Lemon Olive Oil Cake – Sur La Table Recipe
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Lemon Olive Oil Cake is a light and tender cake recipe, bursting with fresh lemon flavor and a sweet simple lemon glaze. Our easy lemon cake recipe with olive oil is perfect for a delicious dessert or sweet snack with afternoon tea.
Tried by hundreds, this Sur La Table cake recipe is a favorite of anyone who bakes it.
One whiff of lemon, and I feel renewed! One taste of Lemon Cake with olive oil takes me back to summer and sunshine but can brighten any day of the year.
What is a Lemon Sur La Table Olive Oil Cake
One afternoon my daughter and I went into Sur La Table. This is a kitchen gadget store that I visit once in a while just because.
On this particular day, they were having a sale on Marca Verde olive oil and handing out samples of a baked lemon olive oil cake. What? Olive oil in a cake?
I had never heard of it, but one measly little bite of that tangy treat later, and I was in love. I grabbed a copy of the recipe and left. Thank you, Sur La Table (hearts inserted here).
Lemons are one of those gifts that we have in the wintertime that remind us that not everything is blah and colorless!
I couldn’t stop thinking about this cake. It was so fresh and delicious. I went back a couple of days later and bought the olive oil.
I waited for two whole days. No obsessive-compulsive behavior here. I put this wonderful cake together and knew I had to share it.
Why You’ll Love this Olive Oil Cake with Lemon
- Simple ingredients. You probably have everything you need already in your kitchen, especially if you love good olive oil as much as I do.
- Full-size cake. Fill a 9 x 13 pan, or bundt pan, or make a lemon loaf cake and serve everyone you love with this zesty lemon olive oil cake recipe!
- Perfect any time of year! This simple cake doesn’t need a special occasion. Whether you are relishing in the heat of summer poolside or huddling around the fire in February, you will enjoy this cake.
- The texture is divine. This soft and tender lemon oil cake is always perfectly moist and has a beautiful glaze that adds a light crunch.
Equipment Needed to Make Lemon Cake with Olive Oil
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- Bundt cake pan. This cake uses everyday ingredients and no fancy gadgets. You can also make this in a 9″x13″ cake pan.
- Citrus Juicer – A good citrus juicer is a must that will make squeezing lemons a breeze.
- Microplane Zester. I use this tool not only for zesting citrus but for grating cheese and chocolate too.
Easy Olive Oil Cake with Lemon Ingredients
There isn’t anything unusual here, so you should be able to get all of these olive oil cake ingredients at your local grocery store, and you may already have them on your shelf.
- Flour. All-Purpose Flour works perfectly.
- Sugar. White Granulated Sugar.
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda. These help this cake rise in the oven and achieve the perfect texture you will love.
- Salt. You can use any variety, and it will work.
- Milk. I used skim milk but plant-based milk is fine. Use what you have on hand.
- Lemon. Zest and freshly squeezed juice.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil. I used Marca Verde Extra-Virgin olive oil, but any good quality olive oil will work. You also can use a lighter olive oil for less olive oil flavor.
- Vanilla – Pure or imitation will work.
- Eggs – I always use large for the sake of consistency.
- Powdered Sugar – The confectioners’ sugar is used for the glaze as a finishing touch.
Please note, that the printable recipe card has the full list of ingredients, quantities, complete instructions, and nutritional information. The following is a quick overview of the recipe.
How to make Lemon Olive Oil cake from scratch?
- In a large bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients. Stir the wet ingredients together in a medium bowl. Fold together until combined. You don’t need an electric mixer for this recipe.
- Pour the cake batter into a prepared pan and bake.
- While the cake bakes, make the glaze by adding the ingredients to a small bowl and whisking it together until smooth and free of lumps.
- Remove the cake from the oven when golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few crumbs.
- Spoon half the glaze over the cake. Let the cake cool in the bundt pan for 10 minutes on a wire rack and then turn it onto a serving plate.
- Drizzle the remaining glaze over the cake and allow it to cool completely.
How do I pick the perfect Olive Oil for baking?
The best olive oil is Extra Virgin Olive Oil. This oil is cold-pressed and the result is very pure oil with a fruity aroma. Other olive oils are a mixture of oils that may be cold-pressed and may be processed differently. As a result, they are less pure and have a less rich flavor.
What to Serve with your Olive Oil Lemon Cake
This cake is lovely all by itself, but if you want to be extra (and sometimes we should be!), top the cake with fresh berries, macerated fruit, whipped cream, or ice cream.
