Lemon Olive Oil Cake

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This gluten-free, dairy-free Lemon Olive Oil Cake features a dense, spongy center and a crispy, flaky sugar topping. It’s perfect for birthdays, special occasions, and brunch! And, no, it doesn’t taste like olive oil. It’s just a sweet, citrusy cake recipe to satisfy your sweet tooth. {Gluten-Free + Dairy-Free}

Okay, Spiriteds, gird your loins because our family is out-of-this-world in love with Olive Oil Lemon Cake. Literally FOUR OUT OF FOUR of us. We’ve made it so many times it is like a member of the family now. I’m fascinated by adding surprising ingredients to baked goods and then NOT TASTING THEM. Sour cream in chocolate cake? What? So, this made me full-on curious about olive oil. What would it taste like in large quantities in a cake? WILL WE ONLY TASTE THE OLIVE OIL???? These are all caps question if ever there were any.

I’m thrilled to announce, no, Lemon Olive Oil Cake doesn’t taste like olive oil. But it does taste citrusy and sweet and decadent and special and wonderful and amazing. I was inspired by Preppy Kitchen’s Olive Oil Cake to give olive oil cakes a try. Our version is gluten-free and dairy-free. And because of that, we used a few different ingredients and a slightly different process for making the cake.

Olive Oil Lemon Cake is our go-to for birthdays, special occasions, New Year’s Eve (because nothing says Happy New Year’s Eve like Olive Oil Lemon Cake), and brunch. Okay, fine, breakfast. We eat it for breakfast, but I will say this cake and a cup of coffee are a match made in heaven.

Our foursome really does love this Lemon Olive Oil Cake, any time of day and any day of the year, and we hope once you make it you will, too.

Lemon Olive Oil Cake is

• Dense, spongy, and moist
• Crispy and flaky on top
• Sweet and citrusy in the center
• Gluten-free and dairy-free

Lemon Olive Oil Cake ingredients

• Gluten-free baking flour. All-purpose gluten-free flour or gluten-free baking flour will work. Look for a brand that says it matches regular all-purpose flour cup-for-cup.
• Tapioca flour. A small amount is used to bind the ingredients together. This creates a spongy, moist cake that holds together.
• Sea salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Add these in with the gluten-free all-purpose/baking and tapioca flours.
• Eggs. Three medium-size eggs will do the trick.
• Granulated sugar. This particular cake recipe uses quite a bit of sugar, however I wouldn’t cut back because you’ll need it for bulk and sweetness.
• Olive oil. No need for anything fancy. Whatever olive oil you have on hand will likely work here.
• Almond milk. I use unsweetened vanilla, but unsweetened regular almond milk will work, too. You can use another dairy-free milk, if you’d like. The key is to select an option that is the same consistency as almond milk.
• Vanilla. A splash will complement the flavors!
• Lemons. I am partial to larger lemons and use ALL the zest and ALL the juice I can get! If you’d like a milder lemon flavor, then select smaller lemons.
• Coconut oil. Okay, so even though this is an olive oil cake, old habits die hard. I grease my cake pan with coconut oil instead of olive oil because then I have fewer leaks into my oven. You can grease your pan with olive oil, if that works better for you.

Helpful equipment

Lemon Olive Oil Cake is not a difficult recipe to make, however, below are some of the items I like to have on hand when I prepare this cake. The equipment below takes an already easy recipe and makes it even easier!

• Round 9-inch springform cake pan
• Coconut oil (see above in the ingredients section)
• Extra gluten-free flour for coating the cake pan
• Parchment paper to place inside the cake pan and to place underneath it when sprinkling the topping
• Cooling rack
• Zester or grater for the lemons
• Wire mesh strainer (to strain the lemon juice and separating the seeds)

How to make Lemon Olive Oil Cake

1. Set oven to 375 degrees. While the oven warms up, grease a 9-inch cake pan, dust it with gluten-free flour, and place a piece of parchment paper in the bottom. Then zest and juice three lemons. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine the gluten-free baking flour, tapioca flour, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt. In another large bowl beat the eggs on HIGH for about 30 seconds. Then add the 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar and keep mixing on a MEDIUM speed. Next stream in the olive oil, followed by the almond milk. Add the vanilla and blend until the wet ingredients are combined. The mixture will be thin and runny, and that’s okay. Now stir in the lemon zest and juice. 
3. Gradually pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, mixing on a MEDIUM speed until the cake batter forms. Once the dry and wet ingredients are blended together, then carefully pour the cake batter into the 9-inch cake pan. Sprinkle the top with sugar (see Notes below for details) and bake for about 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool for several minutes before releasing the springform side and serving the cake.
4. Tightly cover the leftovers and store at room temperature for a day or about 2-3 days in the refrigerator. 

