Lemon Olive Oil Cake

I absolutely love baking with olive oil. Olive oil lends such a rich, but light and fruity flavor. My Orange Olive Oil Cake, Chocolate Olive Oil Cake, Olive Oil Cookies, Rosemary Olive Oil Cake and Citrus Olive Oil Brownies are just a few of my favorite olive oil recipes on the blog.  If you’re a fan of simple desserts with tons of fresh flavor this lemon olive oil cake recipe is for you. 

• Layers of flavor and textures. One thing I adore about this olive oil orange cake is the depth of flavor. The olive oil creates a beautiful tender, moist and fluffy crumb. The sweet and fresh orange zest, juice and extract bring another layer of bright fruity citrus flavor. 
• Easy to make, bake and eat. This orange cake with olive oil tastes like you just bought it from a lovely Italian or mediterranean bakery, but don’t let the bakery worthy flavor and appearance fool you. This olive oil cake is incredibly quick and easy to make. Simply mix, bake, dust with powdered sugar and enjoy. 

This olive oil cake lemon cake requires just a handful of simple ingredients to make and you probably already have them in your pantry and fridge.  Here’s what you’ll need.

• Dry Ingredients: Gather all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
• Wet Ingredients: Gather granulated sugar, lemon zest, olive oil, eggs, freshly squeezed lemon juice and milk. If you would like to top with the cake as pictured, gather powdered sugar as well.

Here are my recommended ingredient substitutions to make this easy olive oil cake with lemon if you need them.

• Baking Powder and Baking Soda: These both act as leaveners in this olive oil and orange cake. 
• Granulated Sugar: This lemon cake with olive oil recipe calls for granulated sugar, but maple sugar would also work well to make this cake refined sugar free. If you decide to use maple sugar, process the sugar in a food processor until the granules of sugar are the consistency of superfine sugar. 
• Lemon Zest and Juice: Lemon pairs so beautifully with olive oil. This is a common flavor combination in Italian and mediterranean baking. I highly recommend using fresh lemon zest and freshly squeezed lemon juice in this olive oil cake. 
• Olive Oil: Use a mild, slightly fruity olive oil for this moist orange olive oil cake. Make sure you like the taste of the olive oil before baking with it, as the taste of the olive oil will come through after baking. I like to use this brand when I bake with olive oil. Trader Joe’s also has a lemon infused olive oil that works well for this cake.
• Lemon Extract: This is optional, but can give more lemon flavor to the olive oil cake.
• Eggs: This recipe has not been tested without eggs. Make sure they are room temperature.
• Milk: Use any milk you like. I like to bake with a higher fat milk because the final texture of the cake is more moist and tender.

Variation

• Lemon Glaze: Whisk 1½ cups (180 g) powdered sugar with 2 - 3 tablespoons lemon juice until smooth and well combined. Pour and spread across the cooled lemon olive oil cake. Zest more lemon zest on top if you like. 
• Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting: For a more decadent topping, follow my recipe for Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting. Top the cake with the lemon cream cheese frosting after the cake has completely cooled. Store the cake in the fridge once topped with cream cheese frosting.

Learn how to make lemon olive oil cake in a few easy steps.

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C). Grease and line the bottom of a 9- inch (23 cm) springform or cake pan with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together until well combined. 
2. In a large mixing bowl fitted with whisk attachment, whisk the sugar and lemon zest together until they are the consistency of wet sand. On low, whisk the eggs and lemon sugar together on low speed until all the eggs are added and combined. Increase the speed to high and whip for 4 - 5 minutes. The egg and sugar mixture will be thick and light yellow in color. With the mixture on medium speed, stream in the olive oil. Once all the olive oil is streamed in, increase the speed to high for 1 minute. Scrape the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl as needed. On low, whisk in the lemon juice and milk, followed by the dry ingredients. Mix until just incorporated.

3. Evenly pour the lemon olive oil cake batter into the prepared pan. For a thin, crackle crust, top with granulated sugar.  Bake the olive oil lemon cake for 45 - 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. The crust will be golden brown and the top should bounce back when gently pressed. Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes. Gently release the side of the springform pan and allow the cake to cool for 5-10 more minutes. Transfer the lemon cake to a serving plate or serve right from the pan. Top with powdered sugar, slice and enjoy.

M’s Expert Tips

• Boost the lemon flavor. Use an olive oil infused with lemon and add 1 - 2 teaspoons of lemon extract along with the lemon zest and juice for even more lemon flavor. 
• Zest the lemon directly into the sugar. This allows the oils from the orange to flavor the cake better. 
• Freshly squeeze the orange juice. In a pinch you can use store bought lemon juice, but this is the perfect time to use the juice from the lemons used for the zest. 
• Bring cold ingredients to room temperature. This allows the ingredients to mix together more evenly which requires less mixing, resulting in soft, fluffy, moist and tender lemon cake with olive oil. 
• Don’t overmix the batter.  Always use the lowest speed on your electric mixer or mix in the dry ingredients by hand. Make sure to mix the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined. 
• Use the baking times as a guide. All ovens vary and baking times should be used as a guide. As a general rule, when the cake becomes very fragrant, it’s a good idea to start checking. Begin checking the cake at the minimum baking time. A toothpick inserted into the center of the cake should come out with a few moist crumbs or clean. The top should be golden brown and the top of the cake should quickly bounce back when lightly pressed.

Other Lemon Recipes to Try

• Lemon Drop Cookies
• Lemon Loaf
• Lemon Ricotta Cake
• Lemon Ricotta Cookies
• Lemon Muffins

If you try this Lemon Olive Oil Cake recipe please rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Doing so helps other readers decide if this is a great recipe to bake. Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using @olivesnthyme so I can see what you’re baking! - M