The secret to this intensely lemony cake? Olive oil instead of butter! It’s a classic Mediterranean approach that gives this simple cake its incredibly moist, tender crumb and rich flavor.
Don't Lose This Recipe!
Enter your email and I'll send it to you!
I’ve developed hundreds of lemon recipes over the years, so I know exactly what I want from a lemon cake. This one has the bright flavor I want, with a soft, incredibly moist crumb from the olive oil. For me, it’s the ultimate lemon cake.
🍋 Bright lemon flavor ~ made with 3 fresh lemons (and no extract.)
🍋 Stays moist for days ~ olive oil keeps the crumb soft and tender
🍋 Simple one-layer cake ~ no frosting, just powdered sugar
You won’t taste the olive oil (unless you want to!)
One of the best things about baking with olive oil is that you get to decide how much of its flavor comes through. A pure or mild olive oil is virtually undetectable in the finished cake, letting the lemon take center stage. A more robust extra virgin olive oil brings fruity, grassy, or even slightly peppery notes. It’s completely up to you!
What’s your lemon olive oil cake style?
- Just give me the lemon
- Look for bottles labeled Pure, Classic, or Extra Light Taste. These are the most neutral choices, giving you all the moisture of olive oil while letting the lemon take center stage. Avoid anything that says Extra Virgin.
- I think I’d like a hint of olive oil
- Look for Mild, Smooth Taste, or Delicate extra virgin olive oil. You’ll get a subtle olive oil flavor in the background without losing that bright lemon character.
- I’m up for a bolder olive oil flavor!
- Choose an extra virgin olive oil labeled Rich Taste or Robust, preferably one described as fruity. It adds a deeper, richer background flavor that complements the lemon beautifully.
No wimpy lemon flavor here ~ lots of fresh juice and zest
If you’re a lemon lover like me, you’ve probably made a lemon cake or two that didn’t quite deliver. Getting that bright, tart lemon flavor into baked goods can be surprisingly tricky, and it’s something I’m always working on in my lemon recipes. This one gets it right with fresh lemon juice and zest, no extract needed.
Sue’s baking tips
- Grease your springform pan well, and make sure it’s in good condition. This batter is on the liquid-y side, so wrap the bottom seam and lower sides snugly with heavy-duty foil to help prevent leaks. You’ll place the pan directly on the oven rack, with a baking sheet on the rack below to catch any drips.
- Don’t skimp on the lemon zest, make sure you zest the whole lemons and that you get 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.
- Check for doneness. Oven temperatures vary, and the top may look done before the center is fully baked. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs, not wet batter. Let that be your guide rather than the clock.
- 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.
Reader wisdom: tips & tweaks
The comments on this cake have been so much fun to read! You called it lemon curd in cake form, the best lemon cake I’ve ever had, and even the only cake recipe I will make from now on.
Along the way, you’ve shared some clever tweaks and great discoveries ~ here are a few of my favorites.
- Play with the citrus. Readers have had great results using Meyer lemons, a combination of lemon and orange, and even lemon-infused olive oil for extra citrus flavor.
- Make it dairy-free. Both oat milk and almond milk have worked beautifully in place of whole milk.
- Try gluten-free. Readers report success with 1:1 gluten-free baking flour. Look for a blend that contains xanthan gum.
- Prefer less sugar? Several readers have reduced the sugar from 1½ cups to 1 cup with good results. The cake will be a little less sweet and may brown less.
- Dress it up! Some reader favorites include a layer of lemon curd, fresh berries and whipped cream, or blueberry compote.
- Make it ahead. This cake freezes beautifully. Cool completely, wrap well, and freeze for another day.
Add The View from Great Island as a Trusted Google Source
Lemon Olive Oil Cake
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 350°F. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan well. Wrap the bottom seam and lower sides snugly with heavy-duty foil to help prevent leaks. You'll place the pan directly on the oven rack, with a baking sheet on the rack below to catch any drips.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the 1 cup olive oil , 3 large eggs, and 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar.
- Add the 2 tsp vanilla extract, zest from 3 lemons and 1/2 cup lemon juice. Whisk briefly to combine.
- Sift together the 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda, and 2 cups all purpose flour. Alternating with the 1 cup whole 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 the additional 2 Tbsp of granulated sugar evenly over the top.
- Bake for 50–55 minutes, or until the cake is risen, lightly golden, and a toothpick inserted into the very center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Baking times can vary, so check the center rather than relying on color alone. If the top is browning too quickly, tent loosely with foil and continue baking until done.
- 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
Nutrition
More cakes to fall in love with
Lemon Yogurt Breakfast Cake (Ciambella)
Lemon Yogurt Breakfast Cake is an Italian style coffee cake with a soft, pillowy texture and a delicate lemon flavor.
Lemon Drizzle Cake
Lemon Drizzle Cake is an easy lemon bundt with a distinctive crunchy lemon glaze. You only need a few basic ingredients to make this lovely lemony dessert.
Chocolate Olive Oil Cake
A deliciously easy gluten free chocolate cake made with olive oil instead of butter.
Almond Olive Oil Cake
If you haven’t baked with olive oil yet, start here ~ this simple almond olive oil cake is soft, moist, and so easy to get right.
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.