Lemon Tarragon Olive Oil Cake

with a decadent sugar crust.

I had been dreaming of this cake for weeks. Maybe even longer, if I’m being honest. It started as a passing craving, the kind that lingers in the background while you go about your day, but slowly, it grew roots. I couldn’t stop thinking about it: a deeply lemony, impossibly moist cake that didn’t hold back on flavor or texture. I’ve always found that lemon cakes have so much potential, but more often than not, they taste more like sugar than citrus. And I didn’t want that. I wanted something unapologetically bright, tender, and fragrant. A cake that would feel like late spring, like golden afternoon light streaming through a kitchen window.

The tarragon came into the picture unexpectedly, thanks to my friend Calum Harris. He’s a fellow plant-based recipe developer and cookbook author. We were strolling through the Union Square Greenmarket one morning together, weaving in and out of the usual bustle of flower stalls, crusty sourdoughs, overflowing crates of greens. I was telling him about this lemon olive oil cake I was developing and how I wanted it to be soft and lush but with a bit of structure, and bursting with citrus. We paused at the herb stand, and as I held a bundle of thyme in my hands, Calum turned to me and said, almost offhandedly, “What about tarragon?”

I hadn’t thought of tarragon. It’s not usually the first herb people reach for in a cake. But something about it felt right; elegant, unexpected, with that faint anise whisper that lingers just long enough to intrigue your palate without overwhelming it. I brought some home that day and folded it gently into the batter on a whim, and it transformed the entire thing. The lemon got brighter. The olive oil felt rounder. Suddenly, this cake had a personality. Thanks Calum!

Writing a recipe is always a funny process for me. It’s not just about listing ingredients or perfecting technique, it’s more about chasing a feeling. I keep all my drafts in a little squared-page notebook that’s been with me for a year now. A cloth notepad bought in a tiny shop in Aix-en-Provence. It’s already worn and messy, its pages crumpled from traveling with it. I try to write everything by hand first, which feels a bit old-fashioned, maybe, but also grounding. Some pages are filled with neat ratios and instructions. Others are pure chaos—cross-outs, exclamations, arrows looping from one idea to another. I often wonder what someone would think if they ever found this notebook. To me, it’s part diary, part map.

I tested this recipe three times before I got it to where I wanted it. Not because I was chasing perfection—perfection is overrated, and honestly, kind of boring, but because I wanted the cake to feel just right. There’s a difference between a good recipe and one that feels lived in. The first version was too dry, the second not lemony enough, and too sugary. The fourth, finally, sang. It had a tender crumb, a zesty punch, and a quiet, herbal complexity from the tarragon that made you want to take another bite. And another. It was the kind of cake you could eat in the morning with tea, or in the evening after dinner, with just a spoon and a quiet moment.

Recipes are, in many ways, a kind of storytelling. They hold memory, intuition, a little bit of hope. This one is a story of a craving, a market walk, a friend’s suggestion, and a quiet morning spent scribbling notes into a notebook. It’s not just a lemon cake. It’s a moment I wanted to remember. And now, maybe, one you’ll remember too.

So here it is: a lemon tarragon olive oil cake, meant to be made when the citrus is at its juiciest, when the light starts to linger longer in the day, and when you need something simple, beautiful, and just a little surprising

Lemon Tarragon Olive Oil Cake

Makes one 9-inch cake
Time: 15 min prep + 45 min bake

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 cup granulated sugar, plus 2 tbsp for topping

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 1 tsp baking soda

• ½ tsp salt

• 2 tbsp fresh tarragon, roughly chopped

• Zest of 1 lemon

• 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

• 1 cup unsweetened oat milk

• 3 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

• 1 tsp white vinegar

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly grease a 9-inch round cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, oat milk, lemon juice, vinegar, and lemon zest until smooth and emulsified.

3. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, 1 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and chopped tarragon.

4. Gradually fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture, using a spatula or wooden spoon, just until combined. Be careful not to overmix—the batter should be thick but pourable.

5. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and smooth out the top. Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar evenly over the surface.

6. Bake for 40–45 minutes, or until golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

7. Cool in the pan for 10–15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Bon appétit!