Olive Oil Cake

This recipe was passed on to me by my West Coast Homey (you know who you are). She said it would be perfect for a brunch and she was right. Mom's birthday brunch was a delicious carb-fest (did I mention the bread detox is over? Hallelujah!), complete with hot bagels, popovers and jam (more about them later), and homemade granola, yogurt, and berries. I didn't think we needed a yellow cake with chocolate icing at noon to top it all off, so I finally got to try out this recipe, which originated with Iron Chef Cat Cora. It was pretty good, very moist and almost like a very flavorful muffin. My friend told me to reduce the amout of olive oil used, and the recipe posted here reflects that change. Part of me thinks there's still something that could be adjusted -- more OJ, less milk? Not sure. If you figure it out, let me know.

Ingredients

• 3 large eggs, beaten
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1/4 cup milk
• 2 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
• 3 teaspoons lemon zest
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 cup blanched almonds, (I used slivered almonds)
• Powdered sugar, for garnish

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-inch cake pan. (I used a bundt pan, which was nice since there's no icing.) In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, olive oil, milk, vanilla, orange juice, and lemon zest. Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. 
Mix the dry mixture into the wet mixture. Whisk until well blended. Fold in the almonds.
Pour the mixture into the buttered cake pan. Bake for 1 hour. Place on a rack to cool. Run a knife around the edges and place it on a plate.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.