GF/DF Upside-Down Lemon Olive Oil Cake
...it's brooklyn-friendly!
When I first moved to Brooklyn, I quickly learned that the desserts I was used to making in D.C. were not acceptable here.
New York conditions you to know that you can have everything you want exactly how you want it…and more. Foot massage at midnight? Sure! Bodega on every corner? Yes, please! Dairy-free, gluten-free, sugar-free desserts that taste just as good as the real deal? Coming right up!
90% of why I love to cook and bake is to *light* people up, so I learned that if I wanted my friends to actually enjoy any of my baked goods, I had to get realllll creative.
Now, I do not have any dietary restrictions myself and I still firmly believe that at the end of the day, if I’m using quality and sustainably sourced ingredients, what I’m eating is still *pretty* healthy (in moderation of course). I love me some good BUTTER and some GOOD flour. But I understand that our toxic industrialized food system in the good ole’ USA has given people an intolerance to these ingredients. And I also understand that people in Brooklyn who don’t even have an intolerance just *like* to eat things that are free of some of my favorite ingredients. I’m not taking it personally!
Sometimes the issue with buying “gluten-free” and “dairy-free” baked goods is that they usually then fill them with other toxic shit just to make it look and taste like the real deal (like soy byproducts and highly processed oils). So here is your PSA to check the labels, don’t let them trick you!
But, the best way to avoid eating trash df/gf sweets is…..to make it your damnself! And that’s what I’m all about here with Sobremesa - showing you how to make yummy, healthy, accessible treats.
And honestly, it’s actually been very fun to rework some of my favorite recipes! I just refuse to serve anything subpar solely because it fills the dietary restriction quota. And at the end of the day, I really do just want anyone who eats my treats to f*cking love them.
Enter this lemon upside-down olive oil cake.
The story of this cake is as follows:
Olive oil cake makes me feel fancy and cute.
I’m inspired to start baking with fruit again now that Spring is blooming (I see you lil’ buds on the tree outside my bedroom window!)
I’m bringing this cake to a party later so I wanted a visual show-stopper! No shame!
This party is in fact in Brooklyn and many of the guests are dairy-free/gluten-free fans.
So here we are.
More info on the dairy-free and gluten-free bits
Since olive oil is the main fat source here, there’s less reliance on milk and butter, so it would be a more natural dairy-free option.
I recommend using Bob’s Redmill 1:1 GF Baking Flour because it is the BEST alternative. I truly do use it 1:1 on any recipe that lists all-purpose flour.
Now, if you have no interest in making this gluten-free or dairy-free - that’s great too! Just GF flour for AP flour, vegan butter for regular butter, and nut milk for regular milk. If you’re bringing this to a party and need some rebranding tips, I like to call it “sugar-full, “gluten-full” and “dairy-full” - full sounds so much more positive, doesn’t it?
Also! I used a blowtorch here at the end to crisp up the lemons a bit (plus to be *dramatic*) 100% not necessary for you (or me tbh…) but if you got one….why not use it?
I love to serve this with a coconut whipped cream. And guess what? It’s also gf / df :)
Wow, your Brooklyn friends are gonna freak out. I’m so excited for you.
GF/DF Upside-Down Lemon Olive Oil Cake
Serves 8-10
Cooking time: ~1 hr
Ingredients
1-2 lemons, very thinly sliced or use mandolin, seeds removed
Sprinkling of light brown sugar
1 cup olive oil, the better the olive oil, the better this will taste
2 cups gluten-free flour, I love Bob’s Redmill 1:1 GF Baking Flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
½ cup sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest plus fresh lemon juice from 1/2 a lemon
1 ¼ cups nut milk, at room temperature
Let’s do it!
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Coat the bottom of a 9-inch round cake pan with olive oil (regular butter is okay here too if you don’t have a dairy intolerance!) make sure to get the sides too.
Sprinkle an even layer of brown sugar on the bottom of the pan.
Add the thinly sliced (or mandolin if you got it!) lemons. I like to start from the outside and work in a circular motion inwards towards the center of the pan.
Set this aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda.
In a large bowl, add the sugar, eggs and lemon zest and mix on high with an electric mixer until thick and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
With the mixer still running, slowly drizzle in the oil and mix for about another 2 minutes.
Reduce speed to low, and add the nut milk and lemon juice.
Gradually add the flour mixture and mix on low speed. Towards the end, get a spatula to gently fold in the remaining flour by hand so that you don’t over mix.
Pour the batter into your prepared lemon pan.
Bake the cake for about 40 to 45 minutes, the edges will start to pull from the side, the cake won’t “jiggle” when you shake it, and if you insert a tooth pick it will come out clean.
Cool for about 10 mins.
Shake the cake a bit to release it from the sides of the pan.
Here comes the flip! Place a plate on top of the cake pan and gently flip it over. Slowly raise the pan.
Voila!
If you have a blowtorch, torch the tops of the lemon so they get all crispy. If you don’t have one, NBD!
Serve with coconut whipped cream (if you dare!) recipe below.
Coconut Whipped Cream
Full fat coconut cream (not coconut milk), refrigerated
Skim off just the creamy part, leave the watery bit behind
1 tsp vanilla extract
Sprinkle of sugar
Add ingredients to a bowl
Whip with electric mixer until fluffy.
Serve on the side or honestly just eat this straight out of the bowl.
Happy baking,
Love ya mucho.
Tessa
Going to have to steal this for BW $ ABJ💗