this vegan lemon olive oil cake is rich, moist, and incredibly flavorful. it is easy to make and only takes 8 ingredients. you will not be able to stop eating it!
I have been wanting to do an olive oil cake for a very long time. And this beauty is finally here. This vegan lemon olive oil cake is seriously so incredible. I love that it only requires a few ingredients and I am guessing you already have most of them. So, grab a few lemons and get ready to make something delicious.
The Pan
Let’s talk about the elephant in the room, the gorgeous pan this cake is made in. I found this pan one night while I was perusing a websites one night *cough cough Williams Sonoma cough cough* and knew I needed it. You can get this pan on Amazon (it is cheaper as of July 2022) or Williams Sonoma. If you don’t have this pan or want to buy this pan you can of course just use a regular 9 x 5 baking pan. The Nordic Ware pans are great quality and I do love how it transforms the cake into something so special.
Olive Oil
If you have never had an olive oil cake you are in for a treat. They are so soft and truly incredible. You can use any kind of olive oil you like. There’s light olive oil, which reminds me almost of like a vegetable oil. There’s regular olive oil which is still very mild in flavor compared to EVOO. And finally, there is extra virgin olive oil. Personally, I do not like EVOO enough to use it in a cake but if you like it then definitely use it. Whichever one you go with won’t be wrong there might just be a bit more flavor from the EVOO.
Lemons & Lemon Extract
Here’s the deal I am pretty lazy. The last thing I want to do is start zesting lemons. So, if you want to get a super lemony flavor without too much effort juice from fresh lemons plus lemon extract is the way to go. I don’t like to add too much lemon extract because it can end up tasting almost like lemon candy, too artificial, so just a teaspoon is enough.
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Vegan Lemon Olive Oil Cake FAQ
- Can I make this gluten free? I didn’t try but I would suggest using 1:1 gluten free all purpose flour.
- Can I add a glaze? Sure, you can do anything you like. I personally feel this cake is sweet and flavorful enough and does not need one though.
- Can I use orange or lime instead? Definitely would be a different type of citrus note but still delicious. If you change the citrus I would recommend changing the lemon extract to correspond with the citrus.
- How long does this stay? You can wrap it and leave it on your counter for up to 4-5 days (if it lasts that long)
- Can it be frozen? Yes, just let it thaw before eating it.
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Vegan Lemon Olive Oil Cake
Ingredients
- ¾ cup (180ml) nondairy milk, unsweetened and unflavored
- ½ cup (120ml) light or regular olive oil
- 2 lemons juiced
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon extra
- 2 cups (240g) all purpose flour, sifted
- 2 teaspoons (10g) baking powder
- 1 cup (200g) organic sugar
- organic powdered sugar, for optional dusting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C).
- In a large bowl combine the nondairy milk, olive oil, lemon juice, vanilla and lemon extract. Whisk for about 30 to 45 seconds or until well incorporated. *Note: the milk may curdle because of the lemon juice don’t worry it is okay if that happens.
- Then add in the baking powder, sugar, and flour.
- Carefully, mix with a spatula until combined.
- Grease your pan well and pour in batter.
- Bake for 50 minutes or until edges look golden brown and toothpick comes out clean.
- Allow it to cool for 10 to 15 minutes in the pan and then carefully remove it from the pan.
- Allow it to cool for 15 to 20 minutes more before cutting.
- If desired dust with powdered sugar.
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I would like to make this recipe, it sounds delicious. Do you have an amount for the lemon juice? Lemons are different sizes, especially my Meyer lemons. 2 tablespoons? 1/4 cup? Thx.
hi Cathy! it’s just going off of the size of 2 standard lemons, so if your lemons are a bit larger or smaller you can adjust accordingly. I don’t usually measure out the lemon juice but I would say about 1/4 cup. also if you prefer things to have more or less lemon flavor you can adjust it to your preference that way too.
Perfetto! Making this tomorrow!
yay! can’t wait to hear what you think of it!
Great recipe! Flavorful, nice texture, easy to make. Next time will use parchment paper to help line the pan. Delicious! Used my homemade vegan lemon curd as a topping. Will definitely make again. Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Cathy! yay so so glad you enjoyed it, could only imagine how delicious it was with vegan lemon curd!! thank you for making it! xo
Hello,
The cake looks amazing! For the lemon extract, could I substitute it for more lemon juice or would it be okay to skip it?
Thank you!
Hi Stevie, thank you so much! if you want to skip it you can, I would probably add another half of lemon then.It just adds a more concentrated lemon flavor. the lemon flavor will probably be lighter and more subtle without it!
What do you grease your pan with? I have a similar pan, and find it hard to keep the cake from sticking to the pan!
i coat it very generously with a flour based baking spray! like the one from Pam
I am going to make this for my lemon-loving husband’s birthday this week! Can I sub avocado oil for the olive oil?
hi Karen, awesome! it should work okay but to be fair this recipe is an olive oil cake and was intended with the use of olive oil so I can’t say for certain it wouldn’t potentially change taste or texture. hope you enjoy!
Absolutely delicious, the perfect lemon-y & moist cake. Thanks for the recipe!
you are so welcome Heather! so glad you enjoyed it thank you so much for trying!! xo