Lemon Olive Oil Cake (2024)

A light cake with fruity notes from the olive oil and bright, citrusy flavors.

by Audrey March 8, 2023

March 8, 2023

Jump to Recipe

This Mediterranean-style Lemon Olive Oil Cake is light, not too sweet and yields delicious fruity notes from the olive oil combined with citrusy flavors from the lemon zest and its juice. It keeps moist for days and bears a just so slightly crunchy top, which reminds of fried doughs. A perfect cake for an afternoon tea!

I am stepping away from my love of butter today to share with you this staple cake recipe in my kitchen – a Lemon Olive Oil Cake. I love its light and moist texture and how the flavors of olive oil and lemon marry perfectly. This cake is especially prized by my husband, who loves lemon desserts and Mediterranean flavors.

The use of olive oil here, opposed to butter, makes this cake recipe very easy and fool proof. You do not need to wait for butter to come to room temperature as you can simply pour the oil in the mixing bowl with the other ingredients.

This makes for a quick cake recipe that is ready to serve in less than 1 hour. This is a recipe I reach for very often, especially during citrus season – and I am sure it will become a staple in your kitchen too.

Can you taste the olive oil?

In the Mediterranean tradition, this cake uses olive oil as a fat component, instead of butter. If you’ve never made an olive oil cake before, do not fret – yes, you can taste the olive oil, but it is very subtle.

This cakes offers delicious floral notes from the oil along with a subtle “fried dough” flavor too, in my opinion. But the addition of lemon juice and zest cuts through the richness of the oil and balances out it flavors by adding zing and brightness.

I also love that the use of olive oil also keeps this cake moister for a longer time, than if it was made with butter. You can easily keep it for up to 6-7 days (well wrapped) and it won’t be dry.

What kind of olive oil should I use?

With a whole cup of olive oil in this cake, the quality of the oil you use will obviously make a big difference. A high-quality extra virgin olive oil a guarantees a cake that will be rich and flavorful.

If possible, choose an olive oil which has a mild fruity profile, which will nicely complement the lemon flavors. Avoid using an oil with a strong and/or peppery profile, which will be too overwhelming.

If you would like to know more about how to choose a good bottle of olive oil, I recommend this article.

How to Store This Lemon Olive Oil Cake

Chill it. After making (and enjoying) this cake – if you have any leftovers – you can cover it with plastic film. Store it in the fridge for up to 6-7 days.
Freeze it.Once the cake is baked and completely cooled to room temp, wrap it in aluminum foil. Then place it in a freezer-safe container (ie. tupperware), for up to 3 months.

Baking tips :

Use Organic Lemons.Because we are using zest from the peels, I recommend to use organic lemons which are pesticide free.
Use whole milk or 2%.Avoid low-fat, skimmed or lactose free.
A key to the success of this cake is to not over-mix your batter once you’ve added the flour or you will get a gummy texture with holes. Simply stop whisking when the flour is just incorporated. You can then use a spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl and ensure no unevenly mixed areas remain.

I hope you’ll love this Lemon Olive Oil Cakeas much as I do! If you have any questions, please leave a comment.

More cake recipes you may like:

French Chestnut Cream Cake (Gâteau Ardechois)
French Walnut Coffee Cake (Gâteau Grenoblois)
Classic French Apple Cake
Lemon Yogurt Poppy seed Cake
Classic French Chocolate Moelleux Cake
Classic French Pear Cake

Lemon Olive Oil Cake

Print Recipe

Serves: 8-10 Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cooking Time: 40 Minutes 40 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 4.6/5

( 7 voted )

Ingredients

1 cup (200g) sugar
Zest from 2 lemons
1 cup (235ml) extra virgin olive oil
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup (125ml) lemon juice
1 cup (235ml) milk (2% m.f.)
2 cups (250g) all purpose flour
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
Icing sugar, for sprinkling

Instructions

Pre-heat your oven to 350F (180C) with a rack in the middle. Grease a 9-inch circular cake pan with butter, sprinkle the sides with flour, line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper and set aside.

