Name: Raspberry Sour Cream Cake
Total time: 1 h 35 min
Yield: 1 cake
Ingredients: 3 egg yolks; 80 ml olive oil; 6 tbsp sour cream (Schmand); Zest of 1 lemon + 1 orange; Juice of 1 orange; 220 g fine white sugar, divided (150 g + 70 g); 1 pinch of salt; 3 egg whites; 200 g flour; 1 tsp baking powder; 150 g fresh raspberries; 1 tbsp soft butter; 2 tbsp sliced almonds; Powdered sugar for dusting

This is the cake that lives in my notebook between a grocery list and a phone number with no name next to it. It’s written in blue ink, slightly smudged, and it’s one of the best things to come out of my kitchen.

It’s not a butter cake — it’s built on olive oil and sour cream, which makes it impossibly moist and just a little tangy. The citrus zest (both lemon and orange) runs through the whole thing, and the whipped egg whites give it a lift that’s somewhere between a cake and a cloud. Then you fold in the raspberries, and they sink in just enough to burst when you eat it.

Seventy-five minutes in the oven sounds like a lot, but it’s a slow, gentle bake — the kind where the kitchen starts smelling incredible around minute thirty and you spend the rest of the time finding excuses to walk past the oven. Flip it out, dust it with powdered sugar, and try not to eat the first slice standing up at the counter. You will fail. That’s fine.

The Recipe

Makes: 1 cake • Prep: 20 min • Bake: 75 min

Ingredients

3 egg yolks
80 ml olive oil
6 tbsp sour cream (Schmand)
Zest of 1 lemon + 1 orange
Juice of 1 orange
220 g fine white sugar, divided (150 g + 70 g)
1 pinch of salt
3 egg whites
200 g flour
1 tsp baking powder
150 g fresh raspberries

For the Pan

1 tbsp soft butter
2 tbsp sliced almonds

To Finish

Powdered sugar for dusting

Instructions

Make the batter base: Whisk the egg yolks with the olive oil, sour cream, orange juice, and citrus zest. Add 150 g sugar and a pinch of salt, stir until smooth.
Whip the whites: In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites with the remaining 70 g sugar to stiff peaks.
Combine: Mix the flour with the baking powder. Fold the flour mixture and the whipped egg whites into the batter alternately, in batches, until just combined.
Add raspberries: Gently fold in the washed raspberries.
Prep the pan: Butter the cake pan and scatter the sliced almonds across the bottom and sides. Pour in the batter.
Bake: 180°C (convection 160°C) for about 75 minutes. Remove and let cool completely.
Finish: Flip the cake out onto a plate — the almonds are now on top. Dust generously with powdered sugar.

Notes

Raspberries can be swapped for currants (red or black).
The olive oil + sour cream combo keeps this cake moist for days.
Don’t skip the citrus zest — it makes the whole cake.

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