Questions about this gluten-free cake recipe

• Will the cake taste like olive oil? No. The olive oil will blend into the recipe. What you’ll taste is the lemony-sweet flavor.
• Can I use any old cake pan? Technically, yes. But this Lemon Olive Oil Cake recipe works best with a 9-inch springform pan so you can easily remove the cake and serve it.
• If I don’t have almond milk or don’t want to use almond milk, can I use a substitute? Yes. Select a non-dairy milk that is similar in consistency to regular milk. While I love to use full-fat coconut milk in several recipes, I don’t suggest using it here as it’s too thick and may alter the cake’s flavor.
• How do I get the crispy topping to go all the way to the edge of the cake? I find that sifting the granulated sugar over the cake, including the edges, works really well. Because some of the sugar will go over the side of the pan, I place a towel, napkin, or parchment paper underneath the cake pan first. This makes for easier clean up. You’ll need about 4 tablespoons of sugar to cover the whole cake, including the edges.
• What if I don’t want crispy, crumbly edges on my cake? Then sprinkle the sugar in the center of the cake, leaving the edges of the cake batter untouched. You’ll need about 2 tablespoons of sugar.
• What if I don’t have tapioca flour on hand? Can I still make this cake? Yes. Expect the cake to be a little softer and mushier. But the taste will still be incredible!
• Instead of gluten-free all-purpose or gluten-free baking flour, can I use just almond flour or coconut flour? No. Almond flour and coconut flour are not cup-for-cup substitutions for regular or gluten-free all-purpose/baking flours. 

More dessert recipes to share!

We love lemon flavors and have more to share with you. But on top of those we also have more desserts for your tastebuds to enjoy!

• Gluten-Free Lemon Drizzle Cake
• Gluten-Free Lemon Sugar Cookies
• Chocolate Almond Butter Brownies
• Delectable Dairy-Free Chocolate Tart

Spiriteds, stay well and stay wild. Enjoy your desserts! I’m so glad you’re here. 💛

Lemon Olive Oil Cake

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This gluten-free, dairy-free Lemon Olive Oil Cake features a dense, spongy center and a crispy, flaky sugar topping. It’s perfect for birthdays, special occasions, and brunch! And, no, it doesn’t taste like olive oil. It’s just a sweet, citrusy cake recipe to satisfy your sweet tooth. {Gluten-Free + Dairy-Free}

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 40 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 8 servings 1x
• Category: Desserts
• Method: Oven
• Diet: Gluten Free

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

Mix-ins and toppings:

• Juice and zest of 3 large lemons
• 2–4 tablespoons granulated sugar

Dry ingredients:

• 2 cups gluten-free baking flour
• 2 tablespoons tapioca flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch of sea salt

Wet ingredients:

• 3 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup olive oil
• 1 1/4 cups almond milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

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Instructions

1. Set oven to 375 degrees. While the oven warms up, grease a 9-inch cake pan, dust it with gluten-free flour, and place a piece of parchment paper in the bottom. Then zest and juice three lemons. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine the gluten-free baking flour, tapioca flour, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt. In another large bowl beat the eggs on HIGH for about 30 seconds. Then add the 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar and keep mixing on a MEDIUM speed. Next stream in the olive oil, followed by the almond milk. Add the vanilla and blend until the wet ingredients are combined. The mixture will be thin and runny, and that’s okay. Now stir in the lemon zest and juice.
3. Gradually pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, mixing on a MEDIUM speed until the cake batter forms. Once the dry and wet ingredients are blended together, then carefully pour the cake batter into the 9-inch cake pan. Sprinkle the top with sugar (see Notes below for details) and bake for about 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool for several minutes before releasing the springform side and serving the cake.
4. Tightly cover the leftovers and store at room temperature for a day or about 2-3 days in the refrigerator.

Notes

• If you’d like the crispy sugar topping to go all the way to the edge of the pan, then plan to use about 4 tablespoons of granulated sugar. If you want the sugar topping to cover only the center of the cake, then plan to use about 2 tablespoons granulated sugar.
• We treat this cake as an 8-serving recipe so each person in our foursome gets two pieces before the cake is gone. However, Lemon Olive Oil Cake is a filling dessert. You could slice the cake into smaller pieces for yourself or guests and still be pleasantly full.