Glazed Olive Oil Lemon Bundt Cake

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

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.

Course Cakes

Cuisine American

Keyword olive oil lemon cake

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 1

Total Time 1 10

Servings servings

Calories 486kcal

Author Paula Montenegro

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

US Customary - Metric

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.

Notes

Flavors: for a plain cake, omit the zest and add 1 more teaspoon vanilla. Use lime instead of lemon or a mix of both. Use 2 teaspoons orange or tangerine zest in the batter, and their juice for the glaze.

Pan size: you can also make 10 to 12 mini bundts or 2 medium loaf cakes. For the last two, the baking time will be less, between 35 and 45 minutes, so be vigilant.

Storing: the baked cake can be kept wrapped at room temperature for 2 days, in the fridge for a week, or in the freezer for a month. If you're making it ahead, I recommend freezing it without the glaze, as the wrapping can crush it.

Nutrition