Lemon olive oil cake is a deliciously moist and tender Mediterranean style lemon cake perfect with a cup of coffee or tea!
what is an olive oil cake? (ciambellone)
Olive oil cakes are made with olive oil instead of butter or other vegetable oil as the primary fat ~ they have been a special part of celebrating the olive harvest across the Mediterranean. Olive oil adds a subtle fruity flavor to cake, as well as plenty of moisture ~ olive oil cakes stay moist for days! I love this cake so much I’ve made a chocolate olive oil cake, too!
does this cake taste like olive oil?
- That’s going to depend on the kind of olive oil you use, but generally speaking this recipe won’t produce a cake that tastes strongly of olive oil.
- ‘Pure’ or ‘regular’ olive oil is what I used and could only barely discern it in the background, which was perfect with the lemon.
- If you want a stronger taste, you can use ‘extra virgin’ olive oil, which is unrefined and has a bold olive flavor.
- If you don’t want any hint of olive oil flavor, you can use one of the ‘light’ olive oils on the market now, or any other kind of neutral cooking oil you like.
- The combination of the lemon, vanilla, and a hint of olive oil makes for a simple but complexly flavored cake.
this cake does not disappoint on the lemon front, either!
If you’re a lemon lover like me, you’ve probably made some lemon cakes or desserts in the past that just didn’t deliver on the lemon flavor. It can be a challenge, and I’m always striving to make my lemon recipes sing with that tart lemony flavor you and I love. Sometimes I use lemon extract to achieve that result, but here I’ve used three whole lemons and their zest for an unmistakable citrusy punch, no additional flavoring necessary.
tips for baking a great lemon olive oil cake
- Grease your springform pan well, and make sure it’s in good condition. This batter is on the liquid-y side, so you may want to place a large baking sheet underneath your pan to catch any drips. Wrap the bottom and sides of the pan tightly with foil to prevent leaks.
- Don’t skimp on the lemon zest, make sure you zest the whole lemon and that you get at least 1/2 cup of juice from your 3 lemons.
- Don’t over-mix your batter once you’ve added the flour or you will get a gummy texture.
- Allow the cake to cool partially in the pan before attempting to release it. Run a thin butter knife around the edges if it seems like it’s a bit stuck.
why this is the best lemon olive oil cake ever
I set out to make the perfect version of a classic lemon olive oil cake here, and I think I succeeded! Here’s why:
- The amount of oil is perfect, just enough to ensure a super moist texture, but not so much that you get an oily cake.
- I’ve also packed it with plenty of lemon flavor, complimented by aromatic vanilla extract which pairs beautifully with that hint of olive oil in the background
we can’t get enough lemon cakes
- Lemon Chiffon Cake
- Lemon Crunch Cake
- Mary Berry’s Lemon Drizzle Cake
- Lemon Yogurt Breakfast Cake (Ciambella)
- Blueberry Lemon Cake
- Lemon Layer Cake with Lemon Poppy Seed Frosting
Lemon Olive Oil Cake
My lemon olive oil cake is a moist and tender cake with a surprisingly bright lemon flavor.
Servings: 12 servings
Video
Equipment
- 9" springform pan
Ingredients
- 1 cup olive oil , see notes in the post about choosing an olive oil for this recipe)
- 3 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, plus 2 tbsp for sprinkling the top
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- zest from 3 lemons
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup whole milk
- powdered sugar for dusting, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare a 9" springform pan by greasing the bottom and the sides well, and lining the bottom with a circle of parchment paper. Wrap the outside with foil to prevent leaks.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the olive oil, eggs, and sugar.
- Add the vanilla, lemon zest and lemon juice. Whisk briefly to combine.
- Sift together the salt, baking powder, baking soda, and flour. Alternating with the milk, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in a couple of batches. Try not to over-mix at this stage, you just want to combine everything until no streaks of dry flour remain.
- Pour the batter into the springform pan. Sprinkle 2 tbsp of granulated sugar evenly over the top.
- Bake for 50-55 minutes. The cake should be risen and starting to turn a bit golden brown on the top. Note: ovens vary greatly and you may need to bake your cake longer to get it done in the center. I recommend laying a loose piece of foil over the top of your cake if yours seems to be getting very brown towards the end of cooking.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes in the pan. Then gently remove the cake from the springform pan and allow to cool completely on a baking rack.
