If you never baked with olive oil, make room for this cake recipe because you'll want to make it often! It's moist, lemon-flavored, keeps well, and can be made ahead and frozen. Make it in a bundt, loaf pan, round cake pan, or cupcakes. It's always good, especially with the powdered sugar glaze.
A unique bundt cake
If you already added olive oil to your baking repertoire, you know this lemon cake recipe is worth making soon.
Oil makes cakes moister and quicker to make than regular ones since there's no waiting for the butter to soften and no creaming step.
Olive oil, in my experience, also makes them richer.
We use lemon because it's a no-brainer paired with olive oil, but orange, lime and vanilla also make excellent cakes.
I started using it while developing recipes for a client (specifically this apple walnut cake) and discovered a whole new world. I was skeptical and thought the final product would be fine but not amazing.
Well, I was wrong. With the right type of olive oil, recipes such as this lemon bundt cake climb a few steps.
Step-by-step VIDEO
Baking with olive oil
Baking recipes usually call for neutral-tasting oils, such as sunflower or canola. This ensures that the oil will not mask the flavor of the cake, cookie, or whatever you're baking.
Olive oil tends to have a deeper and stronger flavor than regular oils. So a classic, mild or light extra virgin olive oil works perfectly.
Nowadays, I substitute olive oil in many cakes that originally called for sunflower oil, like this simple grape cake or the banana chocolate chip bread.
Or the streusel in this blueberry crumb cake.
If you haven't used olive oil in baking recipes, try it. You won't regret it.
Ingredient list
- Olive oil: use a light or mild oil, especially if it's your first time.
- Lemon: freshly grated lemon zest and fresh lemon juice.
- Sugar: white granulated is used for the batter.
- Vanilla extract.
- Flour: I use cake flour, but all-purpose works just fine.
- Baking powder: make sure it isn't expired.
- Salt.
- Eggs: fresh, large.
- Powdered sugar: also called confectioners or icing sugar.
Quantities are listed in the recipe card towards the end of this post. The Ingredients page has more details and lists the brands we use.
Preparing the bundt pan
If you bake bundt cakes often, you’ve likely had one stick to the pan. It’s frustrating—but preventable. Here are three reliable methods:
- Shortening and flour: Coat the pan thoroughly with soft shortening using your fingers or a brush, making sure to reach every corner, including the center tube. Dust with flour, rotating the pan to cover evenly, then tap out the excess over the sink.
- Cake goop (pan-release paste): Mix equal parts shortening, flour, and oil into a paste. Brush it onto the pan. Store leftovers in a jar—1 month at room temp or up to 3 months in the fridge. This is one of my favorite methods.
- Baking spray with flour: Only use baking spray that includes flour. Regular cooking spray isn’t enough and often leads to sticking. I rarely use this anymore.
The recipe matters too: When I find a bundt cake that releases cleanly, even without perfect prep, I hold onto it—it’s a keeper.
How to make olive oil cake
This is a one-bowl recipe.
For ease, I recommend an electric or stand mixer. You can make the batter by hand with a whisk, but it will take some arm power.
- The eggs and sugar are beaten until thick, and the oil is added in a stream. The resulting mixture is smooth and shiny.
- The dry ingredients are sifted and mixed in after the flavorings (lemon zest and vanilla). Don't overbeat at this point. Integrate *just* until well mixed.
Vintage Kitchen Tip
After incorporating flour in a cake batter, we don't want to develop gluten, as it will toughen the baked cake. So mix *just* until it's all well incorporated but don't overbeat. I like to end mixing with a silicon spatula to ensure the ingredients are fully integrated.
- Have the cake pan ready and never fill it more than ¾ of its capacity to avoid overflowing during baking.
- The baked cake is golden brown and cracked. A cake tester or toothpick should come out clean.
Lemon glaze
A simple powdered sugar glaze is perfect for this lemon cake. It complements the dense crumb without overpowering the flavors.
It will add tartness and sweetness simultaneously. It's an easy way to finish the cake and is finger-licking good.
Decorate it with edible flowers, grated lemon zest, or lemon slices in syrup. Or leave it plain, with just the icing.
Kitchen notes
- Organization: read the recipe first and ensure you have ingredients at the correct temperature, equipment, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier.
- Baking time: consider that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as possible, but it might take you more or less time. You can use a thermometer (like the OXO oven thermometer) to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend tracking how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust.
- Flavor: I use lemon zest, but you can add some pure lemon extract to intensify it, maybe ¼ to ½ teaspoon.
- Olive oil: using it instead of butter gives this cake a fabulous moist crumb and a rich flavor that perfectly complements the citrus. Use a mild extra virgin olive oil for the best results.
