We are talking coffee………cake. That right, coffee cake for Mothers Day!

Coffee cakes have been around for hundreds of years. The first cakes being made with honey, raisins and dates much more like a fruit cake. It was offered as a gesture of kindness to family and friends. The cake would be served on an elaborately dressed table set with fine china. And some of us still do that today. Some of us just go to a coffee shop, order coffee cake and just start dunking! However you serve or eat your cake, one thing is for sure, it is still one of the most popular cakes ever.

As kids, Mom would always make coffee cake. She uses her grandmother’s recipe which has been in our family for years. We love listening to her describe our great-grandmother Nellie, beating the cake by hand with her big strong arms. This was the secret behind why her cake would always rise so high!

We have given this recipe a bit healthier twist by changing a few ingredients and by using a heart healthy olive oil. There are several reasons why we love baking with olive oil too. When substituting for butter or shortening, it is always the correct temperature. Most recipes call for room temperature butter and who has that readily available? Also by cutting the saturated fat and cholesterol, we feel less guilty about eating a piece….or two! Happy Mother Day!

Olive Oil Coffee Cake

This cake has a moist texture and a sweet, yet pleasingly tart bite from the lemon. Most of my days begin with this delicious cake along with my morning cuppa. We hope yours will too!

1 cup all purpose flour
1⁄2 cup almond flour
1 cup vanilla sugar
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1⁄2 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil
1⁄2 cup lemon juice
Zest of 1 lemon
2 eggs
Powdered sugar for garnish

Pre-heat the oven to 350°F. Oil a 9-inch cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients and stir until combined. Make a well in the dry ingredients and add in the wet ingredients. Beat on medium low until everything is combined.

Do not over beat.

Pour the cake batter into the oiled pan. Place in the oven and bake: 45 minutes.

The cake is done once the edges have browned and pull slightly away from the sides of the pan.

If testing with a toothpick, it should come out clean. Let the cake sit for a few minutes, then run a thin knife around the sides of the cake to loosen. Carefully remove the cake from pan, place on serving dish and sprinkle with powdered sugar.