blueberry lavender chocolate chip olive oil cake

While hot dogs and hamburgers are standard 4th of July cook-out fare, this delectable cake is a welcome alternative to the typical strawberry shortcake. With olive oil as the fat, not only is the cake's crumb is soft and the perfect canvas for fruit, but it bakes up to a beautiful golden brown.

Yield: 16 pieces
160 calories per piece
Active time: 5 minutes
Total time: 40 minutes

ingredients

2 large eggs

1 large egg yolk

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons dried lavender

1 cup blueberries, rinsed

1/2 cup chocolate chips

preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

2. Line a 8 by 8 inch pan with parchment paper.

3. With your hand mixer, cream the eggs, egg yolk, and sugar on high until foamy, about 2 minutes.

4. Add in the olive oil and beat until combined, about 1 minute.

5. Add in the flour, salt, lavender  and baking powder, beating just until incorporated, about 30 seconds.  Do not overbeat the batter, as this will lead to sunken or chewy cake.

6. Scrape down the bowl and fold in the blueberries and chocolate chips.

7. Pour the batter into the parchment lined pan.

8. Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes.

9. Let the cake cook for 10 minutes and then remove it from the pan, using long sides of the parchment paper as handles.

Original recipe found here.