Substitutions – Additions – Variations
- Sub orange juice instead of lemon. It is sometimes called a citrus olive oil cake and works with other juice as well.
- Add poppyseed for a classic twist.
- Go extra rich. Top the cake with cream cheese frosting.
- Use a different pan. Get my free Baking Pan Conversion Chart.
- Add contrast. Top with fresh fruit such as raspberries or strawberries or macerated fruit for a nice contrasting flavor.
- Grate Lemon Zest. Add a sprinkling of lemon zest to the glazed cake for a special touch.
- Dress it up. Add a dollop of mascarpone cheese or crème fraiche.
Best Way To Store Lemon Cake with Olive Oil
Store your leftover cake at room temp lightly covered or refrigerated for 4 to 5 days.
Can I Freeze/Thaw Olive Oil Cake with Lemon?
Yes. Freeze the cake whole in an airtight container or freeze individual slices. To thaw the whole cake, remove it from the freezer at least one day in advance. To thaw individual servings, about thirty seconds in the microwave should do it. Add small amounts of time until it is thawed the way you want.
You may want to mix up more of the simple lemon glaze and drizzle it over the top before serving after thawing it out. You can also just give it a fresh dusting of confectioner’s sugar.
Lemon Olive Oil Cake FAQs
Not significantly. However, since it doesn’t contain dairy, it is a cake that people on non-dairy or restricted dairy diets people can try.
Olive oil replaces other saturated fats such as butter and shortening. It also adds a boost of vitamin E to your baking.
Olive oil makes this cake moist and tender.
Yes, you can replace vegetable or canola oil with olive oil at a 1:1 ratio. However, You will not get the flavor that olive oil adds so I don’t recommend it. EVOO is the star.
Olive oil has a distinctive taste that adds richness and boosts the flavor of the lemon in this cake.
Olive oil can lose some of its flavors when baked. Use a lighter type of olive oil than extra-virgin olive oil if you want a less intense olive oil flavor.
You can use a paper towel or a pastry brush and coat the pan with butter or shortening. Add flour (about 1⁄4 cup) and gently tap and rotate the flour around the sides to make sure the surface is completely coated.
My second favorite way to grease a cake pan is what I learned in a cake decorating class I took several years ago. It combines the grease and flour together and you can make as much as you want. I store it for about 6 months at room temperature.
This is how it’s done:
Homemade Pan Release: Take an even amount of flour, vegetable oil, and shortening and blend it together until it becomes a smooth paste. Apply this mixture evenly over the inside of the pan with a brush or papertowel.
Do not overbake the cake. This cake is so moist as long as you don’t bake it too long you should not need to worry.
Freshly squeezed juice has more flavor and a lower acid content than bottled lemon juice.
Lemon is so versatile. It’s a healthier way to add flavor to your favorite dish and is an amazing cleaning product. Here is a free printable for some of my favorite ways to use it.
Tips to Make the Perfect Lemon OIive Oil Cake
Use fresh lemon. It isn’t hard to juice a lemon and the resulting juice has better flavor and less acid than bottled.
Use quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil. It should read that it’s cold-pressed and mechanically processed. This means that it’s made without chemicals or heat, which helps preserve its nutrients and nutritional value.
Zest the lemon before juicing it.
Cool completely before slicing. This is a tender cake that will slice best once it’s allowed to cool.
I hope you enjoyed this delicious recipe as much as we do. Drop me a comment below, and don’t forget to give it a star rating. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. Your comments and ratings help others decide if this recipe is for them too.
Some of our Favorite Recipes with Lemon
- Lemon Cake Mix Cookies
- Blueberry Lemonade Pie
- Lemon Pistachio Muffins
- Old-Fashioned Lemon Icebox Pie
- Lemon Pudding Poke Cake
- Blackened Salmon with Lemon Butter
Did you enjoy this recipe? Don’t forget to pin it for later and follow me on Pinterest for more delicious recipes like this one!
This recipe for Lemon Olive Oil Cake was originally shared on 3/10/15. I’ve added some new images, tips, and answered some questions to improve my reader’s experience. No changes were made to the recipe.
This just screams sunshine, summer, windows down, music blaring, and me EATING! hahahaa… it looks so delcious, I need a little sliver!
Thanks Stephanie! It’s Friday let’s have a big piece!
I’ve always wanted to try an Olive Oil Cake!
I didn’t know much about them and probably wouldn’t have except for that darned little sample that changed my mind. 🙂 Thanks Sarah.
I’ve heard abou this cake multiple times and ot sounds interesting to me. This looks really appetizing, Julie. 😀
Thank you Jhuls and thank you for hosting this weeks FF! I’ll be taking this cake.
