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This easy recipe for Lemon Olive Oil Cake is the ultimate spring and summer dessert! This loaf cake also happens to be a vegan dessert, making it a thoughtful addition to a potluck or picnic menu.
A few years ago, my friend Alisha told me about an olive oil cake that was so good, it “haunted her dreams.” She asked, “Would you be up for the challenge of creating a similar cake?”
Although I don’t follow a vegan diet myself and swear by my egg-inclusive recipes like Blueberry Lemon Loaf Cake and Lemon Bundt Cake as well as butter-based ones such as Easy Pound Cake and Texas Sheet Cake, I knew I could find healthy ingredient substitutions to recreate this cake recipe in a way that would make it possible for Alisha and I to share a slice.
After testing and perfecting this Lemon Olive Oil Cake recipe, however, I can confirm that each slice is far too delicious to share. Vegan or otherwise, you’re going to want several slices (or, you know, the whole loaf cake recipe) of this summery dessert for yourself.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Unsweetened almond milk: This works one-for-one as a substitute for regular cow’s milk in this and nearly any baking recipe. Here, I combine the plant-based milk with lemon juice to create a vegan buttermilk replacement. (In case you missed it, here’s my non-vegan buttermilk swap!)
- Turbinado sugar: This sweetener is less processed than regular granulated sugar. The latter may or may not be vegan, depending on the brand and how its processed, so I formulated this olive oil cake recipe to use partially-refined turbinado. Some of the molasses from the sugarcane remains in the mix for turbinado sugar, so it has a subtle caramel flavor that plays nicely in this vegan dessert recipe.
- Olive oil: No need to splurge on the super-fancy and flavorful olive-green finishing oils. Mild-flavored, light olive oil is ideal for baking.
Step-by-step instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9-inch loaf pan with parchment paper and coat with nonstick cooking spray. To make vegan buttermilk, in a small bowl whisk together almond milk, lemon zest, and 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Set aside to blend for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, whisk together sugar and olive oil in a large bowl until creamy. Whisk in buttermilk mixture.
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Fold into buttermilk mixture and stir until just incorporated. Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth the top.
- Bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean with a few crumbs attached, about 45 minutes. Remove from oven and cool at least 10 minutes in the pan. Remove to a cooling rack set over a baking sheet and cool completely.
- Whisk together powdered sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla until smooth. Pour over cooled cake, allowing excess to drip off the cake onto the baking sheet beneath.
- Slice and serve.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: My Lemon Olive Oil Cake recipe makes eight generous slices.
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: The cooled loaf (frosted or unfrosted) can be wrapped in a double-layer of freezer plastic, dated, labeled, and frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
Recipe FAQs
If you think the cake itself packs enough citrus flavor, feel free to top this vegan cake recipe with Powdered Sugar Icing (using water or almond milk). Or leave it unglazed and serve each slice garnished with a generous spoonful of Strawberry Topping.
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Lemon Olive Oil Cake (Vegan)
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk (see note 1)
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 3/4 cup turbinado sugar (see note 2)
- 1/3 cup olive oil (see note 3)
- 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
For the glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
To make the cake:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9-inch loaf pan with parchment paper and coat with nonstick cooking spray.
- To make vegan buttermilk, in a small bowl whisk together almond milk, lemon zest, and 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Set aside to blend for 5 minutes
- Meanwhile, whisk together sugar and olive oil in a large bowl until creamy. Whisk in buttermilk mixture.
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Fold into buttermilk mixture and stir until just incorporated.
- Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean with a few crumbs attached, about 45 minutes.
- Remove from oven and cool at least 10 minutes in the pan. Remove to a cooling rack set over a baking sheet and cool completely.
To make the glaze:
- Whisk together powdered sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla until smooth. Pour over cooled cake, allowing excess to drip off the cake onto the baking sheet beneath.
