A light and tender lemon cake made with olive oil, this simple cake is full of complex flavors. Make this lemon olive oil cake for a sweet snack or a breakfast that’s worth waking up for.
Besides chocolate, citrus is my favorite type of cake to snack on. Any day can be brightened by a burst of sweet juicy citrus with a cup of coffee. This lemon olive oil cake does that, and more, bringing superior moisture and flavor from quality extra virgin olive oil.
Olive oil isn’t just for savory cooking. It’s fruity flavor pairs wonderfully with zesty citrus, and it also lends extra moisture from its high fat content.
There’s also the addition of butter to this lemon olive oil cake recipe. The nutty flavor of butter, paired with the fruity olive oil and lemony citrus, is a trio of complementing flavors. This cake is perfect on its own, or topped with a simple lemon glaze for decoration.
Why I Use Olive Oil
Olive oil doesn’t make the cake healthy, but it does lend a tenderness to the cake that is unparalleled by other fats. Since olive oil is liquid at room temperature, it makes cakes incredibly moist, in fact they only improve with time.
It took me a while to develop this lemon olive oil cake recipe. I first tried using olive oil in cakes a few years ago, but the flavor was too strong and I put the idea aside. I decided to try again, this time using citrus to balance out the flavor, and ended up with this winning lemon cake recipe. The olive oil flavor is subtle, and it works to bring out the brightness of the citrus.
It’s important to use good quality extra virgin olive oil for this recipe. Since olive oil is a prominent ingredient, you’ll want to use an oil that you would dip bread in or use in dressings.
How To Make Lemon Olive Oil Cake
The first thing you’ll want to do is preheat your oven to 350ºF/180ºC and grease a 9-inch round pan. Be sure to grease it well, as this cake is very moist and can easily stick to the pan. You can also line it with parchment paper after greasing. This cake isn’t tall, so if you want it taller you can bake it in an 8-inch pan.
In a large bowl, whisk together your dry ingredients and set them aside while you prepare the rest of the batter.
Mix together the lemon zest and sugar, releasing the oils from the zest into the sugar. You will know this has happened once you start smelling a strong fragrance of lemon. Add the eggs and whisk until combined, followed by the olive oil and melted butter. Whisk in the lemon juice and buttermilk.
Once everything is smooth and lump-free, add the wet mixture to the flour mixture and fold with a rubber spatula until fully combined. Be very careful not to overmix the batter. This lemon olive oil cake is delicate, and overmixing the batter can result in a dense, and not tender, cake.
Bake the cake for 40-45 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick or skewer comes out clean. You will need to let it cool completely, at least an hour, on a wire rack before serving. Since it is so moist, letting it cool helps the cake set and makes it a lot easier to cut into slices.
I like to serve this cake with a dusting of powdered sugar or a simple lemon glaze that I also use for my lemon loaf cake. The cake is great on the first day, but gets even more moist as it ages. It will keep well for several days, but it’s never lasted that long in my family of sweet tooths!
Other Lemon Recipes:
Lemon Olive Oil Cake
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (210g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest (about 2 lemons)
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup (120 ml) extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup (½ stick/55g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- ¼ cup (60 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk
- Powdered sugar , for dusting
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350ºF/180ºC. Grease well a 9-inch round pan (3-inch deep).
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In a large bowl Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
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In a medium bowl toss together sugar and lemon zest until combined. Add eggs and whisk well until combined. Whisk in olive oil and butter. Add lemon juice and buttermilk and whisk until combined. Add mixture to the flour mixture, and fold with a rubber spatula until combined and smooth. Once all is added, be careful not to overmix the batter.
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Scrape batter into prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until golden and a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow cake to cool completely on a wire rack. Dust cake lightly with powdered sugar before serving.
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Store cake at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 days or refrigerate for up to 5 days. Serve at room temperature.
Christian says
Like the name of this page, this lemon olive cake true pretty, simple, and sweet. This is a good recommendation for a good morning, in like the flavor of lemon and light sweet of this cake. It’s convenient because can prepare first and serve many times. Thanks for the nice recipe!
Shiran says
Thank you so much, Christian!
Aditi says
Hi- do you think that a cream cheese frosting will go well with this? I don’t want to use more lemon (with lemon glaze) on top.
Aditi says
BTW, the cake came out really well and looks great too. But my olive oil has a bit of taste which I think can be masked with the cream cheese frosting? That’s why the question above 🙂
Natalia says
Tastes so delicious but had major spill over in the oven using a 9 inch round 🙁 anyone else have this issue?
Lisa says
Yes I did. I barely got it in the oven before I smelled something burning and it was already spilling over.
Juliane says
THE DREAM! Just made this, super moist yet fluffy with a very pleasant tanginess from the olive oil. I felt instantly transferred to a mediterranean café… Thanks!
Natalia says
Tasted delicious but I had a major spill over in the oven using a 9 inch round 🙁 anyone else have this issue?
Rina Yoo says
No but the batter was way too much for my pan so I divided them into a regular size pan & smaller pan. Otherwise it would’ve spelled over.
Erin says
This looks so delicious! I’d like to make it for my husband’s birthday. Have you ever substituted DIY buttermilk with a Greek yogurt/water combination?
gl says
any help for high altitude adjustments needed? thank you!
Shiran says
Sorry but I don’t have experience baking in high altitude.