I love lemons and this cake looks so moist… Just the way I like it! 🙂
Thank you Ana! It is so bright that it just makes me happy.
Gorgeous Julie, I love these fresh kind of cakes, and I’m always on the look out for something with less sugar, so perhaps I could cut back on the sugar to maybe 1 cup? I recall Johanne @ French Gardener had a similar recipe, but would you believe it she actually threw in whole lemons in her food processor? She used olive oil too if I recall. I didn’t think the food processor could chop it up into teeny bits, but it looks like it did. I’m definitely going to have to give this a try, but again only when my girls visit. I see all these amazing sweet recipes, I have such a weakness for desserts, but I have to put my foot down unless I’m entertaining. 🙂
Thank you Loretta! I often bake on the weekend and will enjoy a piece after dinner and then either leave the rest for my hubby who is a gym rat and works off the sweets, or share them with my neighbors. That makes it a bit easier on the figure.
I have been on a lemon kick lately. This cake looks deliciously moist, and I love the fact that it is not too sweet.
Exactly Thao! So glad that you visited and commented!
I know what you mean! I have been too!
I am totally with ya on the lemony things! This cake has to be just as moist as it looks. Yum!
It was so moist and the crumb is light and delicious! Thanks Debbie!
Wonderful looking and sounding cake. I’ve used olive oil in a polenta cake before, it sounds like it would be lovely here as well. Great pictures, that glaze makes it.
Ohhh polenta cake? That sounds amazing. Is it on your blog?
I love citrus flavored desserts or even savory dishes for that matter. They bring a nice “warmth” (Spring) to a recipe!
I totally agree!
Lovely cake 🙂
Thank you!
This cake looks beautiful and delicious Julie! I love lemon cakes!!! 🙂
Mmm, looks delicious Julie! You waited 2 whole days? Lol, let’s see if I can…I have a few Meyer lemons begging to be used.
I totally agree, “One whiff of lemon and I feel renewed!” I love lemons and I can imagine this delicious! xx
Absolutely gorgeous, Julie 🙂 Olive oil and lemon sounds a great combination for me!
Thank you! It was so nice and bright. Have a great day.
This is Caveman John checking in and I disagree with this post. I would also serve some good bread along with beer and/or wine!
I stand corrected caveman John you have been an amazing wine sommelier and paired our meals amazingly well.
What a gorgeous looking cake, moist and delicious! 🙂
Thank you Petra. Don’t you live where lemons are plentiful?
hi Julie
They are in the supermarket, I wish I could have a lemon tree but I think the UK is too cold! Maybe it is time to visit my friends in Italy! 🙂
Absolutely! We have family in Italy but the lemons wouldn’t look to good if we tried to bring them home. 🙂
Lovely and makes me drool!!! Excellent capture too 🙂
Thank you so much Malar! Have a lovely day!
This cake is absolutely delightful! First, I thought just like you…What? Olive oil in cake? After reading the entire post I have an irresistible urge to try it!
Thank you so much! It was a new idea for me too and I couldn’t believe how delicious it was.
Oooooh Julie! That looks so amazing 🙂 I can see how moist it is… pinning!
Thank you Amanda! It was pretty darned delicious!
I love that youre being optimistic about the fresh produce drought we go through in the wintertime. I’m so bummed out over it….where did my farmers markets go?! I’d love for you to share a post over at my link up today, if you’re interested.
xoxo K
https://peeledwellness.com
I know what you mean! Thank you for the invitation!
Yum! This looks delicious! I love Sur La Table. I have to limit how often I go there because I always want to walk out with everything.
Kari
www.sweetteasweetie.com
That is for sure! I walk in there and it’s like cheers!
Looks soo tempting! I wish i got a piece to taste.
Thank you! Mine is gone too! Time to make another one.
I’ve made one of these similar citrus-olive oil cakes before, but yours looks deiciously sticky, and I really like that! I love using infused olive oils, too, and one could be also used in a cake like this. But there’s nothing quite like good olive oil that really tastes like olives! YOu are definitely not an impulsive shopper!
Ha! I have a split personality half frugal and half impulsive. I fight with myself all the time! That is a great idea to use infused oils…hmmm.
I have to make this cake right now Julie. Your description and the pictures are irresistible ☺
It is really easy skd and very moist. I hope you like it. Thanks for stopping by!
I lovvve it
Love this cake Julie, anything citrus is a favorite of mine and this molst cake is a must try.
I agree whole heartedly! It is like spring year around. Have a great day!