Lemon Olive Oil Cake — My new FAVORITE lemon dessert of all time!! Lemon zest, juice, extract, and Limoncello add so much AMAZING lemon flavor to this EASY, ridiculously moist no-mixer cake that’s unique and INCREDIBLE!!
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This easy, one-bowl, no-mixer cake is a my new favorite lemon dessert. That’s a huge statement because this Copycat Starbucks Lemon Loaf with hundreds of glowing reviews is very hard to beat.
The olive oil lemon cake itself if not overly sweet, which I appreciated since it’s rich from the olive oil.
This is an excellent cake for holiday parties and events. It is a talking piece kind of cake rather than just another chocolate cake that we’ve all had a zillion times. Unique and different in the best possible way.
It would be the perfect cake to serve after a fancier dinner party with equally rich or luxurious food. I liken olive oil cake to cakes served in fancy restaurants. They are never sugar bombs – even the chocolate ones. They are more refined and tend to have unique flavor pairings that you don’t encounter often.
Ingredients in Lemon Olive Oil Cake
To make this supremely moist lemon cake recipe with olive oil, you’ll need:
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Eggs
- Whole milk
- Lemon juice and zest
- Limoncello (store-bought or homemade)
- Lemon extract
- Granulated sugar
- All-purpose flour
- Kosher salt
- Baking powder and baking soda
- Confectioners’ sugar
Limoncello Substitute
I realize you may not want to buy a bottle of Limoncello just for this recipe, and you can substitute an orange-flavored liqueur like Gran Marnier. Or, you can make your own limoncello – but it needs 2 to 6 weeks before it can be enjoyed!
How to Make Lemon Olive Oil Cake
This recipe for Italian lemon cake with olive oil is incredibly easy to make! Here’s a look at how it comes together:
- Simply whisk together the wet ingredients, then add in the dry.
- Turn the batter into a greased and parchment-lined 9-inch springform pan.
- Bake the limoncello cake until golden brown and domed in the center.
- The cake needs to cool for 1 hour in the pan, then you can release it and let it finish cooling on a wire rack.
- Dust with confectioner’s sugar just before serving.
A note about the bake time: This limoncello cake bakes in a fairly cool oven for a long duration, low and slow. Start checking your cake at 60 minutes, but due to oven and climate variances it could take as long as 75 minutes or so to bake; watch you cake and not the clock.
Love Olive Oil Desserts?
After making this Italian lemon olive oil cake, try making my orange olive oil cake and olive oil chocolate chip cookies next!
Recipe FAQs
Absolutely! Not every cake recipe is suitable for using olive oil (rather than canola or vegetable oil), but this Italian cake is perfect with olive oil!
If you’ve never tried baking with olive oil, you’re missing out! I have always preferred oil in cake rather than butter. Oil is 100% fat whereas butter is about 80% fat. That extra 20% of fat simply keeps oil-based cakes softer and moister than butter cakes. You can’t argue with science.
Olive oil cakes are supremely soft, tender, and exceedingly moist without being too heavy or dense. You can literally almost see the moistness oozing from the cake, but it doesn’t taste greasy and it stays moist for days. The cake is just as good a week later as it is on the first day which never happens with cakes, and it’s even more moist.
What I tasted more than anything was the lovely lemon flavor without being too tart or overpowering. The cake has lemon incorporated four ways: lemon zest, lemon juice, Limoncello liqueur, and lemon extract.
I used Trader Joe’s Premium Extra Virgin Olive Oil and while I’m sure the flavor of the cake will change depending on the exact brand and type of oil used, I recommend a quality extra-virgin olive oil here. Something you’d dip bread in, cook chicken in, or use in a homemade salad dressing.
If you use a cheap olive oil, it will have a stronger, harsher flavor that will negatively affect the cake.
You only use 1/4 cup of limoncello in the entire cake, which doesn’t sound like much but it’s also something I wouldn’t skip. It adds a luxurious flavor that’s so elegant tasting.
If you don’t drink alcohol for whatever the reason, I cannot say how the cake will taste or turn out if you, for example, just use 1/4 cup water in its place or use an extra 1/4 cup lemon juice — that worries me more because of the extra acidity in the lemon juice coupled with the baking soda/powder and I’m not sure what will happen.
My thoughts are that during baking, the potency of the actual alcohol bakes off and what you’re left with is simply the flavor. Again, it’s only 1/4 cup divided between a cake that will easily feed 12 so each person is maybe getting 1/2 teaspoon. Cough syrup has more.
Yes! Do NOT make this cake in a regular 9-inch cake pan. Most are only about 1 1/2 to 2 inches deep and this cake rises to about 2 1/2 to 3 inches on the sides and nearly 4 inches in the center. It will overflow in a regular 9-inch pan.
Sure thing! You can make orange olive oil cake, or play around with using grapefruit or lime zest and juice. I’m sure any kind of olive oil citrus cake would be delicious!
