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My lemon olive oil cake is super moist, light, and full of tangy, sweet lemon flavor! It needs just 7 ingredients and needs little prep time.
Love simple cake recipes? Try my almond flour cake, orange cake, lemon blueberry cake, and coconut cake next.
Have you ever used olive oil to bake cakes? It’s one of my favorite ways to swap out butter and gives cakes a light and moist texture. My lemon olive oil cake recipe is one I make throughout the year or when I have an abundance of lemons to use up!
Table of Contents
Why I love this recipe
- Super easy. All you need to do is beat eggs with sugar, add the remaining ingredients, combine, and bake. Easy peasy!
- Perfect texture. While the cake itself is moist and soft in the middle, it has a light crumb which makes it that much moreish.
- No olive oil flavor. I promise you, this does not taste anything like olives or the oil.
- Perfect for any occasion. This cake fits just right in a fancy dinner party, a family gathering, or a brunch.
Ingredients Needed
- Eggs. Please use room temperature eggs as it makes all the difference when combining the ingredients. Unlike other lemon cakes, you won’t need to separate the egg whites from the egg yolks.
- Baking powder. Helps to make the cake fluffy and gives it some rice.
- Confectioners’s sugar. If your sugar has clumps, I suggest sifting it first.
- All-purpose flour. I tested this cake with gluten-free flour and wholewheat flour and didn’t love the texture.
- Milk. Whole milk, non-fat milk, or plant based alternatives.
- Olive oil. The signature ingredient! Either light or standard olive oil works, but please do me a favor- use the BEST quality olive oil you can find!
- Lemons. Fresh lemons, please!
- Salt. Just a pinch to balance out the other ingredients.
- Vanilla extract. Optional, but if you like cakes with a subtle vanilla note. I typically omit it for this specific cake.
How to make lemon olive oil cake
I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 1- Beat eggs and sugar until fluffy.
Step 2- Make the cake batter. Add the lemon, olive oil, and milk. Fold in the flour and baking powder.
Step 3- Bake the cake in a preheated oven for 35 minutes or until done.
Step 4- Cool and decorate. Let the cake cool completely before dusting it with more confectioners’ sugar.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Avoid overmixing cake batter. Too much mixing after adding flour will result in a chewy and dense cake. Once combined, pour it into the cake tin and bake it immediately.
- Let the cake cook down. Don’t cut into the cake right after it is out of the oven; wait for 10-15 minutes. Remove the cake from the tin, transfer it to a cooling rack, and allow it to cool down. Only then cut into it. Remember that it is too fragile to handle when hot.
- Avoid opening the oven during baking. Let your cake bake undisturbed for a full 35 minutes. Trust me, you don’t want a sunken cake.
- Use other citrus. Swap out the lemon for orange, limes, or grapefruit.
- Add flavor boosters like almond extract, or add a lemon glaze using a mix of lemon juice and maple syrup.
Storage instructions
To store. Leftovers will keep well at room temperature for 3 days or in the fridge for up to one week.
To freeze. Place slices of the cake in a shallow container and store in the freezer for up to two months.
Frequently asked questions
I tested this cake using egg substitutes, and while it didn’t have the best structure, the texture remained relatively similar. Opt for flax eggs or a pre-formulated egg replacer.
More lemon desserts to try
Lemon Olive Oil Cake
Video
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1 large lemon juiced and zested
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 tablespoons confectioners sugar to decorate
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Line a 9-inch cake pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- Beat the eggs with sugar in a bowl until fluffy. Add milk and extra-virgin olive oil. Add lemon zest and lemon juice and whisk until smooth. Finally, fold in the flour and baking powder. Stir until you have a smooth batter.
- Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out just clean.
- Cool the cake for 15 minutes before removing it from the pan and transferring it to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Dust the cake with some powdered sugar before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published June 2023, updated and republished July 2024
Could you specify measurements in grams or mls rather than cups because every country has different size cup measures
We don’t use grams, we use American cups and tablespoons 🙂
Loved it… taste amazing!!
Switch the olive oil for regular oil and it came out amazing ❤️❤️
Very Tasty! was gone in the blink of an eye
Used gluten free flour, replaced each egg with: 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 tablespoon vinegar
glazed with lemon juice mixed withy powdered sugar.
Definite do over!
I made this today and it was delicious! I poured a lemon glaze over it. 🍋
Could you please write weights of ingredients in grams because there are different size cup measures according to which country you live in.
We don’t use grams, we use American cups and tablespoons 🙂
I made this today and it was delicious! I poured a lemon glaze over it. 🍋
Arman, your recipes are amazing! Question… can I use almond flour with this recipe to make it low carb?
Haven’t tried but you are welcome to experiment and see!
Can I use avocado oil instead? or does it not go with lemon? If njt lemon think making this sane cake using oranges w rhe avocado oil be good? Not sure i have any good olive oil lying around. Would it get the sane texture and moisture?
Hello,
I was wondering if coconut oil and almond flour can be used instead for the lemon cake. I love lemon anything.
Thank you.
Subhadhra Gunn
Thank you, Arman. This cake was delicious. I made it with gluten free flour and oat milk. And also a lemon glaze. It was an easy to follow recipe. I have many food allergies and this was perfect for my lemon cravings.