- Add-ins: you can add a handful of chopped walnuts to the batter or use limes together with the lemon.
- Pan size: you can make 1 bundt cake, 10 to 12 mini bundts, or 2 medium loaf cakes. For the last two, the baking time will be less, between 35-45 minutes, so be vigilant.
- Storing: you can keep the baked cake at room temperature for 2 days, in the fridge for a week, well wrapped to avoid dryness, or in the freezer for a month. If you're making it ahead, I recommend freezing it without the glaze unless you're storing leftovers.
Related recipes you might like:
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Glazed Olive Oil Lemon Bundt Cake
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 2 tablespoons shortening, to grease the pan
- 2 tablespoons flour, to flour the pan
- 2 cups cake flour, or all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 5 eggs, at room temperature
- 1 ¼ cups sugar
- 1 cup extra virgin olive oil, light or mild
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest, loosely packed, about 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Grease a 10 or 12-cup bundt cake pan (26cm) with 2 tablespoons shortening, covering every angle, nook and cranny. Dust with 2 tablespoons flour, shaking off excess. Reserve.
- Start beating 5 eggs in a large bowl with an electric mixer and gradually add 1 ¼ cups sugar. Beat for 3 minutes until foamy and light.
- Add 1 cup extra virgin olive oil in a thin stream while you keep beating. It will thicken and be satiny.
- Add 1 teaspoon lemon zest and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Mix.
- Add sifted dry ingredients (2 cups cake flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder and ½ teaspoon salt) in 2 parts and mix until combined but don’t overmix. I have them measured and sift them directly over the batter, but you can do it separately.
- Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 50-60 minutes or until a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean.
- Let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes and carefully remove from pan. Let cool completely before pouring the glaze.
For glaze:
- Mix 1 cup powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons lemon juice until creamy and lump-free. It should have the consistency of thick honey.
- Pour over cooled cake and let drip down the sides.
HM says
If I add less egs and more milk. What would be the ration. Thank you
Paula Montenegro says
Hi, you can sub an egg for 3 or 4 tablespoons of milk, but it's not so linear as it depends on the rest of the ingredients. I never tried it for this cake, so can't really talk from experience.
Hm says
Can I substitute to brown sugar
Paula Montenegro says
Yes, you can! The color will be a tad more beige, especially if you use dark brown. I think light brown sugar will work better. Happy baking!
Hm says
Great. It's my go to recipe. The amount of sugar is the same when using brown sugar. Everyone loves this cake when I make it. Yummy
Beth Thomerson says
This cake is delicious! I followed directions exactly (with one very small tweak) - delicious flavor & crumb. I used the Pam for baking spray and the cake released beautifully. The lemon glaze was bright, flavorful and a fun and pretty way to amp up the lemon presence. My tweak was to microplane lemons to get the zest onto the granulated sugar and then rub it in to infuse the lemon oils into the sugar to distribute it evenly.
I had a specialty swirl bundt pan, and it baked very quickly (almost overbaked). If I use the same pan next time (and there will be a next time), I'll check progress a little earlier. Wonderful recipe and a real hit with us and our guests. Thanks!
Paula Montenegro says
Happy to read that you like it Beth! Yes, infusing sugar with zest is a great idea. As for baking times, all ovens and pans are different and it's always a good idea to check periodically. Have a great weekend!
cynthia says
I made this, and it came out well. I just have a couple of comments.
First off, bundt cake pans are NOT measured in inches--they're measured in cups. So when looking for a pan, the recipe called for a 10-11 inch pan, which was utterly confusing. I didn't know if I needed a 6 cup or a 10 cup or 12 cup. In the end, it's probably a 10 cup. I used a 12 cup bc I wasn't sure, but a 10 cup would suffice. Please, change the recipe so that it's correct! Very confusing!
Also, I thought the cake was good, but it was a tiny bit dry. I'm not sure if I'd add another egg to make a bit more moist next time, but I'll try that and see if it helps it. Other than that, it came out nicely. I adjusted the sugar level to only one cup for the glaze bc I thought it was going to be too sweet with 1.5 cups of sugar, and it worked out fine. Thanks very much for this recipe! It was fun to try something new!
Esther says
Can I use lemon juice in the cake batter for more flavor?
Paula Montenegro says
Yes Esther, you can, I suggest 2-3 tablespoons.
sarah says
Hi is it possible to add lemon extract to the cake mix of this recipe to intense lemon taste?
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Sarah, yes, you can do that.
Rivki says
Make sure to beat eggs and sugar for at least 5 min! This cake came out light and fluffy. Not too sweet either. If you have lemon extract, that would make the flavor even stronger.
angiesrecipes says
The bundt cake looks amazing! The crumb is so tender and smooth.