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.
This cake was fantastic!! Super moist and yummy. For the 1 cup of olive oil I used 1/2 cup balanced olive oil, 1/4 cup Persian lime olive oil, and 1/4 cup Valencia orange olive oil. I think I’ll increase the citrus olive oil in place of the balanced olive oil next time.
And that’s the beauty of this cake, you can really have fun with the oil.
Why have I not heard of Persian lime oil??
Hey Sue – with the cost of eggs increasing daily, how many eggs is the absolute minimum to be used in your recipe? Can you put together an article on what/how to substitute a different item or pantry staple for the eggs? I paid $7.99 for a dozen at my local supermarket. Yikes!! I can’t afford to use them for baking when I need to feed a family. Thanks!
Hey Kimberly! I haven’t experimented with reducing eggs so I’m not really sure. This cake uses 3 and because it’s such a specific recipe I don’t think I would mess with that. I’ll do some research on egg replacements and see what I can come up with. In the meantime I’d check out some vegan recipes like my vegan lemon cake and others that don’t use eggs in the first place.
This is such a delicious cake! I baked as instructed. It took >60mins. in my oven, but other than that no changes. …Adding it to my regular go-to’s when asked to bring a dessert. Thank you, Sue!
It was so good. Used one-to-one gluten free baking flour and a combo of cocojune coconut yoghurt and coconut drinking milk (Calafia) for the milk. It was perfect!
Hi. I have a question . I’m debating between this recipe an and your Meyer Lemon cake. Could you use the whole blended lemons in this recipe. Instead of the lemon juice and lemon peel? Or Zet I mean? I want to make it for this weekend. Thank you
This recipe is so specific that I can’t recommend that change since I haven’t tried it. If you used the same volume I can’t see why it wouldn’t work, though.
Thank you. I think I will stick to the original recipes. They both look delicious.
This recipe is delicious. The cake turns out so moist, almost too moist, but I liked it. I added a small amount of lemon drizzle and served it with strawberries which was a great pairing.
The lemon flavor is fantastic and the recipe is quite easy. I did not use a springform pan but I did place parchment paper on the bottom and greased the pan heavily with butter. The cake separated from the pan perfectly.
This cake was a huge hit with my husband and three year old – they blew through the cake within two days – so I am making it for my mom for her birthday! It is just so darn delicious. It makes such a tender, moist, delicate cake and the recipe really is not very fussy. I can get it in the oven after maybe 10-15 minutes hands on time.
It’s delicious as but would be great with extra zest – the punchier the better. I use Meyer lemons which really have the best, most pungent flavor. I found mine baked perfectly at exactly 350F in my convection oven for exactly 50 minutes. I did put foil on top for the last 15 minutes to prevent over browning.
Would be especially lovely with a lemon glaze on top but I haven’t tried that yet!
This recipe looks amazing! I am excited to try it. Can I make them in a muffin tin? If so, how long should I cook them?
I haven’t tried that M, and not sure if a reader has, somewhere in the comments. Normally a muffin might take 18-22 minutes, but depending on size, these might need longer time.
It seemed to oily for me. If I make it again I’d reduce oil by 1/4 cup and increase flour by 1/4 cup
This was everything I wanted to satisfy a craving for olive oil cake! It was the perfect amount of batter for my new Nordic Ware honeycomb pull-apart pan. The edges are perfectly crisp and the cake is soft and moist. Tasty without being overly sweet. I didn’t have whole milk so I used half greek yogurt and half almond milk.
How would you suggest storing the leftovers? I usually just bake for myself. Thank you!
So happy you loved this! I feel comfortable leaving the cake at room temperature, but it won’t hurt to refrigerate it, either.
I used almond milk and the cake came out delicious
Thanks Lois, good to know.