Lemon olive oil cake with cranberry glaze

Ingredients:

Cake

• Unsalted butter, to grease the pan
• 1.5 cups of flour
• 0.5 cup almond flour
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1 tbsp. poppy seeds
• Grated zest of 1 lemon + 1/4 tbsp. lemon juice (1-2 lemons)
• 3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt made from whole milk
• 1 and 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon almond extract

Glaze and topping

• 0.5 cup cranberries, thaw if frozen
• 1 tbsp water + more as needed
• 1 cup powdered sugar + more if needed
• A pinch of coarse salt
• Example of decoration: cranberry halves, slivered almonds, fresh thyme, candied rose petals and sugar pearls

Preparation:

1. Bake a cake:

   
   Preheat oven to 175°C. Grease a 22cm cake pan and line it with parchment paper.
   
2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, almond flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, poppy seeds, and lemon zest. In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice and yogurt until smooth. In a large bowl, combine the granulated sugar and olive oil until combined, then beat in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the almond extract. Fold in the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the yogurt mixture, beating well after each addition.
3. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 40-50 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

4. Meanwhile, prepare the glaze:

   
   In a small saucepan, combine the cranberries and water and simmer over low heat, breaking up the cranberries with a rubber spatula until they begin to release their juices, 5-10 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium bowl, pressing down on the solids with a spatula and scraping the sieve. Add the sugar and salt and stir until the icing is smooth and pourable. It will seem like there's a lot of powder at first, but eventually the icing will be smooth. If it's too thick, add a few drops of water. If it's too runny, add a pinch of powdered sugar.
   
5. Spread the icing over the cake, letting it bleed down the sides. Decorate with any of the suggested toppings.