This light lemon drizzle olive oil cake uses oil in place of butter for an unusual twist on the ever popular lemon drizzle cake. It is perfect for a mid-afternoon treat.
I have to admit that baking may not be the healthiest of pastimes, if you do too much of it. With all of that butter, cream and sugar, and the calories associated with it it’s hardly diet food.
But to me baking is as much about sharing as the baking itself and thankfully I have neighbours, not to mention family and friends, who are happy to try my bakes.
Being a food blogger, and one who bakes cupcakes, cakes and pastries, not to mention the occasional batch of fudge, it’d be easy to allow the pounds to pile on and the waistline increase! So I am gratfeul to them for helping out.
But I’ve found it fun to temper the ‘naughtiness’ by substituting the butter with olive oil. Regulars to Only Crumbs Remain may recall the pastries of our Vegan Beetroot & Lentil Pie, Apple Rose Tart and Pear pearand Almond Tart were made with oil rather than butter with great success.
Before taking over Only Crumbs Remain I made a Almond Bizcocho a traditonal Spanish cake usually made with olive oil, which I shared on my other blog Recipes Made Easy. In that case I used unrefined rapeseed oil with great success.
Here on Only Crumbs we also have a handful of pies and tarts made with oil, so it seemed opportune to make a cake with olive oil, Not only did lemon seem to be the appropriate addition to work alongside the characteristic flavour of olive oil, it’s most probably my favourite cake flavour too. Even above chocolate cake! So allow me to introduce you to our Lemon Drizzle Olive Oil Cake.
Now, I think it’s pretty safe to say that this cake is no showstopper. There’s no fancy buttercream piped in intricate ways. Nor is there any secret filling to wow and captivate guests with.
But what it lacks in cake-catwalk qualities (try saying that fast!) it certainly makes up for in flavour and lightness. It’s the sort of cake which is perfect for an afternoon treat with a cup of tea (or coffee if you prefer).
This Lemon Drizzle Olive Oil Cake is a doddle to make resulting in a cake which is wonderfully flavoursome with a moist light crumb. Its predominant flavour is lemon, (as you would hope with it being a lemon drizzle cake!) but the subtle notes of olive oil can still be picked out.
Now, I’m sure you’re fully aware that there are many types of olive oil available in the supermarket these days, each having their own qualities and being suitable for different types of cooking and food preparation.
For me, this cake called for a light olive oil rather than one with a robust flavour which could easily have overpowered the lemon. But if you’d prefer a more pronounced flavour why not try it with an extra virgin olive oil instead, and perhaps even consider using a little chopped rosemary in the mixture too – all flavours which work together brilliantly.
Or like my Almond bizcocho you could use an unrefined rapeseed oil. I like this because it is produced in the UK so it reduces the food miles. It also gives the cake an amazing yellow colour.
Make sure you use an unrefined oil sometimes called cold-pressed ,as regular rapeseed oil (often sold has just vegetable oil) is very refined and you lose both flavour and many of the health benefits of using oil.
Try this cake and see if your friends can tell that you have used oil in place of butter.
It is delicious served on its own with a cuppa but why not try it served with some fresh raspberries and if you like a dollop of cream or crème fraîch.
So, here’s how to make Lemon Drizzle Olive Oil Cake!
Olive Oil Lemon Drizzle Cake
Ingredients
For the cake Batter
- 175 g (6oz) caster sugar either golden, white, or a mixture of the two
- 2 medium eggs
- 1 unwaxed lemon zest & juice
- pinch salt
- 5 tbsp Olive Oil
- 4 tbsp milk
- 200 g (7oz) plain flour
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
To finish
- 1 tbsp lemon curd optional
- 150 g (5oz) icing sugar
- 1 unwaxed lemon Zest & Juice
Special Equipment
- 23cm (9in) spring clip or loosed bottomed round cake tin.
- baking parchment
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180℃ (Fan 170℃) / 350℉ / Gas 4. Grease and line the base of a 23cm (9in) round tin with baking parchment.
- Place175g (6oz) sugar and 2 eggs into a large bowl and whisk until the sugar and egg mixture is thick and pale and leaves a trail when you lift the beaters. Add the finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon and a pinch of salt and whisk until well combined.
- Drizzle5 tbsp olive oil and 4 tbsp milk into the bowl and gently stir to combine. Then sieve 200g (7oz) plain flour, 1½ tsp baking powder and ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda into the bowl and fold in.
- Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin. Place into the centre of the oven and bake for 40 minutes until golden brown and starting to pull away from the sides of the tin. A skewer inserted in the centre of the cake should also come out clean.
- Remove the cake from the oven.Allow to cool for about 5 minutes in the tin before carefully transfering to a wire rack and allow to cool for another 10 minutes.
- Place 1 tbsp lemon curd if using into a bowl. Stir with a spoon to slacken it with either a pastry brush or the back of a teaspoon carefully coat the top of the warm cake with the lemon curd.
To Make the drizzle icing
- Place 150g (5oz) icing sugar and the grated zest and juice of 1 lemon into a bowl and stir until smooth.
- Spoon the lemon icing over the top of the cake and use the back of the spoon to encourage it to trickle down the sides of the cake a little.
- Allow to cool completely before serving.
