Olive oil is a surprising but amazing substitute for butter in baked goods. It achieves a level moistness that only gets better the longer it sits—and this is because olive oil is naturally in liquid form at room temperature. Combine this with almond meal and citrus and you have a dreamy creation on your hands. This is a supremely moist, spring-appropriate cake bursting with excellent taste and texture. Follow the recipe below to usher in the season right.

Olive Oil Citrus Cake

1 cup all-purpose flour

¾ cups super fine almond meal

1 ¼ tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

1 tsp kosher salt (I used diamond crystal-see note below)

¾ cup + 1 tbs, divided, granulated sugar

2 tsp orange zest

2 tsp lemon zest

3 large eggs

½ cup fresh orange juice

1 tsp vanilla extract

½ cup + 1 tbs olive oil, plus an extra 1½ tbs for drizzling

orange slices, optional garnish

Method

Heat oven to 350°F and grease and line a 9x2” cake pan with a round piece of parchment paper.

In a large bowl whisk together the flour, almond meal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. *NOTE if not using Diamond kosher salt only add 1/2 tsp of kosher salt.

To a medium bowl add ¾ cups sugar, orange, and lemon zest. Rub the zest into the sugar with your hands until fragrant and until the color of the sugar begins to turn orange.

To the sugar add the eggs, orange juice, olive oil, and vanilla and whisk together vigorously until fully combined.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix together with a wooden spoon or whisk until combined. Don’t worry if the batter looks lumpy, that’s totally fine!

Sprinkle the top of the batter with the remaining tablespoon of sugar and place in the oven. Bake the cake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Place the cake on a wire rack and let cool for 15-20 minutes. Carefully remove the cake and place on a serving platter. Using a toothpick, poke holes all over the cake and drizzle with 1 ½ tbs of olive oil. Let the cake cool completely before serving.

Top cake with citrus slices and enjoy right away. If serving later, simply add the orange slices right before you plan to serve it.