Step 1 -In a medium mixing bowl, combine the sugar with the zest of the two lemons and rub with your fingers so the zest releases moisture and the sugar is moist and lumpy. Whisk in the olive oil, the eggs, the vanilla extract, the lemon juice and the milk.

Step 2 -In a separate mixing bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Whisk in the wet ingredients until just incorporated. Switch to a spatula and scrape the bowl to ensure no unevenly mixed areas remain.

Transfer the batter to the pan and bake for 40 minutes, until golden and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer the cake to a cooling rack. Allow the cake to cool for about 20 minutes in the pan before attempting to release it. Run a thin butter knife around the edges if it seems a bit stuck.

Serve warm or at room temperature, with a sprinkling of powdered sugar.

Did You Make This Recipe?

Leave a comment below, rate the recipe and/or share a photo on Instagram and tag @pardonyourfrench

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41 comments

Pauline McNee March 9, 2023 - 10:44 am

This cake looks lovely Audrey, perfect for afternoon tea.

Audrey March 9, 2023 - 8:21 pm

It really is, Pauline. The taste is so surprising and comforting, considering how simple it is.

Pauline March 15, 2023 - 9:45 pm

I am making this cake this weekend Audrey. It looks like a beautifully delicious cake.

Audrey March 16, 2023 - 2:47 pm

Would love to know what you thought of it, once you give it a try!

Deborah Waldkoetter March 9, 2023 - 2:31 pm

I am having friends in mid April and was thinking of a lemon bread for snacking, but this sounds even better! thanks for this!

Audrey March 9, 2023 - 8:22 pm

Deborah, you’re very welcome. This cake is perfect for this type of occasion, and usually ends up completely gone!

Christta Tomasello May 24, 2023 - 11:50 am

I was excited to make this cake….I did cook it as sugg for 40 min…..this morning though after cutting one thin slice,it feels a bit undercooked….the top is also not brown like in the photo ….I think I need to put it back in the oven today for 10 min- ad the top is also not crunchy etc ….( By the way I used a spring form pan( normally reserved for cheese cakes ….& It works wonderfully !!) It tastes under baked & so rebake today ?? 10 min….?? I worked so hard to make it Perfecto !! Tk you Audrey😊

Audrey May 24, 2023 - 4:49 pm

Hello Christta, and so sorry to hear that it turned out a bit undercooked. To help me troubleshoot, could you tell me if you weighed the ingredients, or if you used “cups”?
The only other issue I can think of, if you measured by weight, is that your oven doesn’t quite run to temperature. This does happen more often than you think.
To save it, yes you could try popping it back in the oven for 10min or so. But the fact that your top didn’t seem set either makes me question the oven temperature.

sunflowersbythesea March 10, 2023 - 10:54 am

This was delicious and so easy! Thank you! I reduced the sugar to about 3/4 cup and it was still perfect.

Audrey March 10, 2023 - 12:42 pm

So glad to hear this, even with the reduced amount of sugar! Thanks for letting me know.

sunflowersbythesea March 10, 2023 - 10:59 am

This was delicious and so fast to make! Thank you Audrey! I reduced the sugar to 3/4 cup and used almond milk instead of regular milk (lactose intolerant) and it was perfect! This will be one of my ‘go to’ cakes!

Audrey March 10, 2023 - 12:42 pm

You’re so very welcome!

Victoria Reynolds March 12, 2023 - 12:58 am

Thank you for the recipe! I’ve never made a cake like this. I made it tonight and cannot wait to try it.

Audrey March 12, 2023 - 9:51 pm

Would love to know what you thought, Victoria! Thanks so much for giving it a try.

Crystalla Tomasello March 18, 2023 - 1:03 pm

I made the lemon sugar in advance & kept in refrig in a glass container…..my ? Is can I make this same recipe as in cupcakes so I can serve them as ” lemon tea cakes “?? If so ,I know they will not be reg cupcake size in height ,but I have plans to serve them as indiv mini lemon cake tarts…..would I have to adjust the receipt in any way & how long should the baking time be ?? (P.S.the intensity of the lemon is intense is made and refrig in advance 😀)

Audrey March 18, 2023 - 4:19 pm

Very good question, Crystalla. I don’t see why making these into cupcakes would be a problem, but as you clearly know, the cooking time becomes the real question. For a recipe like this, it’s really hard for me to “judge” what the cooking time would be, as it’s untraditional in its use of olive oil, which could either make them bake faster, or slower.