Notes
Cook’s Tips:
Use either a light olive oil or extra virgin. The extra virgin will bring a more robust flavour, whereas the light version is far more mellow without overpowering the lemon. Alternatively try an unrefined rapeseed oilAdd 1 tsp finely chopped rosemary with the lemon zest and juice.Store
Store in an airtight conatiner for up to 1 week. Fezze undecoarted for up to 3 months.No time to make it now – Pin for later
Jenny
I adore lemon drizzle cake, it is so light and zesty. I love the idea of adding olive oil in place of butter or spread. Your sponge looks so moist and I would be happy to devour a few slices of it ! Thank you for joining in with #BakeoftheWeek x
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain
Thankyou Jenny, it was amazingly light, possibly lighter than normal having used oil inplace of butter.
You're welcome,
Angela x
Kate Glutenfreealchemist
There is something quite special about an olive oil cake…. They are so moist and definitely lighter. Yours looks delicious x
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain
it's amazing how much lighter they are, it's definitely something I'll be visiting again.
Thanks for popping by and commenting Kate,
Angela x
Jo at Jo's Kitchen Larder
We do love lemon drizzle in our household but would never think of replacing butter with olive oil (stuck in a rut of using traditional recipe I guess) 🙂 I can totally see how it would work now though so am going to try your recipe next time we need lemon drizzle fix :). Gorgeous photos! x
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain
Definitely give it a try Jo when you're next in the mood for something like a lemon drizzle cake. The cake ends up so fabulously light and the olive oil flavour is really mild (assuming you use a light version). It's definitely worth a try, do let me know how you get on with it if you do try it 🙂
Angela x
Jenny-Apply to Face blog
Love lemons and olive oil together.This cake looks lush Angela.The classics are the best!Beautiful pics too xx
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain
Aw thankyou Jenny 🙂 Lemons and olive oil work together so well don't they.
Thanks for your lovely comments,
Angela x
Corina
It may not be a showstopper but it still looks like a beautiful cake and the photos make it look delicious too! I can imagine that olive oil and lemon go well together in a cake and it's always good to try slightly healthier alternatives to butter. Not all the time of course, but it's great to have alternatives! Thanks for sharing with #CookOnceEatTwice x
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain
Hahaha, no, not all of the time, butter definitely has its place in baking 🙂
Thanks for your lovely comments Corina,#
Angela x
Corina
Angela, I was just looking through last month's #CookOnceEatTwice and realised you added this cake. I had completely forgotten as I wrote the beginning of the round up before I went off on holiday and then of course came back and decided to make my own olive oil lemon drizzle cake. It must have been your cake at the back of my mind that inspired it so I've just added a link at the bottom of my latest post x
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain
Aw thankyou Corina, I love to hear that the idea of it had stuck in your mind and prompted you to try when you came back from your hols. And thankyou for including a link to my recipe at the end of your post 🙂
Angela x
Recipes Made Easy
While your lemon cake may not be a show stopper as you call it I think it looks absolutely delicious and I know it will taste just as good. I really love this type of simple cake. I too like the idea of chopped rosemary it would go very nicely im sure. In addition to olive oil you could use a cold pressed rapeseed oil, it will give it a lovely rich yellow colour. Just as good as olive oil without the road miles (imho) . Thank you for sharing with #CookBlogShare
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain
Thankyou so much Jacqueline, Ooh I like the idea of using rapeseed oil for a fabulous rich yellow colour – I'll definitely give that a try. And the vastly reduced road miles is definitely a winner in my book too.
You're welcome, CookBlogShare is such a great linky 🙂
Angela x
Mandy Mazliah
Love the sound of this and I think rosemary would be a brilliant addition!
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain
Thnkyou Mandy, I think it would work really well to, or even some lemon thyme!
Angela x
Kirsty Hijacked By Twins
Lemon drizzle is my all time favourite cake and this one looks and sounds amazing Angela! x #CookBlogShare
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain
Thankyou Kirsty, it's deifinitely one of my favourite types of cake too.
Angela x
Monika Dabrowski
I love desserts made with oil rather than butter, I personally feel less guilty about eating them (yes, desserts and feelings have a strong connection in my head:). This is a lovely recipe Angela! Thank you for sharing with #CookBlogShare.
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain
Hahaha, I know what you mean Monika, but for me desserts usually feel like a great big hug in a bowl. Pure comfort 🙂 It's good to know that I don't just have to rely on butter for yummy results, and if it means it's a little bit 'healthier' then that's surely a win-win 😉
Angela
Anca
It looks lovely. I never baked a cake with olive oil, but I used rapeseed and sunflower oil lots of times and it's great. I think olive oil and lemon are a perfect combination. Your family and friends are lucky. 🙂
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain
Thankyou Anca, I don't bake with oil nearly enough but given how light and yummy this turned out I know I'll be trying it again,
Angela x
TurksWhoEat
I think this sounds delicious! I love lemon cakes but haven't thought to try adding olive oil, great idea 🙂
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain
Thankyou, the olive oil brings a lovly background flavour which works so well with the lemon 🙂
Angela x
Kate, Meals and makes
This cake looks really good. My sister is a big fan of lemon drizzle so perhaps I will have to give this one a go when she next comes to visit! #CookBlogShare
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain
Thankyou Kate 🙂 Do let me know if you give it a try, I hope you and your sister enjoy it as much as we have,
Angela x