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Lemon Olive Oil Cake
Everyone needs a vibrant, light, fluffy, moist lemon cake recipe up their sleeves. Easter is coming up and it wouldn’t be complete for me without a beautiful, seasonal lemon cake. My Grandma Faye loved all things lemon so it was essential at our Easter Sunday dinner. Her recipe, albeit wonderful, uses a cake mix and I wanted to create one from scratch. You can’t beat homemade!
Back in the day when I was competing in recipe contests, I found a contest where the grand prize was a trip to Italy! It had been at the top of my bucket list for years. I went straight to the kitchen and went to work! It was for Bertolli olive oil and since I assumed most people would go the savory route, I went to dessert. I wanted to create an Italian Lemon Cake using olive oil, reminiscent of the Tuscany countryside.
The result was a melt-in-your-mouth lemon cake that was not only super tender, fluffy, and moist but had a heavenly fresh lemon flavor as well.
This Italian Lemon Olive Oil Cake is the perfect lemon cake.
The frosting can make or break a cake. So many of the frosting found on bakery cakes are overly sweet. This lemon vanilla cream cheese frosting uses butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar, freshly squeezed lemon juice, and grated lemon zest.
This creamy, silky frosting is the most ideal accompaniment to this fabulous Italian Lemon Olive Oil Cake. A zester makes it much easier to remove only the best parts of the lemon.
This cake does call for olive oil and the wonderful thing is that you can use canola, vegetable, or coconut oil as well. I have made this cake many, many times and have used both canola oil and coconut oil with much success. You can even use coconut oil and top the cake with coconut flakes.
My favorite cake pan is this one from USA Pan Bakeware Round Cake Pan, 8 inch. My favorite tool to use to frost a cake is definitely this Wilton angled spatula.
Click HERE to find all of my favorite essential kitchen products in one place.
If you love cake, here are some of the most popular cake recipes:
- Love at First Sight Chocolate Cake
- Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting
- Orange Cake
- Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Lemon Olive Oil Cake
- Southern Caramel Cake with Salted Caramel Frosting
- Coconut Cake
- Vanilla White Texas Sheet Cake
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Italian Lemon Olive Oil Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
Italian Lemon Olive Oil Cake:
- 1 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil or Canola Oil
- 3 Eggs
- 1 1/3 cup Whole Milk
- 1 Tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice
- 2 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon Zest
- 2 Cups Sugar
- 2 Cups Flour
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 teaspoon Salt
Filling:
- 1 cup Lemon Curd
Lemon Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 1/2 cup Butter softened
- 1 - 8 ounce package Cream Cheese softened
- 4 cups Powdered Sugar may need 1/4 cup more depending on consistency
- 1 Tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice
- 1/2 teaspoon Lemon Zest plus more for garnish
- 1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla or Vanilla Beans optional
Garnish:
- Lemon Zest
- Blackberries
- Mint
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- In a large mixing bowl, add oil, eggs, whole milk, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Cream for 2 minutes. In large bowl, add sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir into egg mixture and fold. Spray two 9-inch or three 8-inch cake pans with nonstick cooking spray. Place batter into baking pans. If using three 8-inch pans, bake for 20-26 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. If using two 9-inch pans, bake for 30-36 minutes. Cool.
To make frosting:
- In a large bowl, cream together butter and cream cheese for 4-5 minutes until light and fluffy, scraping sides of bowl often. Add powdered sugar, lemon juice, vanilla and lemon zest and cream together. Chill.
To assemble cake:
- Remove cakes from pan. Spread frosting on top of one cooled cake layer. Place other cooled cake layer on top and spread frosting all over. Garnish with lemon zest and fresh blackberries.
- Optional: Spread lemon curd on first cake layer and then top with frosting.
- Let chill for 20-30 minutes to let the frosting set up.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I can’t wait to hear what you think of this Italian Lemon Olive Oil Cake. Find me on Instagram at @modern_honey.
Amazing cake! Made it for Father’s Day and it was a huge hit! So moist and delicious. I baked it for a little longer than the suggested time but it was literally perfect. I got so many compliments. Thank you for the recipe!
awesome cake! curd between layers really helps, but overall i would add more lemon to the batter
I’ve always incorporated the sugar with the wet ingredients rather than the dry. Does it really matter? This recipe calls for the sugar to be incorporated with the dry ingredients.
Just got back from a dinner party to which I took this cake. I have never received so many positive responses to a cake. Followed the recipe and the only change was that I had to back it an additional 8 minutes. I live in Colorado, so altitude does come in to play here. Fabulous cake. Hubby loved the lemony smell throughout the house.
Hi Modern Honey, I am thinking of making an ombre cake and would fill four cake pans with batter, and later tint each layer. Do you think this recipe would do okay split into four pans? I love moist lemon cake and hope to try yours. Also, I wanted to ask you how you did in the contest? How fun!! Thanks.
I intended to snap a pic of this beautiful cake, but it was all devoured before I had the chance! Made this exactly as written, and everyone in the family raved. Even people who don’t like cake! Mine required about 10 minutes extra baking time, and I think I would either flour the bottom and sides in addition to the cooking spray, or use parchment on the bottom of the pan. I think this cake will be requested for many family gatherings to come!
Hi Kristin! I am so happy to hear that the cake was a hit! That makes my day. I appreciate you trying my recipe.
Gotta know… did you win the trip?!?
Made exactly as directed. Turned out perfect. Delicious and moist. Thanks so much for sharing!
I just made this cake, super easy recipe. I used two 9 inch rounds and had to bake for 32 min. I wanted to love this cake but in the end I thought the cake was very dense with a heavy “cake” flavor. Not very lemony. I did follow the directions to the T. However, the frosting came out beautifully. I’m wondering how to make the cake light and fluffy? Maybe use cake flour instead? For more lemon flavor I’m thinking to add lemon extract in addition.
Thank you!
I made this for Easter & everyone loved it. My dad said it was the best cake he’s ever had! ???? it was very easy to make too. Definetely a keeper!