Paleo Dessert: Lemon Loaf (Pantry Olive Oil Cake)

While olive oil is pretty much a given when cooking savory dishes, it’s totally underutilized in desserts. Yes, you heard me right — olive oil deserves a place in dessert, especially baked goods. When you add high-quality olive oil to baked goods, it adds moisture and imparts a slight aroma that is intriguing in sweet foods. Now that medicated olive oil is becoming more and more common in dispensaries, why not transform this everyday oil into a luscious dessert that’ll also get you feeling buzzed?

For this recipe, we used Pantry EVOO, which is a low-dose medicated olive oil perfect for use in salads, as a finishing oil for appetizers like crostini, and in baked goods. I decided to pair the olive oil with a lemon flavor for tartness, and this paleo lemon olive oil loaf was born! 

The base of this lemon olive oil loaf is cassava flour, which is a paleo-friendly flour made from the cassava root. There’s tons of lemon in the form of both juice and zest, imparting a citrusy, sharp vibe to this cake. we used coconut sugar to sweeten this loaf, but if you aren’t paleo, feel free to substitute regular sugar to taste. An extra layer of moistness is added by our homemade vegan buttermilk, created by combining full-fat coconut milk and lemon juice and allowing it to “curdle” slightly.

Perhaps the best part of this recipe is the medicated lemon-honey glaze, made with coconut butter instead of powdered sugar to keep things on the healthier side, and enhanced by another small dose of Pantry’s olive oil. This paleo lemon olive oil loaf breaks down into eight healthy slices, each containing a microdose of approximately 3.5mg of THC – perfect for a get-together, or to snack on throughout the week.

THC per serving: 3.5mg

Total Servings: 8

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 30-35 minutes

Chill Time: 2 hours 30 minutes

Total Time: 3 hours 25 minutes

Cooking Tools

Oven

Loaf pan

Large bowl

Medium bowl

Whisk

Rubber spatula

Ingredients:

For the loaf

2 ½ tablespoons lemon juice

½ cup chilled (but not solid) coconut milk

1 ½ cups cassava flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

1 ¾ cup coconut sugar (can be replaced with 1 cup cane sugar)

2 tablespoons lemon zest

½ cup Pantry Cannabis-Infused Extra Virgin Olive Oil

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the glaze

⅓ cup softened coconut butter

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons Pantry Cannabis-Infused Extra Virgin Olive Oil

⅓ cup warmed plant-based milk

1 tablespoon honey

Recipe Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a loaf pan or line with parchment paper. In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, combine coconut milk and ½ tablespoon lemon juice. Let sit for 10 minutes.
   
   

2. In a large bowl, whisk together cassava flour, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt until fully incorporated.
   
   
   

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together Pantry Olive Oil and coconut sugar. Add vanilla, lemon zest, and lemon juice and whisk vigorously until ingredients are combined.
   
   
   

4. Add eggs one by one, whisking vigorously in between. When all eggs are incorporated, beat again for about a minute or until the mixture gains some air.
   
   
   

5. Add ⅓ of the flour mixture to the liquid mixture. Fold in gently with a rubber spatula until incorporated, being careful not to crush the air bubbles. Pour in half of the buttermilk mixture and fold to incorporate again. Alternate flour and liquid again until all ingredients have been incorporated.
   
   
   

6. Transfer batter to your loaf pan and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. After baking, let chill in the pan for 45 minutes. Then remove from pan and let cool completely.
   
   
   

7. When the loaf is completely cooled, whisk together all ingredients for the glaze in a small bowl. If the mixture isn’t liquid enough to drizzle, warm in the microwave in 10-second increments, stirring in between, until drizzly. 
   
   
   

   

8. Pour glaze onto the entire top of the loaf, adding some drizzles down each side. Let the glaze sit until set. You can also put the loaf in the fridge and let it chill for 1 hour. Option: top with thin lemon slices or other garnish of choice. Serve at room temperature but store refrigerated.