A good olive oil cake recipe should taste like more than a substitute for butter. It should have a delicate, plush crumb, a fragrant citrus perfume and the softly savoury fruitiness that only quality extra virgin olive oil brings. This is the sort of cake to place in the centre of the table while the kettle boils, or to carry to a long lunch with a bowl of berries and thick yoghurt alongside.
Olive oil has been part of family kitchens around the Mediterranean for generations, prized for the way it creates moist cakes that keep beautifully. Here, lemon and yoghurt balance its character: the lemon lifts the fruit notes, while yoghurt lends tenderness and a gentle tang. The result is elegant enough for guests, yet unfussy enough to make whenever the citrus bowl is looking particularly tempting.
Olive oil cake recipe with lemon and yoghurt
Choose an extra virgin olive oil you would happily drizzle over a simple tomato salad. It need not be the most intensely peppery oil in the pantry, but it must taste fresh, clean and alive. In a cake, stale or overly bitter oil has nowhere to hide. A mild to medium-fruity Australian extra virgin olive oil is particularly lovely, offering notes of fresh grass, almond or ripe olive without overwhelming the lemon.
Ingredients
For one 22 cm round cake, serving 8 to 10, you will need:
- 180 ml extra virgin olive oil, plus a little extra for greasing
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 180 g caster sugar
- Finely grated zest of 2 lemons
- 125 g plain Greek-style yoghurt
- 60 ml fresh lemon juice
- 220 g self-raising flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 tablespoons raw sugar, optional, for a delicate crisp top
- Icing sugar, extra lemon zest or seasonal fruit, to serve
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, caster sugar and lemon zest for two to three minutes, until the mixture looks paler and lightly thickened. You are not aiming for the volume of a sponge cake, but this small step gives the finished crumb a lighter feel.
Whisk in the olive oil in a slow, steady stream. The mixture will turn glossy and silky. Add the yoghurt and lemon juice, then whisk again until smooth. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture with a spatula, stopping as soon as no visible streaks of flour remain. Overmixing is the quickest route to a cake that feels heavy rather than tender.
Spoon the batter into the prepared tin and smooth the surface. If you enjoy a fine, crackly top, scatter over the raw sugar. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until the cake is golden, the centre springs back when gently pressed and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
Leave the cake in its tin for 15 minutes before releasing the sides. Cool on a wire rack. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature with a dusting of icing sugar, a spoonful of yoghurt and sliced stone fruit when it is in season. In winter, poached pears or blood orange segments are equally handsome companions.
Why olive oil makes a better everyday cake
Butter gives cakes richness and a familiar dairy flavour. Olive oil brings something different: a light, supple texture and a finish that feels less heavy after a generous slice. Because oil remains liquid at room temperature, this cake stays soft for several days rather than becoming firm as it cools.
The choice also changes the flavour, which is precisely the point. Extra virgin olive oil carries the aroma of the fruit itself, from buttery and mellow to green and herbaceous. Lemon gives the cake a clear direction, but do not expect it to erase the oil. A well-made olive oil cake should let both ingredients be noticed.
There is a trade-off. If your household prefers very sweet, vanilla-forward celebration cakes, this may taste more grown-up and less familiar. That is easily softened by serving it with berries, a lemon glaze or a dollop of cream. For those who appreciate a pantry ingredient with genuine character, however, the olive oil is what makes the cake memorable.
The oil matters more than you think
Extra virgin olive oil is not interchangeable with bland cooking oil in this recipe. Use a fresh, premium bottle with a balanced flavour, and avoid oils that smell waxy, flat or rancid. An oil with a pronounced peppery finish can work, particularly if you enjoy a more savoury edge, though it will be more assertive after baking.
For a gentler cake, choose a delicate oil. For a cake designed to accompany espresso after dinner, a medium-fruity oil has enough presence to stand alongside dark chocolate or roasted figs. Robinvale Estate extra virgin olive oil is a natural fit when you want to bring the bright, fresh flavour of Australian-grown olives to the baking tin.
Small adjustments for the season and occasion
This base is adaptable, but it is worth changing one thing at a time so the cake remains balanced. Replace the lemon zest and juice with orange for a rounder, sweeter citrus profile. Add one teaspoon of ground cardamom with the flour for a more aromatic cake, especially lovely with roasted plums. A handful of finely chopped pistachios scattered over the batter before baking adds colour and gentle crunch.
For a simple lemon glaze, whisk 100 g icing sugar with enough lemon juice to make a thick but pourable mixture, then spoon it over a fully cooled cake. The glaze makes the cake more celebratory, although it also masks some of the olive oil’s nuance. If the oil is particularly special, a light dusting of icing sugar is often the better choice.
You can also bake the batter as 10 to 12 muffins. Fill lined muffin holes about three-quarters full and begin checking them after 18 minutes. They make a thoughtful addition to a picnic hamper, and their moist crumb means they travel well.
Getting the texture right
Room-temperature eggs and yoghurt help the batter emulsify smoothly with the olive oil. If they are straight from the fridge, the cake will still bake, but the mixture may look slightly split and the crumb can be less even. Set the ingredients out while you heat the oven and prepare the tin.
Do not be tempted to pull the cake early just because the top has coloured. Olive oil cakes are moist by nature, but an underbaked centre will sink as it cools. Conversely, every oven runs a little differently, so check at 40 minutes rather than relying only on the clock. If the top is browning too quickly, lay a loose sheet of foil over the tin for the final 10 minutes.
Once cooled, store the cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days. It is often even better on day two, when the citrus and olive oil have settled into the crumb. In very warm weather, refrigerate it, then bring slices back to room temperature before serving so the flavour is at its most expressive.
A cake like this asks for no elaborate finish. Choose beautiful oil, grate your lemons finely, and give the batter the care of a few unhurried minutes. Then share it generously, because the best part of a fragrant cake on the table is always the invitation to cut another slice.