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
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.
Video
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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I’m always trying recipes expecting the worst but this one is a winner. Its moist, flavorful but also light. You do NOT need to be an expert to make this amazing cake- it’s fool proof
This is my go to recipe now if I ever have to bake a cake. I just made it for my daughter’s first birthday cake and it was a huge hit with everybody.
Great recipe! A few tweaks at this end. The main one is, I used only about half the sugar. 3/4c or so total. And about 2/3 cup of olive oil. The cake was still plenty moist and the lemon flavor was more prominent as it wasn’t drowned out by sweetness.I get top quality pastry flour from my local miller. It is worth the extra cost as the crumb is incredibly tender. I didn’t have a springform pan so I just used my 9-in layer cake pan with a detachable bottom. It worked fine. I baked it 45 minutes total. If you want to intensify the lemon flavor, try adding a couple of teaspoons of Sicilian lemon jam sold under the Bono label.
Sounds delish!
I made this cake for the first time for an Italian dinner theme party and my friends loved it! I don’t know why though my cake caved in the middle and took longer than the allotted time to cook. I’m going to make it again and try to cook longer. If anyone has any tips on how to prevent that from happening I’d love them bc this recipe was delicious and is a go to.
I’ve made this many times since I found your recipe using gluten free flour and half milk half plain yoghurt as gf flour so drying. It is a big favourite now and even better as it’s gf I can eat it like everyone else
This is such valuable feedback, thanks Jj!
Excellent recipe, second time making it in just one week! Thanks for sharing!!
Try my chocolate version next! (chocolate olive oil cake)
I tried lemon olive cake for the first time this year and have been quietly obsessing about it since. I found this recipe and made it several days ago. I used a lemon infused olive oil for extra lemony goodness and half & half instead of whole milk. It was amazing. So amazing in fact, that 3 days later, I’m making it again. I also used a few slices with sliced strawberries and whipped cream as a version of strawberry shortcake. This recipe is simple and packs a punch. Highly recommended.
How did I end up with a dense and liquidy cake after baking for 65 minutes? Check out the amount of liquid in this cake and let me know if this makes sense? Very sad after all that zesting!
The metric measurements are calculated automatically and they were off with one ingredient. It’s corrected now, so sorry for your experience!
I used the metric measurements to bake this cake, but I realised halfway in that the conversions are incorrect. If you weigh in grams all the liquid ingredients, you’ll see how much MORE of all of it there is – try pouring them into cup measurements and you’ll see what I mean. My batter ended up so runny, more runny than crepe batter, that I had to add additional flour to thicken it up. It still did not dollop the way yours did in the video.
I’m bringing this to your attention because it has made things difficult and I don’t want this to happen to anyone else. I chose this recipe because we were given free lemons, and I had just enough of the rest of ingredients. We’re short on cash for the foreseeable future and home baked goods are how we can afford a treat. I’m so dismayed that my ingredients could all be wasted.
I found this recipe looking for another lemon recipe for my family (we are huge lovers of lemon, but it is never enough lemon flavor). This cake came out so beautifully, the lemon flavor and the texture of the cake were great, but I have made a couple adjustments. If you can find a lemon-infused olive oil, it is well worth it to further enhance the lemon (I recommend either an Italian one or from a farmer’s market). Also, I have made this recipe accidentally without the milk and it still came out fantastic. The milk adds weight to the cake when you remove it from the pan and a little more richness, but it is not lacking if you remove it because the oil keeps the cake moist and flavorful. So if you don’t have milk or if you forget it like me, no need to worry. My suggestion to remove the cake is to grease your pan & use parchment paper for easier removal since it is such a heavy cake. I have simply smashed parchment paper in when I don’t have time to make it look as pretty as usual & even with some imperfections, it is still so delicious that no one will care.
Wonderful tips, Liana. I have a lemon olive oil that I love from O Olive Oil.