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
More cakes to fall in love with
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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.
My sister isn’t much of a fan of normal birthday cakes, but she likes lemon stuff. I want to make her a cake for her birthday that she’ll enjoy… Should this work?
Yes, this would make a lovely non-traditional b’day cake.
Holy cow! This is delicious!
I had to cook an additional 20 minutes! Be sure to check often for don ness.
Yes, some other folks have had that issue. I’ve actually reduced the amount of milk in the recipe after re-testing myself. But this type of cake does take a while to bake through. The results are so worth it, though!
Cooking EVOO is fine as long at it is minimally pungent (like Costco Organic EVOO), cut the sugar to 1 cup, gluten-free flour and full fat oat milk. This cake is perfect!
Beautiful cake! Yummy too.
Thanks so much Wendy!
This cake had great lemon flavor! The problem was it was wet in the center. I baked it 10 minutes over the recommended time! Any suggestions?
I known we will love this and I truly dislike it when people change up the recipes but I have to ask. Do you suppose I can use almond flour and maybe sub the sugar? Health reasons at the moment. If not I’m making this anyway. Thanks for sharing and always replying.
I’ve made this subbing some of the flour for almond flour, and it works fine. As for using all almond flour, I think you’d want a recipe formulated for that. The sugar can be reduced by about 1/3 without too much issue. If you do use party almond flour, I would reduce the liquid a bit as it’s not as ‘absorbent’ as wheat flour.
Thanks for the reply I’ll be doing that. And BTW tonight we’ll be enjoying the chicken Marsala. Rick the husband asked for chicken piccata but your recipe popped in today and we have mushrooms and fry sherry. LOL your romantic news watching dinners sounds like ours except it usually involves police shoes . I moved us to the “off” kitchen for meals… no TV there
This is a wonderful cake! As it was baking my spouse asked “What smells so amazing?” 🙂 He usually only notice the smell of bacon. LOL. I did have to cook it 35 minutes longer than called for in the recipe. Although the outside was beginning to turn golden at 55 minutes, the center wasn’t solid yet. Amazingly, it tolerated the extra time in the oven just fine. The crisp, crackly exterior was a lovely complement to the dense, moist interior. We will definitely be making this one again. I didn’t try topping with the powdered sugar because it was perfect for us as it was. Thanks for another wonderful recipe, Sue! Oh! I should have said I used EVOO because that was all I had and we didn’t even notice the flavor, but we really like olive oil.
All I have is EVOO so could that be diluted and mixed with a high quality sunflower oil? If so what ratio would you suggest? I don`t bake much so your suggestion would helpful in making this cake. I have an orange olive oil cake recipe and felt like it could be a less EVOO tasting. Thx looking forward to trying this.
I’m working on an orange olive oil cake now, coincidentally. You can dilute your EVOO maybe by half, with the sunflower oil.
Finally made this today with a 50/50 mix of oil,the results are delicious without being to sweet with a nice texture .Really enjoy the subtle crunch of outside edge. I don`t bake a lot but your recipe makes me look like Rock Star! THX
Excellent . Made this for Christmas Day, because I was looking for a light cake after turkey and all the fixings. Tart and tasty. I would advise to use regular olive oil, not extra virgin olive oil. Bake time 55 to 60 minutes. I used tin foil under the springform form, as this batter is runny.