Meyer Lemon Olive Oil Cake

Meyer Lemon Olive Oil Cake is a simple, delicate cake with hints of sweet citrus and olive oil. It takes less than an hour to make and calls for olive oil, fresh Meyer lemons, and simple pantry ingredients. A cloud-like slice of olive oil cake goes perfectly with a hot cup of coffee or tea for breakfast or dessert.

Jump to:

• The Perfect "Anytime" Cake
• What are Meyer Lemons?
• The Importance of Quality Ingredients
• Ingredients
• How to Make Meyer Lemon Olive Oil Cake
• Substitutions
• Variations
• Equipment
• How to Store Olive Oil Cake
• Top Tip
• Related Recipes
• Did You Like This Recipe?
• Meyer Lemon Olive Oil Cake
• Food Safety

The Perfect "Anytime" Cake

Meyer Lemon Olive Oil Cake is a perfect light and airy treat for brunch, tea time, snack, or dessert! The hints of Meyer Lemon and powdered sugar are made to pair with a cup of earl grey tea or an espresso. The Meyer lemon sweetens the cake, calling for less sugar compared to a traditional cake. The olive oil makes the cake perfectly moist and light, so you'll definitely want more than one slice.

Your kitchen will smell like an absolute dream when you pop a Meyer Lemon Olive Oil Cake in the oven. Although it's an easy dessert to make, the velvety consistency of the cake makes it a showstopper when entertaining. When the combination of the fresh lemony scent and sugar fills your house, you and your guest will fall in love with this cake!

What are Meyer Lemons?

One thing we love about our home state of California is that citrus season is basically year round! Citrus brightens any dish and the aroma is sweet and delightful. While we love all citrus, one of our favorite citrus fruits is Meyer lemon. Meyer lemons are a cross between a lemon and a mandarin orange, making for a sweeter version of a regular lemon. Meyer Lemon peak season is Mid-November through January.

Use Meyer lemons for salad dressings, lemon bars, Dutch Oven Chicken with Meyer Lemon, and all types of desserts. We especially love Meyer lemons in our airy, citrusy Meyer Lemon Olive Oil Cake. It adds just the right amount of sweetness and tartness to this special dessert.

The Importance of Quality Ingredients

Like every Italian household, we always have good olive oil on hand. We use it in everything that needs to be cooked or needs a healthy fat, including 5-Minute Kale Walnut Pesto, Healthy Penne alla Vodka, and Blistered Cherry Tomatoes. You will find olive oil in almost all of our recipes because it adds great flavor, just the right amount of fat, and is overall very good for you. 

Higher quality olive oil makes all the difference in the taste of your food. Just like most ingredients, when olive oil is produced by mills with careful supply chains and small batches, you can truly taste the difference in quality. When I worked for Williams-Sonoma, I quickly learned that not all olive oil is equal and you should be selective with your olive oil since it's an everyday ingredient. Some of our favorite olive oils include Colavita, Brightland, and Olio Santo. Plus, you can store your olive oil in a cute cruet, like these: Tablecraft Olive Oil Cruet, 2-Piece Oil & Vinegar Cruet Set, or Godinger Oil and Vinegar Cruet Set.

Ingredients

• All-purpose Flour - Provides the structure for the lemon cake and keeps everything together.
• Baking Powder - Allows the cake to rise.
• Baking Soda - Also helps the cake to rise and cuts the acidity.
• Salt - Accentuates the flavors of the cake.
• Granulated Sugar - Adds sweetness and locks in moisture.
• Eggs - Adds flavor as well as structure and stability.
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil - Adds a light fruity flavor.
• Meyer Lemon Juice - Adds sweetness and tartness that tastes delicious when combined with olive oil.
• Meyer Lemon Zest - Packs extra citrus flavor while not adding moisture.
• Vanilla - Enhances the other flavors in the recipe.
• Confectioners’ sugar - Powdered sugar for dusting that adds a sweet final touch.

