The Best Olive Oil Lemon Cake

Made with just a handful of ingredients, this lemon olive oil cake will be your next favorite dessert! The crumb is soft, light and moist and pairs perfectly with a cup of tea! This is a foolproof recipe that is easy to make and can be eaten for any occasion!

Calling all lemon lovers! If you love citrus cakes and a moist texture, then you will love this simple cake recipe!

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Ingredients Needed For Olive Oil Lemon Cake

• Fresh Lemon Juice and Zest: I would avoid using lemon juice concentrate for this recipe as your cake flavor will not be bold and lemony. Use fresh lemon zest and juice for the best flavor profile!
• Olive oil: Using a good quality olive oil is very important for the texture of this cake! I use Pompeian Olive Oil for this recipe. Extra Virgin Olive Oil is highly recommended for a fruity and flavorful olive oil cake taste, but using a lighter variety works just a well!
• Eggs: We will use whole eggs to help bind the ingredients together and give the cake good structure.
• All Purpose Flour: For the best results, use all purpose flour!
• Greek Yogurt: This gives the cake a soft crumb and makes a moist cake but sour cream will also do the trick!
• Buttermilk: I used buttermilk because that was what I had on hand but whole milk or 2% works too!
• White sugar: For a bit of sweetness and for the sweet crust that forms when it is sprinkled on top of the cake before baking.

How To Make Olive Oil Cake

• First, make sure you leave your eggs, milk and greek yogurt (or sour cream) out to get to room temperature.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 9 inch round cake pan or springform pan with parchment paper or cooking spay and set aside.
• In a large bowl, sift together your dry ingredients (flour, salt, and baking powder).
• In a separate bowl, combine your sugar and lemon zest together with your hands. This will release all the oils from the lemon zest and make your cake extra flavorful. Then add in your eggs and beat eggs and sugar mixture with a hand mixer on medium high speed for 4-5 minutes (or until white and fluffy). Then add in the greek yogurt (or sour cream), milk, lemon juice and olive oil. Continue to mix until smooth. You can add a dash of vanilla extract too if you would like!
• Add the dry ingredients to your wet ingredients in increments of 2 and fold with a spatula until the batter is just combined. As soon as you see no more of the flour mixture, stop mixing. You do not want to over mix this batter, it will create a dense cake with a coarser crumb.
• Add the cake batter to the prepared pan and sprinkle the top with a little bit of granulated sugar to create a sweet crust during baking.
• Put the pan in your preheated oven and bake for 37-40 minutes or until the toothpick comes out with a couple crumbs on it. The top of the cake should be golden brown! While the cake is cooking you can prepare a simple lemon glaze! Just mix confectioners’ sugar with lemon juice from half of a lemon! You could also try using a different citrus fruit like orange or grapefruit for the glaze!
• Remove from oven and let the cake cool. Top with sifted powdered sugar or lemon glaze and slice. Serve with a cup of tea and fresh fruit and enjoy!

This olive oil lemon cake is an easy recipe that is sure to be a crowd pleaser!

Check out my tips below:

• To measure flour without a scale, just fluff the flour with a spoon before you spoon it into your measuring cup. Then level it off with a butterknife. That way, your cake will be soft and fluffy instead of heavy and dense!
• Make sure your eggs, milk, and greek yogurt (or sour cream) is at room temperature before making this recipe. This will create a more even mixing process. If you forget to leave eggs out, just dunk them in some warm water for 5-10 minutes to warm up
• Zest the lemon before you juice it! Do not zest the white part of the lemon because it will be very bitter. We only want the yellow part!
• Do not over-mix the cake batter! As soon as the last morsel of flour is incorporated, stop mixing! You do not want your cake to be rubbery and dense!
• Allow the cake to cool off for 10-15 minutes before removing it from the pan to cool on a wire rack. If you put confectioner’s sugar on when the cake is still hot it will melt so make sure to wait until the cake is cool before doing that step also!

This olive oil cake recipe is based off my strawberry olive oil cake that was also super delicious and easy to make! The bake time varies for the two but if you love this recipe, be sure to check that one out as well! I loved the strawberry one so much that I decided to make different versions with seasonal fruits! I will be testing a blueberry and cranberry version soon! This cake didn’t last more than a day at my house, it’s that good! I would greatly appreciate it if you could leave a review below, and as always, poftă bună!