Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9-inch round cake tin thoroughly and line the bottom with parchment paper.
- Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together into a large mixing bowl. Whisk well to ensure leaveners are evenly distributed.
- In a separate jug, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, milk, and vanilla extract until emulsified.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix gently using a whisk or rubber spatula, just until no streaks of dry flour remain. Stop mixing immediately to avoid developing gluten.
- Pour the batter into the prepared tin, smoothing the top. Bake for 40–45 minutes. A skewer inserted into the centre should come out clean.
- While the cake is baking, prepare the syrup: Combine the syrup sugar, water, and lemon juice in a small saucepan. Heat gently until the sugar dissolves completely. Remove from heat.
- Immediately upon removing the hot cake from the oven, poke holes all over the top using a skewer. Slowly brush or drizzle the warm lemon syrup evenly over the entire hot cake surface.
- Let the cake cool completely in the tin before carefully turning it out. Dust generously with icing (powdered) sugar before slicing and serving.