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Lemon Olive Oil Cake
Ingredients
- 1 ⅓ cups extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 large eggs
- 1 ¼ cups whole milk
- 1 ½ tablespoons grated lemon zest
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ¼ cup Limoncello, Gran Marnier may be substituted
- 1 to 2 teaspoons lemon extract
- 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
- 2 cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325F, add a circle of parchment paper to the base of a 9-inch springform pan, and spray the parchment paper and the sides of the pan very well with cooking spray; set aside. Do not make this cake in a regular 9-inch cake pan. Most are only about 1 1/2 to 2 inches deep and this cake rises to about 2 1/2 to 3 inches on the sides and nearly 4 inches in the center. It will overflow in a regular 9-inch pan.
- To a large bowl, add the olive oil, eggs, and whisk well to emulsify and incorporate.
- Add the milk, lemon zest, lemon juice (I was able to get sufficient zest and juice from one very large ripe lemon), Limoncello, lemon extract, and whisk to incorporate.
- Add the sugar and whisk to incorporate.
- Add the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and whisk until just incorporated; don’t overmix. The batter in on the thin side; this is normal.
- Turn batter out into prepared pan, place pan on a baking sheet as insurance against a leaky springform pan, and bake for about 68 to 75 minutes. Start checking after 60 minutes since all ovens vary. Cake will be golden browned and domed in the center when done, and a toothpick inserted in the center will come out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Allow cake to cool in the springform pan for about 1 hour before releasing it and allowing the cake to finish cooling on a wire rack.
- Dust with confectioners’ sugar prior to serving. Cake will keep airtight at room temp for 1 week and although I haven’t tried it, I think this cake would freeze very well for up to 3 months.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More Lemon Desserts:
The Best Lemon Loaf (Better-Than-Starbucks Copycat) – Took years but I finally recreated it!! Easy, no mixer, no cake mix, dangerously good, and SPOT ON!!
Lemon Lemonies – Like brownies, but made with lemon and white chocolate! Dense, chewy, not cakey and packed with big, bold lemon flavor!
Lemon Buttermilk Cake with Lemon Glaze – An easy little cake with big lemon flavor! Soft, fluffy, and foolproof if you like puckering up!
Lemon Crinkle Cookies — Lemon crinkles are pillowy soft on the inside and chewy on the outside, with slightly crispy edges from the powdered sugar coating!
Soft and Chewy Lemon Cookies – Packed with big, bold lemon flavor for all you lemon lovers! They’re soft, chewy and not at all cakey!
Softbatch Glazed Lemon Cream Cheese Cookies – Big, bold lemon flavor packed into super soft cookies thanks to the cream cheese!! Tangy-sweet perfection! Lemon lovers are going to adore these easy cookies!!
Glazed Lemon Zucchini Bread — This EASY, no-mixer homemade quick bread combines tangy lemon flavor with tender zucchini which keeps it so incredibly soft, tender, and moist!
Originally published December 27, 2019 and republished February 18, 2022 with updated text.
Excellent recipe. Came out great! Very lemony and moist. Divided batter into two 8×8 square pans that I oiled and floured. Took 46 minutes in the oven.
Excellent recipe. Came out great! Very lemony and moist. Divided batter into two 8×8 square pans that I oiled and floured. Took 46 minutes in the oven.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad this baked up great for you in two 8×8 inch pans!
Little bit of a contradictory question, but can I substitute the limoncello for something else (lemon syrup, or maybe more lemon juice), and what could the measurements be?!
Please read the section: Do I Have To Use Alcohol?
As I have talked about the what if’s and Can I’s in that section.
Best cake ever!! Very tasty and moist on top of being easy to make. Only change I made was to add a couple spoons of butter since I’ve always made cakes with butter, but not sure if it made much difference. Olive oil is very healthy so this is another plus. Would make this again!!
Best cake ever!! Very tasty and moist on top of being easy to make. Only change I made was to add a couple spoons of butter since I’ve always made cakes with butter, but not sure if it made much difference. Olive oil is very healthy so this is another plus. Would make this again!!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad it’s the best cake ever for you! I personally love love this cake so much too!
This cake is DELICIOUS! THANK YOU! Very easy to follow recipe!
Must I use a springform pan?
I have a regular cake pan that is 9”x3”.
Regular 9 inch pans are much more shallow than a 9 inch springform. Your batter will overflow in a regular 9 inch pan is my guess unless you discard a significant portion.
You are correct–this cake is AMAZING! For those of you who need to make substitutions due to food allergies, I made this cake using GF Jules gluten-free all-purpose flour and I used lite coconut milk in place of whole milk. You honestly wouldn’t know if was GFDF. It is absolutely delicious. My guests couldn’t get enough of it. It doesn’t need a thing to enhance it, but the addition of Trader Joe’s Coconut Whipped Topping was very tasty. Thank you! I hadn’t had a good olive oil cake in a long time. Now I can make it any time. It couldn’t be easier!