Notes
- Unsweetened almond milk: This works one-for-one as a substitute for regular cow’s milk in this and nearly any baking recipe. Here, I combine the plant-based milk with lemon juice to create a vegan buttermilk replacement. (In case you missed it, here’s my non-vegan buttermilk swap!)
- Turbinado sugar: This sweetener is less processed than regular granulated sugar. The latter may or may not be vegan, depending on the brand and how its processed, so I formulated this olive oil cake recipe to use partially-refined turbinado. Some of the molasses from the sugarcane remains in the mix for turbinado sugar, so it has a subtle caramel flavor that plays nicely in this vegan dessert recipe.
- Olive oil: No need to splurge on the super-fancy and flavorful olive-green finishing oils. Mild-flavored, light olive oil is ideal for baking.
- Yield: My Lemon Olive Oil Cake recipe makes eight generous slices.
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: The cooled loaf (frosted or unfrosted) can be wrapped in a double-layer of freezer plastic, dated, labeled, and frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
This was my first vegan cake. A total success. However, next time I think I will double the lemon juice and diminish the almond milk. That way the cake will have a more lemony flavor. Hope this will work. Thanks again for the wonderful recipe.
Sounds like a good plan Charo! More lemon is always better. I should probably retest this myself and try to boost the lemony flavor so more. Thanks for the suggestion and take care!
Can you substitute water for almond milk? Also, what kind of olive oil? Can it be full flavor extra virgin or does it need to be a lighter flavor?
I made this. I was in a hurry so I used a cake pan, to shorten the cooking time. Served it at a picnic. My friends loved it. One friend requested that I make it again for his birthday. I think that was probably the first time he’s ever knowingly had a vegan cake, so to request it again was really good. It is dense, so it would be better as a loaf (vs. cake pan) but it was still very nice, and a surprisingly nice golden color. It went over well. My other friend noticed how moist it was, and was surprised that it only had a third a cup of oil total.
This is so great! Thank you! Reminds me that I need to make it again, too. It’s a pretty good cake for being vegan/whole food ingredients. I appreciate your thoughtful comment and I’m glad your friends enjoyed it too! Take care and thanks again.
Vegan buttermilk, genius! I love this healthified cake. I could use a little more health in my life in the coming year. 🙂
We could all use a little more health, ha ha! Thanks Lizzy! I am sure your cake will automatically taste better than mine because… well… you’re SugarHero!
I sure could use a slice of this right about now 🙂 I really want to try an olive oil cake – this one will be it!
You’re the best! Thanks so much and I hope you love it if you try it. 😀
that just looks absolutely yummy!
And it really is, I promise! I hope you try it and love it. Thanks Mark!
Oh gosh this would be perfect with a nice coffee. I love citrus cakes of any type and although i am not vegan i love giving new recipes a try.
You should definitely try this Mariana, vegan or not! It’s surprisingly good. And since it’s vegan that means you can eat twice as much right?? LOL
Very impressively healthy, Meggan … perfect for the post-Christmas health-drive, of course, but also for any other time of year. Merry Christmas and hope you and family are well! 🙂
Thank you so much Helen, perfect for after the holidays and all year long! I miss you! XO
I love the combination of lemon and olive on cooked veggies, but never thought to use it in a cake! This sounds like it’s wonderfully moist and flavorful!
Thanks Kathleen, I am sure you will love this recipe! Take care and talk to you soon. 😀
You’ve done a great job “veganizing” this cake Meggan! Looks beautiful and I’m sure it is delicious! Love the use of whole wheat and the vegan buttermilk! These recipes take time to develop, but once done it is totally worth it!
Thank you so much Mira! Totally worth it. Plus making it for a friend made it so enjoyable. I do well with positive constraints like that. 😀 Thank you again and take care my dear!
I love using whole wheat flour, but never thought of using it in a cake, love this idea. This cake looks so moist and yummy, I want to eat it all. With a big pot of tea.
Obviously all the tea! It’s so moist and tender despite whole wheat anything, ha ha. Thank you Janette and take care!