Lemon Olive Oil Cake is my new unofficial official cake of springtime! Full of bright zingy lemon flavors combined with fruity, smooth olive oil creates a cake that is so incredibly rich, light, and full of spring flavor!

What is Lemon Olive Oil Cake?

Lemon Olive Oil Cake is my spring version of a pound cake. I know that sounds kind of weird, but let me explain!

Pound cake is very rich and moist, but to me, feels like a heavy cake. Like I can only do a slice here and there. I couldn’t eat pound cake every day. But when I do eat pound cake, I love the richness and simplicity together.

This cake is similar with the simplicity of the ingredients that creates a rich and complex cake.

By combining a large cup of olive oil with flour, sugar, and most importantly, lemon, you create an incredibly moist cake but still has a very rich flavor. The lemon and olive oil pair so beautifully together it feels like all the flavors of spring day.

Eating this cake is the equivalent of sitting outside on a breezy, spring day!

Olive Oil Choices

Hence the name, olive oil is a very crucial player to this cake being as delicious as it is!

Because of that, you want to be a little choosy with which olive oil you choose! After the cake bakes, you’ll still be able to taste the olive oil, so you want to choose a good quality olive oil. I recommend choosing one that has a fruity note to it.

There’s a ton of brands out there to choose from, so I suggest just looking at what kinds of olives are in the oil. This can help shape the flavors within in the olive oil.

While I use flavorless oil in a lot of my baking recipes, now is not the time for this oil to come out and play! Leave that for the brownies and let the olive oil shine in this cake!

Cake Pan Problems

The worst feeling is baking a delicious cake only for it to be stuck in the pan… Don’t let this happen to you!

Here are some of my tips for ensuring your cake springs free of the pan!

Spray the inside of the pan like crazy! I like to use a baking spray that has butter and flour in it (you can find this in the baking aisle of your grocery store). I spray the bottoms, the edges, and every little crack in between! If you don’t have any cooking spray, you can use softened butter that you rub all around the edges.
Place a round circle of parchment paper on the bottom. Even you though you sprayed everything so thoroughly, it doesn’t hurt to have an insurance plan with the parchment paper. This helps the bottom release, so you just have to check the edges!
Let the cake cool for about 10 minutes before you try to remove the cake from the pan. If you start trying to remove the cake too early, you run the risk of burning yourself and the cake breaking. The cake is soft while it’s baking, it’s good to give it a few minutes to cool down and settle before trying to remove it.

If you have a springform pan, you can use that as well to help! I just used my regular ole’ 8 inch cake pan!

Ingredient List

Flour
Sugar
Baking Powder
Baking Soda
Olive Oil
Lemons
Eggs
Milk
Vanilla Extract
Powdered Sugar

This Lemon Olive Oil Cake is the ultimate spring dessert! The lemon creates a beautiful light flavor throughout while the olive oil gives this cake a smooth, richness that will have you already craving your next slice!

I top my slice with a little dollop of whipped cream and this slice is ready to be eaten!

Cheers!

-Holly Michelle

P.S. Need more springtime recipes!? Try this Cake-Mix Carrot Cake Whoopie Pies!

Lemon Olive Oil Cake

Full of bright zingy lemon flavors combined with fruity, smooth olive oil creates a cake that is so incredibly rich, light, and full of spring flavor!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 55

Total Time 1 5

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 8 Slices

Ingredients

2 cups Flour
1 ½ cups Sugar
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
¼ teaspoon Baking Soda
1 cup Olive Oil
2 Lemons zested
2 tablespoons Lemon Juice
2 Eggs
1 cup Milk
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Powdered Sugar garnish

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8 inch round pan with parchment paper and spray sides with cooking spray.
Add olive oil, eggs, and sugar to a bowl. Mix together.
Zest lemons and add the zest to the oil mixture. Add in 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. Whisk together.
In a separate bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, and baking powder.
Add in ⅓ of the dry ingredients, mix until just combined before adding in half the milk. Repeat until all the dry ingredients are mixed in.
Pour the batter into the lined cake pan.
Bake for about 50-55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Let cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pan.
Sprinkle with powdered sugar and enjoy!

Notes

If you have a springform pan, it might make the removal process easier, but it's not required for this recipe!

I like to use a little baking spray to make sure the cake doesn't stick to the sides of the pan, but you can always use a little bit of butter!

Keyword lemon cakes, lemon olive oil, lemon olive oil cake, lemon recipes, olive oil cake, olive oil cake recipe, spring recipes