This lemon olive oil cake is the perfect combination of easy and impressive all wrapped up in one deliciously simple recipe. You’ll be surprised at how quickly you can pull off this simple cake and, if you’ve never had olive oil cake before, you’ll also be surprised at the flavor. Olive oil cake doesn’t taste like olive oil. The use of olive oil in this cake makes it moist and rich without any butter and keeps it from drying out for days (if it can last that long!).

Because this wonderful recipe is so quick and easy, it’s one of my favorite lemon desserts (along with my Soft and Chewy Glazed Lemon Cookies) and it’s great for brunch, a baby shower, or as a non-traditional, rustic birthday cake. You don’t need a stand mixer or even a hand mixer to make this perfect cake and you can make the entire cake ahead of time or the same day you want to enjoy.

Ingredients

Because this lemon olive oil cake is so simple, you’ll want the best ingredients possible. I always use my favorite KAMUT® White Flour (learn more about KAMUT® Brand Wheat here) but you can also use regular all-purpose flour. You do not need cake flour for this recipe; in fact, I don’t recommend that light of flour with how much liquid goes into this cake batter. I’ve also tested olive oil bundt cake recipes with almond flour and KAMUT® White Flour or regular all-purpose flour provide a better, lighter texture.

Since it’s one of the main stars of this lemon bundt cake, good-quality extra-virgin olive oil is a must and the richness of pasture-raised eggs will shine through in this simple recipe.

For the wet ingredients, I use whole milk, lemon zest, and juice from fresh lemons and Cointreau. You can substitute the Cointreau with another orange liqueur or orange extract and none of these will give the cake an actual orange flavor, it will provide complex citrus flavors that just aren’t the same with only lemons.

For the lemon glaze, you’ll use more fresh lemon and vanilla bean to balance the flavors and increase the complexity. In all, you’ll want four whole lemons for this recipe.

Technique

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and prepare the bundt pan. Spray the pan with non-stick cooking spray and then flour the pan. Dump any excess flour into the sink and set the prepared pan aside.

The first several times I made olive oil cake, I used a springform pan and I always struggled with overcooked edges and an undercooked center. Using the springform pan meant the cake also took a long time to bake. When I switched to the bundt pan, I was able to reduce the bake time and the cake cooked more evenly.

Now begin with the dry ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder and set aside.

Use a large mixing bowl for the wet ingredients and start with the eggs and sugar. Whisk together and, when smooth, begin to slowly pour in the olive oil while continuing to whisk the egg and sugar mixture. When smooth, set aside.

Measure out the milk and add the Cointreau, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Mix right before you’re ready to use since the citrus zest and juice will curdle the milk if it sits. If this does happen, don’t worry it won’t spoil the cake, it will just act similar to buttermilk in the recipe but the texture is not appealing so I like to avoid it if possible.

Alternate adding the dry ingredients and the milk mixture to the wet ingredients. Start with half of the flour mixture, follow with the milk mixture, and finish with the rest of the flour mixture. Whisk after each addition but do not overmix.

Pour into the prepared bundt pan and bake for 45 minutes. The cake is done baking when golden brown along the edges and a long toothpick or cake tester comes out with a few crumbs.

Let the cake cool in the pan for a few minutes on a cooling rack and then turn out onto an easy-to-clean wire rack on a large piece of wax paper or parchment paper (since this is where you’ll add the glaze).

While the cake cools, make the glaze. A lemon glaze is the best icing for lemon cakes because it complements the fresh, light flavors and fits the rustic theme. Glaze (rather than frosting) also means you can stick with a medium or large mixing bowl and whisk and you still don’t need a stand or hand mixer.

For the glaze, sift powdered sugar into a mixing bowl and set aside. Slice two or three vanilla beans lengthwise and scrape the seeds from the pod. You can do this with the same paring knife you used to cut the bean pod but I think a spoon is easier. Add the vanilla bean paste to the powdered sugar. Zest two lemons and add the lemon zest to the powdered sugar. Juice the lemons you just zested into a liquid glass measuring cup and slowly add to the powdered sugar mixture as you whisk and until you get the desired consistency. The glaze should be thicker than syrup but thinner than pudding so you can pour it right over the cake and most of it remains on the cake.

I like to transfer the glaze to a liquid glass measuring cup so that it’s easier to pour. After pouring, let the glaze set and then slice and enjoy. This cake keeps very well for a few days, covered, at room temperature. I have not tried freezing or refrigerating this olive oil cake.