Lemon Cornmeal Olive Oil Cake

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon + ½ cup yellow cornmeal, divided
• 1 cup brown sugar
• ½ cup olive oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup lemon curd, store bought or homemade
• **For the ricotta whipped cream**
• 1 cup 35% whipping cream
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1 tablespoon sugar or honey
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 lemon

Directions

1. Heat your oven to 350ºF and lightly grease a 9-inch springform or cake pan with non-stick cooking spray. Sprinkle in 1 tablespoon of cornmeal and shake the pan to evenly coat the bottom and sides, tapping out any excess cornmeal.
2. In a large bowl, beat together the brown sugar, olive oil, and eggs until well combined. Stir in the yogurt, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla and set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk the remaining ½ cup of cornmeal with the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients into the oil and sugar mixture and stir just until combined. Set the batter aside for 20 minutes to allow the cornmeal to hydrate.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and swirl in the lemon curd.
5. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until the centre is springy and a toothpick inserted into the middle, avoiding the lemon curd, comes out clean. If there is a little lemon curd on the toothpick, that is fine. You just don’t want any cake batter. Allow the cake to cool for 15 minutes then turn the cake out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.