Spanish Lemon-Olive Oil Cake (Coca de Llanda)

Tender and light with a crunchy sugared top, this olive oil cake, called coca de llanda, is from Valencia, Spain. To coax as much citrus flavor as possible from the lemon zest, we rub it into the sugar, drawing out the zest’s essential oils. We reserve a couple tablespoons of the lemon sugar for sprinkling over the batter, which adds an extra punch of flavor and bakes into a crisp, sparkly crust.

The flavor of the olive oil comes through, so be sure to use an extra-virgin variety with a flavor you enjoy. Wrapped well and stored at room temperature, leftovers will keep for up to two days.