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Close up of glazed lemon bundt cake with a cut slice on a white plate.

The Best Olive Oil Bundt Cake

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

4.7 from 3 reviews

If you never baked with olive oil, make room for this cake recipe because you'll want to make it often. It's moist, full of lemon flavor, keeps well, and can be frozen. Make it in a bundt or loaf pan, cupcakes, or round cake pan. it's always good, especially with the powdered sugar glaze. 

  • Total Time: 70 minutes
  • Yield: 8-10 servings

Ingredients

Units

For the cake:

  • 2 cups (280g) cake or all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 5 eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 1/4 cups (250g) sugar
  • 1 cup (250ml) mild extra virgin olive oil
  • Zest of 2 lemons
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the glaze:

  • 1 1/2 cups (240g) powdered sugar
  • Lemon juice (from about 1 lemon)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven at 350°F/180°C.
  2. Butter or spray a 10 cup (26cm) bundt cake pan and dust with fine dry breadcrumbs or flour, shaking off excess. Refrigerate the pan while making the batter. 
  3. In a large bowl (or bowl of the stand mixer) start beating eggs and add sugar gradually. Beat for 3-4 minutes, until foamy and light.
  4. Add the oil in a thin stream while you keep beating. It will thicken and be satiny. 
  5. Add the lemon zest and vanilla. Mix.
  6. Add sifted dry ingredients (flour, baking powder and salt) in 2 parts and mix until combined but don’t overmix. I sift dry ingredients directly over batter, but you can do it separately.
  7. Pour into the prepared cake pan (that's cold because you just took it out from the refrigerator) and bake for 50-60 minutes, until a tester comes out clean. Ovens and pans are different and this is a large cake, so it might take longer. You can turn the oven to 325°F/170°C if you feel it needs to bake longer. 
  8. Let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes and carefully remove from pan. Let cool completely before pouring the glaze. 

For glaze:

  1. Mix sugar and juice until creamy and lump-free. It should have the consistency of thick honey.
  2. Pour over cooled cake and let drip down the sides.

Notes

Organization: always read the whole recipe first and have ingredients measured and cake pan ready before you start.

Flavor: I use lemon zest but you can add some pure lemon extract to intensify it, maybe 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon.

Olive oil: using it instead of butter gives this cake a fabulous moist crumb and a rich flavor that complements perfectly with 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 with it. 

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.

  • Author: Paula Montenegro
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 60 minutes
  • Category: Cakes
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1/10
  • Calories: 489
  • Sugar: 42.9 g
  • Sodium: 153.9 mg
  • Fat: 25 g
  • Carbohydrates: 63.1 g
  • Protein: 5.8 g
  • Cholesterol: 93 mg