Between the sweet candied lemons, the savoury and moist lemon olive oil cake, and the scent of cardamom, this refined upside down cake is incredibly soft and pleasing to all the senses!
Bring the water and sugar to a boil in a medium sized sauce pan. Crush 2 pods of cardamom and add them into the water. In the meantime, wash and scrub the lemons. Cut thin slices of lemons, resulting in about 20 full slices and 10 halved slices.
Once the water and sugar reach a boil, reduce it to a simmer and gently place the lemon slices into the water. Simmer for 15 minutes, or until the lemon slices become translucent. Stir every few minutes.
Place the lemon slices on a cooling rack in a sheet pan and allow them to cool. Continue to simmer the sugar water until it thickens into a syrup.
Make the Lemon Olive Oil Cake
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prep a 8-inch springform cake pan with a sheet of parchment paper on the bottom and around the sides.
Add the eggs and sugar into a large bowl. Cream together the eggs and sugar until it's paler in color and fluffy. Slowly pour in the olive oil while whisking the mixture until it's fully incorporated into the batter. Stir in the vanilla extract, ground cardamom, lemon juice, and lemon zest.
Sift the baking powder, baking soda, flour, and salt into the wet mixture. Gently fold the dry ingredients in until fully incorporated into a light and fluffy batter.
Layer the bottom of the cake pan with the candied lemon slices and the sides with the halved slices. Gently pour the cake batter over the lemon slices.
Place the pan onto a baking sheet to catch any juices and pop it into the oven. Bake for 30 minutes, or until a skewer is inserted into the middle and comes out clean.
Allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes. Open the latch on the springform and peel off the parchment paper from the sides. Carefully flip the cake on to a plate so that the lemons are facing up.
Brush the top of the cake with leftover lemon cardamom syrup. Serve with yogurt or homemade whipped cream.
Notes
Use parchment paper between the lemon slices and cake pan to prevent the lemons from burning from the hot metal.
Use a springform pan to provide enough height for the cake to rise.