You are correct–this cake is AMAZING! For those of you who need to make substitutions due to food allergies, I made this cake using GF Jules gluten-free all-purpose flour and I used lite coconut milk in place of whole milk. You honestly wouldn’t know if was GFDF. It is absolutely delicious. My guests couldn’t get enough of it. It doesn’t need a thing to enhance it, but the addition of Trader Joe’s Coconut Whipped Topping was very tasty. Thank you! I hadn’t had a good olive oil cake in a long time. Now I can make it any time. It couldn’t be easier!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad you found it to be amazing! Thanks for also sharing what you did to make it GFDF, too!
This cake is DELICIOUS! THANK YOU! Very easy to follow recipe!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad this was delicious and easy for you! I personally LOVE this cake as well. It’s one of my faves on my whole site!
I have made this cake a few times now for my family and as a dessert for new mom friends. Everyone who has tried it, has absolutely loved it. It is so bright and fresh and in my opinion, can be eaten year round! This last time I made it I couldn’t find limoncello at the store and was out of Cointreau, so I used St. Germain (elderflower liqueur) and it came out perfectly fine. I have never used the lemon extract when I make this cake, but instead just add more zest and I don’t think it tastes any different without the extract. I will continue to use this recipe whenever I am in the mood for a non-chocolate treat!
I have made this cake a few times now for my family and as a dessert for new mom friends. Everyone who has tried it, has absolutely loved it. It is so bright and fresh and in my opinion, can be eaten year round! This last time I made it I couldn’t find limoncello at the store and was out of Cointreau, so I used St. Germain (elderflower liqueur) and it came out perfectly fine. I have never used the lemon extract when I make this cake, but instead just add more zest and I don’t think it tastes any different without the extract. I will continue to use this recipe whenever I am in the mood for a non-chocolate treat!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad this is a winner every time you’ve made it, including with the St. Germain. I can imagine that being just lovely! This is my favorite lemon dessert I have on my site!
My family raved about this cake. I made it for Christmas Eve dinner. It was a huge hit! My family loves lemon desserts and no one has raved about any other lemon dessert, like they did about this cake. Some folks told me that it tasted like Starbucks Lemon Loaf – as I have never had the Lemon Loaf at Starbucks, I will have to take their word for it.
I made the recipe according to the directions with limoncello, the 2 tsp of lemon extract, lemon juice and lemon zest. Tasted great and was worth the effort to zest the lemons.
I am going to have to make this for my sister, who is gluten-free, since I saw a review stating that I can use KA 1:1 GF flour.
My family raved about this cake. I made it for Christmas Eve dinner. It was a huge hit! My family loves lemon desserts and no one has raved about any other lemon dessert, like they did about this cake. Some folks told me that it tasted like Starbucks Lemon Loaf – as I have never had the Lemon Loaf at Starbucks, I will have to take their word for it.
I made the recipe according to the directions with limoncello, the 2 tsp of lemon extract, lemon juice and lemon zest. Tasted great and was worth the effort to zest the lemons.
I am going to have to make this for my sister, who is gluten-free, since I saw a review stating that I can use KA 1:1 GF flour.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad that this was a huge hit! I love this cake SO MUCH! It’s one of my personal faves on my whole site.
I have a Copycat Lemon Loaf recipe here https://www.averiecooks.com/best-lemon-loaf-better-starbucks-copycat/ it is a hugely popular recipe and it is better than Starbucks everyone says. The lemon CAKE which you made is different yet, also far better than Starbucks, but in a different type of way.
I have made this cake a half dozen times this summer and it NEVER fails to impress. I have even made it gluten free, with KA one for one all purpose. I always use limoncello, lemon extract (2t), lemon juice and lemon zest. It cooks up perfectly and because of the olive oil, it stays moist for several days. I actually think it is best after it sits for a day or 2. It’s perfect with a cup of coffee in the AM, tea in the PM, or for dessert!
Thank you Averie for a GREAT recipe.
I have made this cake a half dozen times this summer and it NEVER fails to impress. I have even made it gluten free, with KA one for one all purpose. I always use limoncello, lemon extract (2t), lemon juice and lemon zest. It cooks up perfectly and because of the olive oil, it stays moist for several days. I actually think it is best after it sits for a day or 2. It’s perfect with a cup of coffee in the AM, tea in the PM, or for dessert!
Thank you Averie for a GREAT recipe.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad this cake never fails to impress! I feel the same way about it, and it’s my personal #1 favorite lemon dessert on my site, and really, in any restaurant or bakery in my life for me personally.
I am glad you always use the limoncello, lemon extract (2t), lemon juice and lemon zest and that you’ve even made it GF with KAF 1:1. Great to hear!
And yes, it gets better after a day or two. Totally agree!
great