How to Make Meyer Lemon Olive Oil Cake

1. Heat oven - Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Mix the dry ingredients - In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients, including flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set these ingredients to the side to be incorporated later.
3. Whip the eggs - In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of your electric mixer, add eggs and sugar. Whip the eggs and sugar on high until they turn light and fluffy. This is what will create a fluffy texture in your final product. Then, slowly add in the olive oil and whip the batter for another 2 minutes. 
4. Mix in flour mixture - Once the wet ingredients are mixed, turn the setting down to low and slowly add in half the flour mixture, and whisk for about 30 seconds. 
5. Add the Meyer lemon - Now it's time to add the citrus! Add the fresh lemon juice, zest, vanilla, and the remaining flour mixture and whisk until smooth, about 1 minute. Be careful to not over-mix the batter!
6. Bake the cake - In a greased and floured round 9" cake pan, carefully pour the batter. Bang the cake pan on the counter a couple times to remove the air bubbles. Then, place the oven and bake for 40 minutes, or until the top of golden and the cake test comes out clean.
7. Cool the cake then separate it from the pan - Remove the cake pan from the oven and let it cool for about 10 minutes. Using a paring knife, run the knife around the edge of the cake to separate the cake from the edge of the pan. Cover the cake pan with a cooling rack or large plate and flip the surface and the cake pan over together. To flip the cake rightsize up, take another cooling rack and place it on the cake. Gently hold the two racks or rack and plate together without squeezing the cake, then flip the cake over so the top is up and the bottom of the cake is on the rack.
8. Dust the cake then serve - Then, remove the cake from the pan and let it completely cool on a wire rack. Once completely cooled, dust powdered sugar on top, and slice into wedges.

Substitutions

• Regular lemons - If you don't have Meyer lemons, it's not a problem! You can use regular lemons and add a couple more tablespoons of granulated sugar to sweeten them up a bit. 
• Mandarin Oranges - If you have mandarin oranges available, use equal parts mandarin orange juice and lemon juice instead.
• Grapefruit - Make a Grapefruit olive oil cake if you prefer the taste of grapefruit to lemons.
• Clementines - Make our Clementine Olive Oil Cake if you are looking for an extra sweet version of this cake or just prefer the taste of clementines.
• Chocolate - Make a Chocolate Olive Oil Cake cake if you enjoy chocolate more than citrus.
• Gluten Free - Check out this Gluten-Free Olive Oil Cake

Variations

• Whipped Cream - Top the cake with whipped cream and lemon zest to for light and rich topping. Check out our Easy 2-Ingredient Whipped Cream.
• Lemon Curd - Top the cake with lemon curd for a more creamy and lemony topping.
• Cream Cheese Frosting - Add regular or lemon cream cheese frosting to the cake if you are feeling extra indulgent.
• Meyer Lemon Muffins - Instead of placing the Meyer Lemon cake batter in a cake pan, place the batter in a greased muffin pan and fill each cup ⅔ full.  Bake the muffins for approximately 20 minutes, or until the cake tester comes out clean.

Equipment

This lemon cake recipe requires common kitchen essentials. To make this dessert, you need a measuring cup, mixing bowl, 9" cake pan or springform pan, stand mixer or hand held mixer, paring knife, and wire rack. Serve it on a cake stand with a cake server. This cake can be frozen for up to 3 months. In order to freeze the cake, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, then place it in your freezer. We recommend wrapping the cake while it is still sitting in the springform pan to protect the cake in the freezer. To thaw the cake, unwrap it and leave at room temperature for 3 to 4 hours.

How to Store Olive Oil Cake

Meyer Lemon olive oil cake is moist and can last up to 4 days covered at room temperature. Whenever we bake this cake, we store it in our favorite marble and glass cloche. The cake looks so pretty on the marble and stays fresh and delicious until the last crumb!

Top Tip

Don’t over mix the batter or the cake will get dense and chewy, instead of light and fluffy.

Related Recipes

Did You Like This Recipe?

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Food Safety

• Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
• Never leave cooking food unattended
• Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
• Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove

See more guidelines at USDA.gov.