- When cool, dust the top with powdered sugar, if desired.
Notes
A Note About Baking Time: Home ovens are not very precise. Many home ovens can be off by 25°F or more from the set temperature. This means that if you set your oven to 350°F it might actually be at 325°F. Monitor baking time closely, as it can vary. Insert a toothpick to check for doneness—it should come out clean or with a few crumbs. If there is obvious wet batter clinging to it, bake your cake a little longer.
Nutrition
Calories: 366 kcal · Carbohydrates: 43 g · Protein: 4 g · Fat: 20 g · Saturated Fat: 3 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 2 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 14 g · Trans Fat: 0.01 g · Cholesterol: 49 mg · Sodium: 266 mg · Potassium: 99 mg · Fiber: 1 g · Sugar: 26 g · Vitamin A: 101 IU · Vitamin C: 4 mg · Calcium: 44 mg · Iron: 1 mg
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although The View from Great Island attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
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Hi Sue,
Can’t wait to try this recipe. Do you think it would work to bake with slices of lemon on top?
The batter is thin so not sure it would support the lemons without them sinking. You might try a layer of very thin slices.
Do you suppose this cake could be frosted with buttercream? : ) My bf wants a vanilla lemon cake with chocolate frosting for his birthday, so I was going to try it if you think it’s a good idea.
Well, I have to be honest and say I don’t think this cake would be good frosted, sorry! Of course you could give it a try, but the olive oil presence in the cake makes me think frosting wouldn’t taste very good with it.
Yum!! Delicious and moist cake that melts in your mouth with a really good crunch on the top from the sugar. I used light olive oil because there are some olive oil haters in the family- it had a very very subtle taste, not really noticeable. I added a little bit of lemon extract into the mix to give it more flavor and also sprinkled some lemon zest on top after baking! I did not have a springform pan so I used my regular 8″ cake pan (greased) and baked at 350 for about 40 minutes! (I split the mixture in 2 by the way because my pan was smaller) I’m gonna try to make a lemon-blueberry curd to put on top for the second cake!
Just do it! What`s the worst that can happen?He will love it!
Hi,
This recipe looks delicious! Would this work for a 2 layer cake or should I change the ratios?
Suppose I don’t have a springform pan. BRW haven’t found anything less than 5 stars even if I haven’t made the recipe yet! Happy Mother’s Day!
Haha ~ thanks Donnamarie, and Happy Mother’s Day to you 🙂 You can make this is a regular cake pan, but I’m not sure about whether you’d be able to turn it out of the pan. I would line with a circle of parchment and use a good non stick pan.
Hi Sue, thanks for the recipe! If I make this cake a day ahead of time, is it best stored at room temp or in the fridge?
I’d store it at room temp.
I think your calories/nutrition is off a bit. Should be 20 grams of fat, not 2. I made this for Easter last Sunday. I’m one of those – I subbed half the flour with chickpea flour (for nutritional reasons) and used Swerve instead of sugar (diabetic family member). It was so good! Really lemony and moist. Even with the chickpea flour it wasn’t overly dense. I would make it again, the same way.
This cake is fabulous! I say so and all the friends I have served it to agree. It is so moist, and it’s lemony enough that it will make you pucker a bit. I will make it again and again.
One thing, Sue: When I mixed together the oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar, eggs, and vanilla–the result was really thick and gooey, unlike any cake batter I’ve ever seen before, and I thought maybe I’d made a mistake. Nope! So you might want to mention that in the recipe. For which I thank you–it’s a keeper!
It would be great to also have metric weights. I find it so much easier to use my scale.
They’re in there now, Roger.
Hmmm….. don’t see metric measurements for anything in this recipe, am I doing something wrong?
Thanks in advance!
There’s a toggle button opposite the ingredients, just click US Customary or Metric.
I made this cake tonight. I baked it 55 min, but don’t think that was long enough. I know not all ovens are created equal. Next time I’ll bake it for 1 hour, or a little more. I’d like for it to have a bit more lemon punch. If I were to add lemon extract, would 1/2 tsp. be the right amount?
I really liked the crumb & taste, just as far as my oven goes, it needs to bake a little longer. Love the crisp top.
Lemon extract is pretty strong so I would recommend 1 tsp.
The cake is delicious, but I have made it twice now and each time I needed at least 1 hour 20 minutes for it to be done in the center.