Ingredients:

  • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • Zest of one lemon (about 1 tablespoon)
  • Juice of one lemon (about 2 tablespoons)
  • 3 large eggs, at room temperature
  • [1 teaspoon vanilla extract]
  • [About two cups chopped strawberries (approximately a pint)]

Instructions:

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour an 8-inch round cake pan, or line it with parchment paper for easy removal.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well blended. Set aside.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the olive oil and granulated sugar. Use an electric mixer on medium speed to beat until well combined and slightly fluffy, about 2 minutes.
  4. Add the lemon zest and juice to the olive oil-sugar mixture; mix until incorporated. Then add in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition followed by adding vanilla extract.
  5. Gradually fold in the dry ingredients into the wet mixture using a spatula or wooden spoon just until no dry streaks remain—be careful not to overmix!
  6. Gently fold in about one-and-a-half cups of chopped strawberries into the batter; reserve half a cup for topping later if desired.
  7. Pour the batter into your prepared cake pan and smooth out with a spatula.
  8. If you reserved some strawberries earlier, scatter them evenly over top of the batter for added flavor and decoration.
  9. Place in preheated oven and bake for approximately 35–40 minutes or until golden brown on top and when a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
  10. Once baked, remove from oven and let cool in pan for about 10 minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely before serving.
  11. Once cooled completely , dust lightly with powdered sugar if desired before slicing .