Laura says
Hello there – I live in Santa Fe at 7200′ above sea level. I adjust my cake recipes using this great webpage: https://bakingnaturally.org/high-altitude-baking-adjustments/
Good luck to you!
Natalie Johnston says
I’ve made this a few times now, and it’s become a hands-down favorite of a friend of mine. It’s pretty popular at work too. Once people get past how weird olive oil cake sounds and try it, everyone says how good it is.
Nonhlanhla says
Delicious, moist and has a balance of flavors! This cake is the best!
krista gerdon says
delicious and easy and perfect!
Nancy says
Hi there, can you use a ceramic pan to bake this cake?
Shiran says
Hi Nancy, yes that shouldn’t be a problem.
PJ says
I made this cake today, followed the recipe exact and it came out Amazing!! Not too sweet, all of the flavors work together so well! I am bringing it to a brunch tomorrow!
Annette Giovia says
I cannot wait to make this cake! I will be adding 2 tablespoons of poppyseeds to kick this up a notch.
Thanks for an easy recipe.
Georg Mierau says
I’ve baked this cake yesterday using whole-wheat flour and it turned out quite good. Moist and not too sweet.
Dre says
Made this cake this morning and it is fabulous! I added basil to mine (pulsed sugar, basil and lemon zest in food processor) and I wanted more height so I merengued my egg whites and folded it in last.
Brenda Carroll says
Do you have the Calorie/Nutritional Breakdown for the Lemon Olive Oil Cake recipe?
Talia @ Pretty. Simple. Sweet. says
Hi Brenda, I don’t add nutrition facts to my recipes but there are plenty of nutrition calculators on Google that can help you determine these values 🙂
Belinda Finch says
Is it possible to freeze this cake?
Talia @ Pretty. Simple. Sweet. says
Hi Belinda, yes this cake freezes very well! Just make sure to wrap it up well in plastic wrap, preferably double wrapped, to keep it from getting freezer burned 🙂
Kimberly Giroux says
made this today! it is lucky for me I use 10 in cake rounds! added poppy seeds as I read another baker did. Used this glorious cake for STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE !!! 5 stars
Bea says
Hi I bakes the cake but it rose too high and it started to crack on top. What caused this? I followed instructions and same time and temperature as well.
Talia @ Pretty. Simple. Sweet. says
Hi Bea, it is difficult to say exactly what happened, because there are so many factors to consider. However, over rising/cracking can be caused by over mixing, too much baking soda/baking powder, or an oven that’s too hot. Everyone’s oven is different and it’s possible your oven runs a bit on the hotter side. To determine the exact temperate, you can get an oven thermometer to gauge what the exact temperature is. Good luck! 🙂
Lisa says
My parents raved about this cake! I made two small cakes with the recipe. My mom said it was so good that she didn’t want dinner. Just cake!
It felt great to bring such happiness to them.
Kate says
Hi! This cake is delicious!
Is it normal to have quite a few lumps in the batter after folding the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients with a spatula? I ended up mixing it with a whisk to reduce the lumps…
Talia @ Pretty. Simple. Sweet. says
Hi Kate, this can happen sometimes. A whisk is a great way to break them up, or you can also sift the dry ingredients before combining them to ensure the smoothest texture.
Kenneth Duffy says
I thought sugar was a dry ingredient
Talia @ Pretty. Simple. Sweet. says
Hi Kenneth! Sugar is sometimes considered a dry ingredient, but a lot of time it is mixed with fat first and then the rest of the dry ingredients are added – it’s just a way to help all the ingredients emulsify better. Also, when you heat sugar, it turns into caramel – so it’s somewhere between a wet and dry ingredients 🙂
Laura Lewis Mantell says
Can I omit the butter and add 3 more TBS of olive oil?
Talia @ Pretty. Simple. Sweet. says
Hi Laura, you can substitute olive oil for the butter in this cake. Just make sure it’s the same amount, 55g (1/4 cup).
Kika says
Can this be done in muffin tins? If so, what temp and cook time?
Talia @ Pretty. Simple. Sweet. says
Hi Kika, I don’t see why you couldn’t bake this in muffin tins. I personally haven’t tried it, but I recommend keeping the oven temperature the same and checking them after 12 minutes to see if they are done (they probably won’t be yet). Check every 3-5 minutes afterwards so they don’t overbake 🙂 good luck!
Kate Smith says
Worked out well, I used a bundt cake tin and the size was perfect.
Not my favourite recipe for a lemon cake, found it lacking in lemon flavour and could use more juice/zest in it.
Knocked the sugar down to 175g and it was still sweet enough.
Madeline says
I made this cake for Hannukah this year and it was a hit! Question: do you think I could add blueberries to the mix without it changing the recipe much? Or would a compote be a safer bet?
Talia @ Pretty. Simple. Sweet. says
Hi Madeline, blueberries would be a great addition!
Liz says
Is this cake like a sponge cake?
Talia @ Pretty. Simple. Sweet. says
Hi Liz, this is not a sponge cake because the eggs are not whipped 🙂
Susan says
I love this cake, which I found really easy to make. This is the second time I’ve made it and it doesn’t last long in my house! The cake is really tender and moist. Since I also love lemon, I would like to add more lemon flavor to it. I would also like to try it with oranges.
Stephanie @ Pretty.Simple.Sweet. says
Thank you Susan!