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.
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.
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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
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Chocolate Olive Oil Cake
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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.
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.