Lemon Olive Oil Cake

My goodness-this recipe really did surprise me!💛
At first I didn’t know what to expect, more sweet or tangy taste? To be honest it’s kinda both+much more that I can’t find the words to describe haha
but the most important thing-I LOVE the recipe and will for sure make it again💛
So if you were still hesitant- please, give it a try, you won’t regret!:)
Thank you PUL<3

PUL Team - March 24, 2025, 5:46 p.m.

Ahh this makes us so happy to hear, Lucky! Love that it kept you guessing in the best way -sometimes the magic is in the surprise 😉💛

Such a simple and delicious dessert my whole family loves. We can’t get enough of it and it’s a great way to use up any citrus on hand.

Quick and easy to make! 🍰

Coconut milk instead of almond milk and topped with shredded coconut!!!! 😱😱NOT NORMAL!!!! ❤️

This looks so great. I’ll try it as-is first, but I’m also wondering if it would work with orange instead of lemon. Do you think that’s a straightforward swap, or would it mess with the baking chemistry?

PUL Team - Feb. 9, 2025, 3:07 p.m.

Great question, Edith! Orange should work as a swap for lemon, though it will give a milder tang. Let us know how it goes! 😊

This cake is regular in rotation in my house, and I bring it regularly to gatherings, bake sales… quick, easy and I always have all ingredients. I typically multiply all ingredients by 1.25 in order to have enough batter for my 25cm cake tin. Recommend you giving this one a try ☺️!

Trying this for a friends birthday :)

Finally a lemon cake with a real taste of lemon. Tasted perfectly ✨️

I do not like lemon cake…..
But this cake was sooooooo perfect!!! The flavor of the lemon was perfect and it was so soft and fluffy!!! Wow!! 🤩

PUL Team - Jan. 17, 2025, 7:44 p.m.

Yayy so thrilled that you're enjoying it, Eden!

Hello, what other oil can I use and what other milk? Thank you

PUL Team - Dec. 15, 2024, 6:13 p.m.

Hey Jess, you could use a neutral oil like sunflower, canola, or avocado oil instead of olive oil - the taste will be a bit different though!

For the lemon juice to curdle the milk and create that "buttermilk" effect, milk with some protein is ideal. Soy milk is the best option for this because of its higher protein content. Perhaps pea milk can work if that's accessible to you? 🙂

Recently downloaded the app after following the website and videos.

Never baked a cake before and made this cake tonight and it was a hit! The cake was very moist and with a nice crisp crust.

Instructions and measurements are very easy to follow which made baking less daunting for me.

PUL Team - Dec. 5, 2024, 4:43 p.m.

Yayy welcome to the PUL App, Mustafa! So happy to hear the cake recipe was easy to follow and enjoyed ☺️ we're excited to share more delicious moments together!

Just made this.
Cake tastes sooo good but idk why the outer shell of the cake kind of hardened and inside it was chewy soft but not very spongy. Not sure why!

PUL Team - July 31, 2024, 2:14 p.m.

Hey there, Kirandeep, glad you liked the taste! The hard outer shell and chewy inside might be due to overmixing the batter. Try mixing the ingredients until just combined if you give the recipe another try. You can also turn the heat down a touch if it seems like the outside cooked too fast compared to the inside 🤗

Just made this for a midnight sugar craving and I didn’t expect it to taste this good 😅
Everything which could go wrong, did go wrong. I didn’t have lemon juice, which I realised once half the ingredients were in the liquid mixture so there was no turning back 😅
I also didn’t have a cake tin so I used a muffin tray.
I set the timer to 30 minutes and unfortunately the cake/muffins were over baked by the time I went to check in they were dark brown but not burnt, still the inside was moist. I took them out but they still taste good 😂
On a side note, Sadia and her team has totally ruined all other recipe books and apps for me. I was using a recipe book yesterday and realised how poorly most of these books are organised. Overall, kudos on creating an app we have all grown to love and appreciate.

PUL Team - July 28, 2024, 8:27 p.m.

