Andros Lemon Cake

Recipe by Allegra Pomilio & Images by Issy Croker

For as long as she can remember, Allegra Pomilio has been enamoured with food; this dreamy obsession eventually inspiring her - along with her parents - to transform a plot of land on the Cycladic island of Andros into Mèlisses (Greek for bees). At this antiques-bedecked guesthouse overlooking the sea, she hosts an array of workshops and retreats. Here, saltwater infinity pools beckon, veggie patches thrive and architects are likely to swoon - yet it’s the open, light-bathed kitchen that emerges as the hideaway’s beating heart. This is the space where Allegra, a graduate of the Alain Ducasse Academy, truly shines.

Mèlisses has grown organically over the years, calling to creatives and gourmands of every ilk, and has been shaped as much by Allegra and her Italian family as by Andros itself - a wild gem of an island dotted with Byzantine and Hellenic remains, and revered for its healing waters, monasteries and marble. It’s the sort of place where you can’t help but fall under the spell of cooking, Greece and island life.

In the Greece magazine, we shared a selection of Allegra’s recipes - and (with Christmas fast-approaching) it felt like the perfect time to share one here too!

ANDROS LEMON CAKE

Ingredients

- 250g sugar

- 250g flour
- 100ml mild olive oil
- 5 eggs, separated
- 1 lemon
- 50ml milk
- 1/2 sachet of baking powder

Method

1 - Separate the eggs and whip the whites until soft peaks form.

2 - In another bowl, whisk the yolks with the sugar until light in colour.

3 - Cut the lemon into chunks and remove the seeds.

4 - Blitz the lemon pieces in a blender until it becomes like a paste.

5 - Mix the oil and milk with the lemon paste and incorporate it into the yolks mixture.

6 - Sift in the flour and the baking powder until well combined. Incorporate a few tablespoons of the whipped whites to the batter to make it smoother and then gradually fold in the rest.

7 - Bake at 180°C for approximately 35-40 minutes.