The olive oil in this light and super lemony cake not only gives it great flavor — it also helps keep the cake moist. This will be THE olive oil cake recipe that will trump all others.
In this recipe
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Tasty olive oil means tasty cake
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2 ways to super lemony taste
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Use a square pan or make muffins
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My tips for the best olive oil cake
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Small but fine ingredient exchange
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Simply served or topped
An olive oil cake is one of the easiest cakes you can make using just a couple of bowls, a whisk, and a handful of quality ingredients. Thanks to the olive oil, which is liquid at room temperature, the cake remains elastic and tender longer than a butter cake.
This Lemon Olive Oil Cake is light, packed with bright lemon flavor and a crunchy, sugary top. It’s a pocket recipe that will serve you well for any occasion. Dress up or down, serve plain or with seasonal fruits like oranges, peaches and berries.
There is no olive oil that is best for this cake—The only measure to keep in mind is to use a good quality olive oil, which you’d love to taste neat or on a salad. The taste transfers to the cake.
Always choose extra virgin, this is the oil from the first olive pressing and therefore the purest expression of the fruit. Beyond this requirement, the choice is yours! Don’t be afraid to try any flavor – whether it’s Greek, Californian, Spanish or Italian, it doesn’t matter as long as it’s delicious.
A properly prepared olive oil cake will not taste overly oily or greasy! You may have eaten cakes with oil before and just didn’t know it — think banana or pumpkin bread, both of which are typically made with a neutral oil. As long as the ingredients are in the right proportions and the eggs are well-beaten, this cake will never feel or taste oily.
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2 ways to super lemony taste
- Squeeze in a full tablespoon of freshly grated lemon zest – making sure the zest is firmly packed in the spoon.
- Add a touch of lemon extract for a double lemony flavor. Use a quality lemon extract like Nielsen-Massey for the most natural flavor.
Use a square pan or make muffins
This cake calls for a 9-inch round cake pan, but can be baked in an 8-inch square cake pan instead. It takes about the same amount of time to finish baking.
Or turn them into muffins! Scoop 1/2 cup batter into each muffin pan, sprinkle the top with about 1/2 teaspoon sugar and skip the hot water. After about 18 minutes, start checking the doneness.
My tips for the best olive oil cake
- For the best and most consistent results Weigh your ingredients instead of using volume measurements.
- Whisk together the eggs and sugar vigorously until the mixture is pale and fluffy, yielding a light, tender cake. Don’t skip this! You can even use a hand mixer if you want to make it even easier.
- As with any cake Fold in the flour until no large streaks can be seen. If you enthusiastically beat or beat the dough for too long, the cake will be heavy, dense, and full of large holes and tunnels.
Small but fine ingredient exchange
- Use orange or lime zest in place of lemon zest. If using orange peel, substitute orange extract for the lemon extract.
- Omit the cornmeal if you like. The cake will have a little less texture, but it will still be delicious.
- For a milder flavored cake, use a neutral oil like canola or peanut oil.
Simply served or topped
To best enjoy the nuances of olive oil and fragrant lemon, eat the cake neat in thick slices, perhaps with a cup of tea. It also tastes wonderful with a cloud of whipped cream and a spoonful of jam, fresh strawberries or high-quality maraschino cherries like Luxardo.
If, on the rare occasion, the pie lasts up to the third day, grill thick slices in a cast-iron skillet with about a spoonful of butter until golden and eat warm.
More sweet and puggy treats
- Lemon Shaker Cake
- Classic lemon bars
- lemon cake
- Lemon Cheesecake
- Lemon ice box pie
Lemon Olive Oil Cake
ingredients
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Non-stick cooking spray or softened butter to grease the pan
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2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
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2 tablespoons finely ground cornmeal
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1/2 teaspoon baking powder
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1/2 teaspoon baking soda
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3/4 cup (165 g) extra virgin olive oil
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1 1/4 cups (250g) sugar plus 2 tablespoons for sprinkling
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2 teaspoons kosher salt
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1 teaspoon vanilla extract
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1 teaspoon lemon extract
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1 tbsp lemon zest, packaged (from about 2 medium lemons)
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2 large eggs, room temperature
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1 cup (225 g) sour cream
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whipped cream for serving (optional)
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Fresh strawberries for serving (optional)
method
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Preheat the oven to 325°F:
Position a wire rack in the center of the oven. Line the bottom of a 9-inch round cake pan with parchment paper. Spray the sides of the pan with cooking spray or use a paper towel to rub softened butter around the sides.
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Combine the dry ingredients:
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and baking soda. put it aside
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Combine the wet ingredients:
In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, sugar, salt, vanilla, lemon extract, and lemon zest until very pale and slightly foamy, about 2 minutes. You can use an electric mixer if you like.
Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, about 30 seconds at a time. Stir in the sour cream until well combined.
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Combine the wet and dry ingredients:
Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula until incorporated and no dry streaks of flour remain. Don’t overmix. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan.
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Sprinkle sugar on top:
Sprinkle the surface of the dough evenly with the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Pour 1 tablespoon of hot tap water over the sugar and tilt the pan to distribute the water and moisten the sugar as evenly as possible. This will feel wrong, however You will be rewarded with a crispy crust at the end!
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Bake the cake:
Bake the cake for 40 to 50 minutes, until golden brown and the top springs back when pressed lightly in the center.
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Cool and bake and serve:
Leave the cake to cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Run a small knife around the edge of the cake to separate it from the mold. Turn the cake out onto a wire rack and peel off the parchment paper. Let the cake cool down completely. Transfer the cooled cake to a plate and turn right side up. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream and sliced fresh strawberries.
Store the cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. The crunchy sugar top may be a little less crunchy by day 3, especially if it’s humid outside. The cake doesn’t take freezing well because the sugar crust becomes mushy when thawed.
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