HIya Preeti, awe sounds like quite the adventure in the kitchen! Even with the mishaps, we're so glad the muffins turned out tasty. Thanks for the kind words about the app; we’re thrilled and honoured that our content is a go-to 🥹🫶

I'm a huge fan of lemon cake. Maybe that's why I found this cake disappointing, I could barely taste any lemon. The texture was great though.

PUL Team - July 6, 2024, 7:26 p.m.

Hi Paula, this cake is intended to have a light lemony flavour but you could add more lemon juice if you give the recipe another try for more flavour 🤗

Catina Naegele - Oct. 25, 2024, 1:55 p.m.

Another suggestion is adding lemon zest to your sugar. I do this for a muffin recipe and it is amazing and may work well here- I too am a fan of lemon

PUL Team - Oct. 25, 2024, 3:02 p.m.

Thanks for the idea, Catina! 🍋

I made it yesterday for the office!
I switched to corn oil because I only had heavier olive oil and cut back on the sugar a bit but it came out great! I also used vanilla oat milk instead of soy.
It did rise but a bit more would have been ideal.
I wanna try with chia seeds as well next time. Any tips?!

Thanks again, great recipe!

PUL Team - May 15, 2024, 1:50 a.m.

Glad to hear the cake turned out well, Marianna! For more rise, you can try adding a bit of baking powder or ensuring your oven is preheated. Chia seeds sound like a great addition; you might need to adjust the liquid slightly since they absorb moisture. Happy baking! 🤗

I need to get use to the taste of vegan baked goods. It is a bit gummy in the middle but still taste decent.

PUL Team - May 13, 2024, 2:24 a.m.

Hey Ag, we're sad to hear this! Baking is a bit of a science, so in case you use cup measurements for the flour instead of weighing, it can help to ensure that the flour isn't too packed in the cup, but rather, gently spooned into the measuring cup and levelled. Overmixing can also lead to a gummy texture. Folding the dry ingredients in until just combined rather than mixing in a circular motion can help avoid this. In our experience, cutting the cake while it's too warm will lead to a slightly gummy texture, which improves if the cake is left to cool 🙂

J'ai voulu tester cette recette car elle me surprenait. De l'huile d'olive sucrée ? Mais qu'est ce que c'est que cette histoire ?! Et bien ce fut un succès ! Tout le monde a été ravi d'être surpris. C'est fabuleusement méditerranéen. Merci de proposer autant d'originalité

Maybe I undermixed and/or undercooked, but parts were not fully fluffy. Especially near the center. I did use ReaLemon, therefore had to omit the zest, which I think is quite important to mask the flour flavour. Maybe next time.
Oh, and used cow's milk.

PUL Team - April 15, 2024, 6:24 a.m.

Hey Nicole, it indeed sounds like your cake could have used a bit more mixing and possibly longer baking time for a fluffier texture. Baking is a bit of a science so the different amounts of protein in your milk may also have been a culprit. Happy baking 😊

Nicole Mostofa - May 28, 2024, 11:55 p.m.

Tried again with lemon and lemon zest and mixed more thoroughly, but still not too much. Added blueberries on top. Still not the best turn out. 🍋🫐

My husband made this for me a few days ago for my birthday - he is not the most experienced chef but with this recipe, he managed to bake the perfect surprise cake for me! :) He even commented on how easy and straightforward the recipe was, and I can only rate the taste, which was also amazing. (Since he had some leftover lemon juice, he also made a quick glaze for it, which I thought was a nice touch, although probably not really necessary to enjoy the cake.)

PUL Team - April 14, 2024, 1:23 a.m.

Aw what a nice surprise, Firebolt - happy belated birthday! We're so honoured that the cake was part of the festivities 💛

I made this today using Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1:1 flour and it turned out just like your picture! I will definitely make this again.

Ugh proper OBSESSED with this, it's a problem - can't stop eating it!

