Rich olive oil, tangy yogurt, and fresh lemon were made for one another in this lemon olive oil cake. Don't skip the sweet and zippy lemon glaze! With its citrus-forward flavour, this cake will be a showstopper on your family table (and no one will ever know it came together in one bowl in under 20 minutes).

Serve this with lemon curd or lemon meringue ice cream to really boost that citrus flavour!

An iced bundt cake on a pink plate with a slice removed.
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Ingredients

For The Lemon Cake

Ingredients to make lemon olive oil cake.

For The Lemon Glaze

Ingredients to make lemon icing.

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

  • Yogurt: use a full-fat thick Greek-style yogurt for this recipe. We don't recommend using a low-fat yogurt as it changes the texture of the cake. Full-fat sour cream is a good sub for the yogurt, though.
  • Lemon: fresh lemon zest and juice will yield the best flavour. Don't use bottled juice if you don't have to. Use an organic, unwaxed lemon if possible because you're using the skin.
  • Flour: cake flour results in a lighter, fluffier cake with a higher rise. If you don't have cake flour you can use all-purpose flour in its place.
  • White food colouring: powdered sugar alone doesn't give you the true white that white food colouring can add. Using it is totally optional, but if you're curious, you can find it online or at Michaels.
  • Make it dairy-free: use a very thick vegan alternative, like a strained coconut yogurt, in place of the Greek yogurt.

Method

Olive oil cake steps 1 to 4, mixing the batter.

Step 1: whisk the wet ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.

Step 2: sift in the dry ingredients.

Step 3: stir until just combined. A few streaks of flour are fine.

Step 4: pour the batter into a greased bundt tin.

Bundt cake steps 5 to 8, baking cake and adding icing.

Step 5: bake until golden around the edges. The cake won't reach the top of the tin.

Step 6: turn out onto a wire rack to cool.

Step 7: make the glaze.

Step 8: once the cake is cool, top with the glaze and serve.

Top Tips

  • Use room temperature eggs: they're easier to mix and will emulsify with the olive oil faster than eggs cold from the refrigerator.
  • Substitute a brush: If you don't have baking spray, lightly grease your pan with olive oil using a pastry brush. Dab any pools of oil in the bottom of the pan with a paper towel before you pour in the lemon cake batter.
  • Follow the storage instructions: we don’t recommend storing this cake in airtight containers. The lack of air makes the glaze wet and runny.

Recipe Notes

You need a 10-cup capacity Bundt pan for this recipe as we haven't tested the cake with anything but. We recommend Nordic Ware Bundt pans (not sponsored) as they are remarkably robust, non-stick, and simply beautiful.

The lemon icing should be thicker than you think. If it runs quickly off the end of a spoon, it will run too quickly over your cake. Thicker glaze will have a chance to settle on the cake before it runs down to the serving platter. To thicken the glaze add more powdered sugar.

How to Store

Storage: store iced yogurt cake, loosely covered with aluminum foil, on the counter for up to two days. After that, place it in the fridge. If your house or climate is super hot or humid, store the cake in the fridge directly after serving.

Freezing: place the fully cooled cake into an airtight container. Don't add the frosting. Freeze for up to three months, then thaw as usual and frost before serving.

Close up of a slice of lemon cake on a pink glass plate.

FAQ

Do olive oil cakes taste like olive oil?

It shouldn't be a noticeable flavour unless your olive oil is extremely strong or bitter. To avoid the potential of an overwhelming taste of olive oil, don't use extra-virgin.

Is an olive oil cake better than a regular cake?

Olive oil cakes tend to be a little lighter than their buttery counterparts, but both are good! It's a nice twist from a standard butter cake and the texture is excellent, fluffy and tall.

What is an olive oil cake?

Olive oil cake is simply a cake in which butter is replaced with olive oil. It doesn't taste like olive oil but has a lovely light and fluffy texture.

If you make this Olive Oil Bundt Cake recipe or any other cake recipes on the Baked Collective, please take a moment to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It’s such a help to others who want to try the recipe. For more baking, follow along on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.

An iced bundt cake on a pink plate with a slice removed.
Print Recipe
5 from 1 vote

Lemon Olive Oil Cake With Greek Yogurt

Rich olive oil, tangy yogurt, and fresh lemon were made for one another in this lemon olive oil cake. Don't skip the sweet and zippy lemon icing!
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time37 minutes
Total Time57 minutes
Author: Kelly Neil
Yield: 12

Equipment

  • Measuring cups and spoons or a digital kitchen scale
  • Mixing bowl
  • Whisk
  • Rubber spatula or wooden spoon
  • 10-cup non-stick Bundt pan
  • Wire rack

Ingredients

For The Lemon Olive Oil Cake

  • 1 cup full-fat Greek yogurt
  • ¾ cup olive oil
  • 2 large eggs room temperature
  • Zest of a lemon
  • ¼ cup juice of a lemon 63ml juice
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 ½ cups cake flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt

For The Lemon Glaze

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • ½ teaspoon white food colouring optional
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons lemon juice
Makes: 10inch round

Instructions

Make The Lemon Olive Oil Cake

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F (180ºC). Lightly spray the inside of a 10-cup non-stick Bundt pan with baking spray and set aside.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the Greek yogurt, olive oil, eggs, lemon zest, lemon juice, and sugar until well combined.
  • Sift the flour and baking powder into the bowl. Add the salt.
  • Use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to gently fold the wet and dry ingredients together. Stop when the flour is almost mixed in—a few streaks of flour are okay!
  • Scoop the cake batter into the prepared Bundt pan avoiding the middle column of the pan.
  • Use the rubber spatula to gently smooth the top of the batter.
  • Place the tin in the oven and bake the cake for 37 to 40 minutes or until the top is light golden brown and springs back when pressed with a fingertip.
  • Remove the cake from the oven. Let it cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack, then carefully flip the cake from the tin onto the wire rack.
  • Cool the cake completely before glazing.

Make The Glaze

  • Sift the powdered sugar into a bowl and add the white food colouring if using. Stir the food colouring around to distribute it through the sugar.
  • Add lemon juice, by the ½ teaspoon, until the glaze is thick and runs slowly off the end of a spoon like honey. You want the glaze to be quite thick!
  • Pour the glaze over the cooled cake the add any decorations you like. We sprinkled gold sugar over the top of our cake.
  • Allow the glaze to set for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 306kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 0.003g | Cholesterol: 28mg | Sodium: 220mg | Potassium: 58mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 28g | Vitamin A: 42IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 86mg | Iron: 1mg

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