Now here’s a cookbook title we can get behind: Pamela Salzman’s new Quicker Than Quick is the answer to every busy, but healthy home cook’s dreams. You can explore our stories with Pamela over the years to get a taste for what this smart natural cooking coach and holistic health counselor has to offer in the kitchen, but all you really need to know is her recipe for this olive oil almond cake you can whip up this weekend…

I’ve been holding on to this recipe for so long and could hardly wait to share it with you. This cake is just perfect: The texture is tender; the flavor is bright and lemony; and because the base is almond flour, this cake lasts for a week in the fridge with no loss in moisture or texture. It is at once earthy and elegant, and it’s also the easiest cake you’ll ever put together. Just blend all the ingredients together in a food processor or blender and bake. If you need an under-thirty-minute recipe, then make cupcakes. If you have a few extra minutes, you can have this beautiful cake.

MEYER LEMON OLIVE OIL almond CAKE
Makes one 9-inch cake or 8 to 12 cupcakes 

Recipe notes: Fine cornmeal will have less texture than medium grind coarse or use an equal amount of arrowroot powder for a grain-free cake. You will need to use grain-free baking powder, as well. You can add 2 tablespoons of poppy seeds to the food processor after blending, if desired. To make a small cake, halve all the ingredients and bake in a parchment paper-lined 6-inch round cake pan. To make it dairy-free use nondairy yogurt.

2 cups fine blanched almond flour (not almond meal)
1/2 cup organic cornmeal (see tip)
2 teaspoons aluminum-free baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup unrefined, cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for pan
3 large eggs
1 cup plain, unsweetened whole milk yogurt or nondairy yogurt
1/2 cup pure maple syrup or honey
Grated zest of 3 large Meyer lemons or 1 tablespoon zest from a regular lemon
1/4 cup Meyer lemon juice (about 1 large Meyer lemon), or 2 tablespoons regular lemon juice + 2 tablespoons orange juice
2 tablespoons limoncello (optional)
1 tablespoon powdered sugar (optional)
Fresh berries (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease an 8-inch or 9-inch cake pan, preferably a springform pan, with olive oil. Line the bottom with a piece of unbleached parchment paper, if desired.

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, add all the ingredients except powdered sugar and berries. Process until well combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl once to make sure all ingredients are well incorporated.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, spreading the top with a spatula.

Bake in the middle of the oven for 30-40 minutes or until the cake is lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean. Baking time will depend on your oven as well as the size pan you use. Cool for 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edge of the pan and invert onto a cooling rack. Serve with a dusting of powdered sugar and fresh berries, if desired.

Want more? Explore Pamela’s home fridge or grab her recipe for homemade breakfast bars here.