Here’s my thought process, as I don’t have a clear answer – try 1/2 or 1/3 of the recipe, and turn them into test muffins. Start checking the doneness of the muffins by inserting a toothpick/thin knife only after the tops look set and mostly baked, and then check every 2min or so until done.

Would absolutely love to know if you try them this way and how they turned out… And also loving the pre-made lemon sugar, no doubt it gains plenty of intensity this way – going to have to give that a try!

Pierre Blondel March 13, 2023 - 12:35 pm

Hi Audrey,
Very good cake. I love the taste and the texture but slices do not hold their shape and fall apart in my hand? What am I doing wrong?

Audrey March 13, 2023 - 10:08 pm

Hello and thank you for the review, Pierre. This cake is more on the crumbly side than most cakes, but it shouldn’t fall apart in your hands, either.
Hard to know for sure what’s causing it, but best bets would be 1) making sure you do not overmix the batter – you want to fold in the dry ingredients until just incorporated. 2) adjust the baking time to cook a few minutes less (it may have been slightly overdone).

I think #1 would be the answer, but either could work.

Cheryl March 23, 2023 - 10:44 pm

Hi
I made this recipe last night. Not sure where I went wrong. Tastes delicious, however very dense and moist. Perhaps that is how it is supposed to be. Will not give up.

Audrey March 24, 2023 - 2:31 pm

Thanks for the review, Cheryl. Let’s try and diagnose the issue. If you haven’t done so, I highly suggest weighing the ingredients – you’d be amazed at how “quickly” some issues disappear when you measure by weight as opposed to volume.

If you’ve already done so, my other thought would be that the batter was slightly overmixed during the wet to dry ingredient phase. You want to just incorporate the ingredients.

I hope these suggestions help because there isn’t much more I can think of, aside from the fact that perhaps your oven’s internal temperature is not accurate (lower than you have it set at). This does happen, and could be the reason as well – but the first reasons mentioned seem liklier to me.

Nicole March 30, 2023 - 2:02 pm

I made this cake in Australia with lemons from my daughter’s tree. We will both certainly make it again. It was delicious and stayed fresh for the 3 days it took us to eat it.

Audrey March 30, 2023 - 3:07 pm

Homegrown lemons… Now that sounds amazing, Nicole! Thank you for the kind words and so glad you both enjoyed the recipe! I promise it’ll taste ALMOST as good with store bought lemons.

Karen Linden April 2, 2023 - 9:37 pm

Hello-
I made this recipe and the strangest thing happened. I followed the recipe carefully and cooked it exactly at the temperature you stated and let it rest for 20 minutes. I left the kitchen for a bit and when I returned half of the cake disappeared! Maybe it shrunk while cooling or perhaps it just turned out to be one delicious cake discovered by others in the house! Easy and lovely to make ………Merci

Audrey April 3, 2023 - 9:38 am

Karen, you’re not the first to complain of a disappearing cake… I may have to include a warning in the recipe so that others aren’t startled if/when this occurs!
Thank you so much for the kind words and review… I’m so glad someone (or something) enjoyed it!

Liz April 11, 2023 - 3:08 pm

We made this for our Easter luncheon, and it was delicious. So perfectly light and a lovely way to end our meal.

Audrey April 11, 2023 - 3:54 pm

Thank you so much, Liz! So glad it had a seat at your Easter meal, and most importantly that it was enjoyed.

Bernardine April 16, 2023 - 7:46 am

The cake is in the oven but I had to pass the final dough through a sieve. So much work to mix it to an even dough. What could I do..

Audrey April 16, 2023 - 9:46 am

Bernardine, thanks for reaching out. The batter is meant to be quite thick prior to baking. Would you mind expanding why you had to pass it through a sieve? Were there clumps of flour in the batter? I can’t say I’ve had this issue myself, but I would love to be able to help you if possible.

