Joan Cardellino: A Delightful Dish

Joan Cardellino shares about her favorite cake recipe and cooking for her friends.

I first started making lemon cake after eating what was described on the restaurant menu as “Lemon Cornmeal Cake.” I had to try it! It was wonderful: moist, sweet and delicious. I vowed to find the recipe, and thanks to the internet, it wasn’t difficult.

My neighborhood is full of healthy, prolific lemon trees so I’m never at a loss for lemons, and olive oil (another key ingredient) is a constant element in my pantry. I love to bake. I started with fruit pies when I was a kid, learning from my mom and grandmother. In my adult life, I find baking a welcome activity that engages and soothes my mind. 

Cooking requires care and focus, so I can’t worry about the state of the world when I’m baking. The pressing issue in the kitchen is to make something delicious and appealing. To my delight, I have found many lemon cake enthusiasts. I began baking lemon cake for potlucks and casual gatherings at my house. Since the recipe doesn’t use flour, I didn’t have to worry about someone who was gluten intolerant missing out, and the cake is so moist it doesn’t need frosting. 

During the 2024 presidential campaign I hosted phone banks and postcard parties almost weekly and lemon cake became the expected refreshment. The more intense the subject matter of any meeting or event that I host, the more soothing and delicious the lemon cake becomes. 

It has been in great demand lately as my friends and I warily anticipate the mid-term elections coming up in just a couple of months. Picking lemons from trees in my neighborhood to make a delicious cake that delights my friends is deeply satisfying. Any gathering is enhanced with food because it creates a shared experience. Now, among my friends and colleagues, lemon cake has become a tradition, a symbol of our bond, that encourages us through these scary times when democracy itself is at stake. With a Perspective, I’m Joan Cardellino.


Joan Cardellino lives in Oakland with her two dogs and is probably cooking right now.