Awesome! Very quick and delicious!! Not need too much ingredients and very easy to make. How cool is the tick off the ingredients and the timer at the end?? Love it 😍

PUL Team - March 9, 2024, 1:24 a.m.

Hehe the step-by-step cook-along instructions are one of our favourite features! Thanks a bunch, Alessandra 🤗

I’ve tried it twice and it’s not fluffy at all. I give up. :(
First time I've been disappointed by a PUL recipe and I've done a lot! ;)

PUL Team - Feb. 20, 2024, 6:48 p.m.

Hey Julie, oh no, we're sorry it didn't work out! Not sure, what went wrong, but some important tips are not over-mixing the batter, which can happen very quickly and makes the cake stiff or even gummy and making sure the cake is baking for long enough - you can test that with a wooden skewer inserted into the centre of the cake and if it comes out clean, the cake is baked. Hope this helps! 😊

Taste wise it is fantastic (although next time I’d add less sugar) but it didn’t grow at all :( will try to add more baking powder next time

PUL Team - Feb. 19, 2024, 6:57 a.m.

Hi Catarina! Just in case you used cup measurements, it can help to ensure that the flour isn't too packed in the cup, but rather, gently spooned into the measuring cup and levelled. This will help avoid too much flour being added which can dry out dough. If you give the cake another try, we'd also recommend to be careful to not over-mix. It can be really tempting to keep mixing but we only need the mixture just combined! If the dough is over-mixed it will become more stiff rather than fluffy. We also find, that if the baking powder is not fresh, it can affect the cake. We hope these tips help! :)

catarina - Feb. 19, 2024, 8:50 a.m.

Hi! I used the weight measurements but maybe I over mixed, will try again!

Wonderful and fluffy. I made both the vegan and non vegan option and they both taste the same. The taste on this one having a madera cake flavour. An absolute crowd pleaser

Hey, would love to do this cake - but i am gluten intolerant, could i swap the flour with almond flour?

PUL Team - Feb. 2, 2024, 6:11 p.m.

Hey Kim! We haven't tried it out, but this recipe is quite delicate so we wouldn't suggest using just almond flour. With that said, a mix of gluten-free flours usually works better than using just one flour on its own, such as a blend that includes almond flour. Perhaps if you have access to a gluten-free flour mix that could be fun to experiment with? 🤗

super good and soft but I added 2/3 of the indicated sugar and it was already very sweet :)

Not sure what I did wrong but its not fluffy and looks and tastes like batter!!🙄

PUL Team - Jan. 20, 2024, 7:31 p.m.

Hey Suzanne, oh no! In case you used cup measurements, it can help to ensure that the flour isn't too packed in the cup, but rather, gently spooned into the measuring cup and levelled. This will help avoid too much flour being added which can dry out dough. With that said, if you have a kitchen scale, weighing the ingredients is best for baking to yield the best results.

If you give the cake another try, we'd also recommend to be careful to not over-mix. It can be suuuper tempting to keep mixing but we only need the mixture just combined! If the dough is over-mixed it will become more stiff rather than fluffy.

If it tastes like batter still and isn't fluffy, that could also mean it wasn't fully cooked yet. You'll know the cake is done when the top is golden and when a wooden skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Hope this helps for now 😊

Love, love, love!!! This recipe turned out so tasty and lemony 🥰 I did put more lemon than the original recipe, just to up the taste, and it turned out great!!

Made it with lime juice and turned out great as well - fluffy and delicious 😃

Can we use almond milk instead of Soy milk?

PUL Team - Dec. 22, 2023, 7:36 a.m.

Hey Dhanashree, we recommend using soy milk if possible for its higher protein content which contributes to the texture of the cake. Baking is a bit of a science with protein! You could likely use pea milk instead though. Let us know if you test out any substitutes 😊

Dhanashree - Dec. 22, 2023, 11:45 a.m.

Got it.
Thank you

Quick, easy and delicious treat for a sweet craving.

So so good! Very easy to make and delicious. 10/10

Maybe something went wrong but the cake does not have much taste

PUL Team - Oct. 19, 2023, 7:42 p.m.