Do you mind me asking if you weighed the ingredients (flour especially) or if you just scooped them? Often this is the culprit, but best to ask right off the bat.

Bernardine Ligthart March 14, 2024 - 2:38 pm

Sorry, I haven’t responded til now, today I made the cake again and again I had a hard time getting the clumps out. I weighed everything. Funny that nobody has complained about the clumping of the dough.

While I was passing everything through a sieve, I remembered it again.

Audrey March 15, 2024 - 8:10 am

I’m really intrigued as to what could be happening, Bernardine… I want to solve this mystery with you. I haven’t had any other complaints about clumping, nor have I had it happen myself. But it’s happening, so let’s figure it out 🙂

Question – after baking, do you notice any clumps or dry pockets of flour, or are they gone? Small little clumps are generally ok, like with a pancake batter… But large clumps would be an issue.

Jack Kirchhoff April 17, 2023 - 5:55 am

My wife has a lemon olive oil cake recipe that is very much like this one, but with the addition of a preserved lemon. Not in place of any of the other lemon elements, but in addition to them. It makes the cake much lemonier. If that’s a word.

Audrey April 17, 2023 - 9:16 am

Oh, that sounds interesting, Jack! How does she incorporate the preserved lemon, exactly? Chopped up? I love preserved lemon, espeically in a tajine poulet. I can definitely see it amplifying the lemony taste in this cake.

Bernardine Ligthart April 22, 2023 - 5:31 am

Thanks for your answer. I wrote that I had to sieve the final dough to get the lumps out.
I weighed all the ingredients and sieved the dry ingredients when I mixed them with the liquid. Maybe I have to first start with pouring in a small portion at the time?

The cake turned out delicious. I will try again..

Audrey April 22, 2023 - 10:44 am

Hm, I’m a tad stumped. You can absolutely try mixing small portions at a time. The only other thing I can think of is that perhaps your flour is very “thirsty” which can happen in certain climates/storage etc, where it really absorbs liquid more than usual.

I’m glad the cake was delicious (the most important part), but ideally the lumping issue is resolved.

Linda Harris June 25, 2023 - 4:49 pm

Hi, I’m teaching two small boys (7 &9 )to cook this summer. We have been making small cakes. Could I halve this recipe and if so how many eggs?

Audrey June 25, 2023 - 5:08 pm

That sounds lovely, Linda. Best of luck to all 3 of you! I’m sure you’ll have a blast!

To answer your question, I am sure this reicpe can be halved, though I admit I have never done it myself. You will definitely need to use a smaller baking vessel, and adjust the baking time – but I think you can make it work! In regards to the eggs, my suggestion would be to use 2 medium eggs, instead of 3 large eggs (as is used in the full recipe). Your other option, if you don’t want to buy medium eggs, is to crack the 3 large eggs, mix them, weigh them, and then pour half of it, by weight, into the recipe. The remaining egg can be used for an omlette or another baking adventure.

Enjoy!

Zesty World of the Vegan Olive Oil Cake July 10, 2023 - 7:16 pm

[…] you enjoyed our vegan lemon olive oil cake, you’ll love exploring another tempting variation of olive oil cake from, Pardon your French, which will transport your taste buds to Mediterranean […]

xhulja September 28, 2023 - 10:46 am

This was my second time making this cake. Its so delicious and everyone in my family loved it!

Audrey September 28, 2023 - 12:45 pm

Wow, Xhulja, such kind words! I love when one of my recipes is considered worthy of making again. I really appreciate you letting me know.

Claire May 1, 2024 - 9:00 pm

I have made this three times in the last month as our weather turns nicer in Chicago! It tastes like summer!

Audrey May 2, 2024 - 6:32 am

It’s amazing how a cake with no fruits, no whipped cream, no “filling” can be so summery! I agree 100% with you, it just has this brightness that screams good weather 🙂

So glad you enjoy the recipe, Claire!

Audrey

Bonjour ! I'm Audrey Le Goff, a French cookery writer, photographer, creator of the blog Pardon your French, and cookbook author of Rustic French Cooking Made Easy.