batter into prepared pan. 

Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until lightly golden, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Take cake out of the oven, let it cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then turn out on a wire rack to cool completely.

Dust cake lightly with powdered sugar.

Store cake at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 days, or refrigerate for up to 5 days.

Serve at room temperature.

RICOTTA CREAM

If ricotta is watery, strain in a fine sieve lined with cheesecloth placed on a bowl. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, then remove from the fridge and squeeze gently to get out more liquid.

Ingredients

8 oz. whole milk ricotta cheese, drained

1/3 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp. lemon juice

a few drops pure vanilla extract

1 cup Cool Whip

Directions

In a blender or food processor, blend together the ricotta, powdered sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. 

Scoop into a bowl, and fold in Cool Whip.

Mix until fully incorporated.

Refrigerate in an airtight container until ready to serve.

BLUEBERRY COMPOTE

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups fresh blueberries

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup water

Directions

Combine half of the berries, sugar and water in a medium saucepan.

Cook over medium heat until berries burst. Stir often. About 10 minutes.

Add remaining berries.

Cook until compote coats spoon. Approx. 10 more minutes.

Store in an airtight container in the fridge. Enjoy warm or cool. (I like it warm on this cake, so when I get ready to eat it, I put the desired amount in a microwaveable bowl and put it in the microwave for about 30 seconds, then stir.