Hey Bruna, this cake is intended to have a light lemony flavour. Did you substitute any ingredients? We'd love to help figure out where it could have gone wrong 🧐

The taste is good just very moist inside (doesnt look like at PUL picture 🥲). Trying to cook longer 🥸

PUL Team - Aug. 31, 2023, 11:40 p.m.

So happy to hear the taste was enjoyed, Laura! To address the moist inside, consider checking the cake's doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center if you give the recipe another try – it should come out clean. If needed, continue baking a bit longer. Happy baking 🤗

Laura - Sept. 1, 2023, 8:41 p.m.

I guess my used cake form was too deep and too narrow (actually it is for bread, the long one) so perhaps that was the reason why i couldnt bake it properly 😓 anyway i sliced the pie in peaces and put it to the freezer 🤔 gonna toast it as a sweet bread and eat it with a nut butter 🥸

So easy and so delicious! Love the fluffy texture!

Any suggestions on bake time if you bake in a loaf pan or a 9 inch instead? Thx!

PUL Team - Aug. 26, 2023, 4:26 a.m.

Hey there, Tara, thanks for the question! Switching from an 8-inch to a 9-inch pan will result in a thinner cake, which usually cooks more quickly. Start checking for doneness around the 25-30 minute mark instead of the original 35-40 minutes, using the skewer test and visual cues to guide you. Every oven varies so it's best to keep a close eye on the loaf and when the top looks golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean, that's a sign that the cake is cooked through 😊

Tara Wilson - Aug. 26, 2023, 12:20 p.m.

Thank you !!

Really simple tasty cake, but i highly recommend using/getting a lemon press. Then this recipe is even easier to make. The cake is fluffy and sweet, oil works well!

Would it work to substitute avocado oil for olive oil? We have a soy allergy in our family and have found that some olive oils trigger that allergy. Thanks!

PUL Team - Aug. 3, 2023, 9:05 p.m.

Hey Kristin, we haven't tested it out but imagine avocado oil could work. We just imagine it will impart the grassy/buttery taste of avocado oil - do let us know if you try it out!

Amazing cake, reallt fluffy. I’d add a bit more lemon juice 🥰

Lovely recipe! I was inspired from the photos and served with candies lemon peels. Next time, I’ll store any leftovers directly in the freezer, individually wrapped as recommended. When slightly thawed, the texture remained the same as when fresh.

PUL Team - July 27, 2023, 3:07 a.m.

So happy to hear, DeAnna, thanks a bunch for sharing your experience with the cake 🤗

Lovely cake! Sponges and fresh. A good staple for the Summer and good pick if you want to whip up something very quickly.

my moms birthday cake this year🍋🤍

PUL Team - July 12, 2023, 7:43 a.m.

Happy happy birthday to your mom, Maya! 🥳

I was wondering; is it possible to swap the sugar for date powder? If so, what would be the ratio?

PUL Team - July 10, 2023, 11:32 p.m.

Hey Sjoerd, we haven't tried so we can't say with confidence. Do let us know if you experiment with it 🤗

Just made this today and it’s so simple and delicious — added powdered sugar and fruit to top it :)

I’m not a vegan, but i do vegan and vegetarian recipes pretty often. Especially during summer. The Lemon cake is my favourite, the one I make is with butter, but I think I’ll switch to this recipe from now on. Looks so fluffy!

A recipe to keep! (Like most other recipes here:D). I can see myself making this very often. Simple ingredients, easy to make and very tasty. Thanks PUL Team!

PUL Team - June 5, 2023, 6 a.m.

So thrilled to hear, M, thank you 🤗

Made it yesterday: it is moist, super tasty, conforting and easy and quick to make. Thé perfect combo for a delicious cake! I will make it again and again ❤️

If you like lemony flavours this is the cake. I really enjoyed it. The cake is a bit sticky, so it might stick to the bottom of the container you store it in.