Italian Lemon Olive Oil Cake with Berries, Mascarpone and Lemon Curd

The lemon olive oil cake of your dreams, dressed festively with layers of whipped mascarpone cheese, lemon curd and a honey lemon blueberry sauce. The perfect marriage between the classic lemon olive oil cake and Italian Tiramisu.

Today I bring to you the real deal: Italian Lemon Olive Oil Cake, with a little bit of ricotta cheese in the mix of course and a pudding like lemon curd layer to give it the ultimate lemon flavor throughout.

But what else goes really well with lemon ?

You guessed it: blueberries and blackberries. Oh my ! So I made a super quick honey lemon blueberry sauce on the stove top, that is going to make your lemon olive oil cake not just extra delicious but also add tons and tons of moisture. Forget about it !

I really hope you give it a go and report back to mama, because you know I need to know those details

If you aren’t in the mood for creamy lemony cheesy layers and berries, you can still bake the lemon olive oil cake on its own and have it with your coffee and a sprinkling of powder sugar ~ Florentina

P.S. DID YOU KNOW THAT ORGANIC EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL, LEMONS AND BLUEBERRIES ARE SOME OF THE HEALTHIEST FOODS ON HE PLANET ? THAT STUFF IS REALLY, REALLY, REALLY GOOD FOR US. SO L SAY, LET US ALL EAT LEMON OLIVE OIL CAKE !

INGREDIENTS

1 c extra virgin olive oil
⅓ c ricotta cheese
2 c all purpose flour
5 eggs, organic pasture raised
1¼ c granulated sugar
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
Zest from 1 lemon
A pinch of sea salt
1 lb blackberries
¼ c edible flower blossoms

Blueberry Sauce

½ lb blueberries
½ lemon, juiced
2-3 tbsp wild honey
1 tsp vanilla extract

Mascarpone Cream

4 large egg yolks, organic pasture raised
4 tbsp granulated sugar
1 lb mascarpone cheese
2 c whipped cream, organic
zest from 1 lemon

Lemon curd

½ c lemon juice, freshly squeezed
Zest from 1 lemon
5 large egg yolks, organic pasture raised
½ c granulated sugar
5 tbsp butter, cut into 5 pieces.

INSTRUCTIONS

Start by adding the blueberries with the lemon juice, vanilla and honey to a small sauce pan. Bring to a simmer and cook for a couple of minutes, just until the blueberries burst. Remove from flame and adjust sweetness to your taste with more honey. Refrigerate until ready to use.
To make the lemon curd, prepare a double boiler with 2 inches of water in the bottom pan. Bring to gentle simmer. Add the egg yolks, sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice to the top pan. Whisk together over the steam until combined well. Keep whisking for a few minutes until the curd has thickened and coats the back of a spoon. About 5 to 10 minutes or so. Turn off the flame and whisk in the butter until melted. Transfer the curd to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until cooled completely.
Preheat your oven to 325"F.
Prepare a 10 inch spring form pan by lightly buttering it with a dab of butter. Place on a baking sheet.
In the bowl of a mixer add the eggs, lemon zest and sugar and using the whisk attachment beat them together until well combines. A few minutes.
Pour in the olive oil and continue whisking on medium low speed until all incorporated. Add the ricotta cheese and sea salt and whisk till combined.
Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and slowly mix or fold everything together until incorporated.
Transfer the cake batter into the buttered spring form pan.
Bake the olive oil cake in the preheated oven for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean.
Transfer the cake to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.
While the cake is cooling off make the whipped Mascarpone cheese filling.
Add the egg yolks and sugar to a large mixing bowl. Use a mixer with a whisk attachment to cream the sugars and egg yolks until fluffy and pale in color.
Add the lemon zest and spoonfuls of the mascarpone cheese until incorporated.
Using a spatula fold the whipped cream into the whipped mascarpone cheese until combine. Make sure to not over mix. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.
Remove the cake from the spring form pan by releasing the sides first, then remove the bottom.
Very carefully slice a thin layer off of the top to remove the top crust and expose the inside of the cake.
Extra carefully slice the cake in half using a serrated knife.
Place the bottom part on a plate or cake stand.
Using a small spatula spread the chilled lemon curd on top of the olive oil cake. Spoon half of the mascarpone filling on top and top it with half of the blueberries from the blueberry sauce and some of the blackberries. Reserve as much of the blueberry sauce as possible for the next layer.
Add the next olive oil cake layer and spoon all the remaining blueberries with the sauce on top. Add the remaining whipped mascarpone and with the back of a spoon or spatula rustically spread it over the top. Place the blackberries all over the top, reserving some to decorate the sides of the olive oil cake.
Garnish your lemon olive oil cake with edible flower blossoms and enjoy chilled.