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 made it and everyone loved it ! Thankyou so much
I made your lemon olive oil cake today, and I just want to say- YOU NAILED IT! I followed the recipe exactly and I sprinkled slivered almonds on it for the last few mins of baking and dusted with powdered sugar when it cooled. Exceeded expectations, per my husband. Bright lemon flavor with undertones of olive oil. Texture is soft and extremely moist without being greasy! It is perfect. Thank you for creating this recipe and sharing!
You’re so welcome Jane, thanks for the review 🙂
incredible. this may be one of the best things i’ve ever made at home. I subbed the lemon for oranges, and added an orange glaze on top. I’m obsessed.
Simple and delicious recipe. Topped with powdered sugar and light dusting of chopped pistachios for lil texture and color.
It turned out delicious and everyone enjoyed it. I don’t bake much but following your video and pointers really helped. I was worried about using Spanish light olive oil, and over mixing using the KitchenAid because of the chunky batter, but it turned out like your pictures. Perfecto. Thank you so much!
My husband requests a lemon olive oil cake every year for his birthday and this is by far the best one I’ve made. Its so light and moist. I used oat milk (dairy allergy) and Meyer lemon infused olive oil. Fantastic!
Thanks for the review Danielle! I agree, the texture of this cake is so lovely and unusual.
Way too oily. Please check your metric conversions. I weigh ingredients directly into mixing bowl, and I found out after-th-fact that 1 cup of olive oil is more like 130 grams, not 216 as the metric version states (which I used). Other than that, the flavor was good (used lemon olive oil). I may try it again and measure the oil separately.
I just rechecked and weighed a cup of olive oil in grams and it hovers around 200-210. That’s what most online calculators will answer as well. I’m not sure why you get 130? Grams are so precise that maybe different scales can be off by a lot.
My mom made this for me and it was great. She too served it with blueberry compote and whipped cream
I was skeptical bc the batter was more like pancake batter than yellow cake batter. Baked up fine, and tasted great! Topped mine w vanilla ice cream and a blueberry lemon compote. It’s great on it’s own or topped w whatever sounds good. Thanks again!
I made this cake exactly as directed, but cooked it a bit longer, and it came out great! Delicious with great lemon flavor. I didn’t notice the olive oil flavor, I used classic olive oil, states it is for baking on the bottle. Next time I may even try a good quality EVOO to bring out more olive oil flavor, but it was delicious as is. Very moist, lemony and perfect with the powdered sugar on top. Thank you!