This Italian inspired lemon cake stays moist and flavorful with the help of extra virgin olive oil. Top with a mascarpone lemon glaze for the best (and secretly easy to make) cake for birthdays and celebrations.
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It's no surprise that while going to culinary school in Italy, I ate some of the best food of my life. And while I'm not usually much of a cake girl, something about this lemon olive oil cake might have converted me into a cake lover.
Instead of using butter or a neutral cooking oil, the fat in this cake comes from extra virgin olive oil. Not only does this help keep the cake super moist, but it also adds a unique and delicious flavor.
While you'd normally think of using olive oil in savory recipes, don't let that turn you off. This cake is sweet, filled with layers of lemon, and perfect as a 'not too heavy' dessert.
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What You'll Learn In This Recipe
- Tips to achieve the best cake texture.
- How to store the cake and make it ahead of time.
- How to enhance the taste with high-quality ingredients.
Want to continue growing your baking confidence? Grab this free guide with my top 10 baking skills for leveling up.
Ingredients You Need
- All purpose flour
- Baking powder and soda: The combination of both of these leaveners will give the cake the proper lift. Double check that your leaveners haven't expired.
- Fine sea salt: I find that a finer sea salt distributes better throughout the batter.
- Granulated sugar
- Lemon peel and juice: We're adding lots of fresh lemon to the cake and the glaze to pack a punch of flavor.
- Extra virgin olive oil: Don't skimp on the quality of the extra virgin olive oil for this cake. You want one that has great taste, and I can teach you how to find the best olive oil.
- Eggs
- Whole milk
- Mascarpone cheese: You can substitute with cream cheese. Just know the glaze will turn out thicker than if you use mascarpone.
- Confectioners' sugar: Be sure to sift to ensure there are no large clumps of confectioners' (powdered) sugar.
How To Make This Recipe
1. First, let's whisk the dry ingredients together, including flour, baking powder, baking soda, and fine sea salt.
2. Next, using clean hands, rub the granulated sugar and lemon peel together. This helps the oils on the lemon peel express onto the sugar.
3. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the extra virgin olive oil and eggs. Then, add lemon sugar and whisk until combined, followed by milk and lemon juice.
4. Sift the dry ingredients into the wet batter. I like to do this in 3 batches, whisking each batch just until combined. You don't want to overmix at this stage, or the cake texture could become tough from too much gluten forming.
5. Pour the batter into a greased springform pan, and bake for 55 - 60 minutes until the top of the cake is golden brown and it's springy to the touch. I like to insert a toothpick into the center of the cake to see if it comes out clean. This means the cake is ready to be removed from the oven.
6. Once the cake has cooled, you can move on to the lemon glaze. Melt the mascarpone in a small bowl in the microwave, then whisk in confectioners' sugar and lemon juice. Immediately pour glaze over the cooled cake before it hardens.
Expert Tips
- Make Ahead: You can make the cake up to 1 month ahead of time. Simply tightly wrap the cake in plastic wrap, place it in an airtight container, and store it in the freezer. When you're ready to serve, thaw the cake at room temperature. Then, top with the lemon glaze and serve.
- Storage: Store glazed cake in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 7 days. Allow the cake to come to room temperature before serving.
- Stop mixing as soon as the flour disappears into the batter. Overmixing encourages gluten to form, which gives the cake a tough texture.
Recipe FAQs
If this happens, your oven might be too cool. First, check that you preheated your oven properly and it's reaching the correct temperature with an oven thermometer. Never open the oven door while the cake is baking because the oven temperature will drop.
If this happens, it's often an indicator that the cake was not fully cooked. Be sure to check the cake by inserting a toothpick into the center. If the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is fully baked.
You'll also want to check that you preheated your oven properly and it's reaching the correct temperature with an oven thermometer. Never open the oven door while the cake is baking because the oven temperature will drop.
Finally, make sure your leaveners have not expired.
There are a few things you can look for to ensure your cake is fully cooked. First, the top of the cake should be golden brown and springy to the touch.
You can test that the cake is cooked by inserting a toothpick into the center. If the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is fully baked.
More Italian Dessert Recipes
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Italian Lemon Olive Oil Cake
Equipment
- springform pan
- wire cooling rack
Ingredients
Lemon Olive Oil Cake
- 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- peel of 3 lemons
- 1 ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 1 ⅛ cup whole milk room temperature
- 7 tablespoons lemon juice (about 3 lemons)
Lemon Glaze
- 2 tablespoons mascarpone cheese
- 1 cup confectioners' sugar measured then sifted
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
Instructions
For Lemon Olive Oil Cake
- Heat oven to 350°F (175C°). Lightly grease a 9 inch (23 cm) springform pan.
- In a mixing bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and fine sea salt.
- Using your hands, rub granulated sugar and lemon peel together to express the oils.
- In a separate mixing bowl whisk together olive oil and eggs. Add lemon sugar and whisk until combined, followed by milk and lemon juice.
- Sift the dry ingredients into the wet batter in 3 batches, whisking each batch just until combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 55 - 60 minutes until the top of the cake is golden brown and springy to the touch. You can test that the cake is cooked by inserting a toothpick into the center. If the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is fully baked. Allow cake to cool in the pan on a wire cooling rack until cool to the touch. Run a knife between the side of the pan and the cake to loosen it, then unlatch the pan and remove. Repeat this process for the bottom of the pan, then transfer to a cake stand.
For Lemon Glaze
- Place mascarpone cheese in a small heat-safe bowl. Heat on 50 percent power (medium) for 15 - 30 seconds, until melted.
- Add confectioners' sugar and lemon juice. Whisk until smooth and combined. Immediately pour glaze over cooled cake before it hardens.
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