Olive Oil Cake
Updated Nov 08, 2025
Olive oil cake made in one bowl and ready to bake in under 10 minutes. Uses high-quality olive oil, Greek yogurt, fresh lemon, and a few pantry staples!
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This is the best olive oil cake!
I’ve always loved how easy this olive oil cake is to make. It’s soft, lightly sweet, and has a subtle richness from the olive oil, making it taste a little extra special. The lemon adds fresh flavor that goes great with the other flavors. I like to serve olive oil cake with a spoonful of Greek yogurt and a few berries on top! Super simple, but so good.
Happy Cooking!
– Yumna
Olive Oil Cake Ingredients
- Olive oil: Use high-quality olive oil, because it’s the dominant flavor of the cake! Use one that’s fruity, not bitter or peppery. I don’t recommend substituting a different oil.
- Lemon: Here’s a quick reminder on how to juice a lemon and how to zest a lemon, because I use both in this recipe. You can also use orange juice and orange zest.
- Yogurt: I prefer full-fat Greek yogurt, but you can also use plain.
- Dry ingredients: All-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Wet ingredients: Eggs.
How to Make Olive Oil Cake
Olive Oil Cake Recipe
Olive oil cake made with high-quality olive oil, Greek yogurt, fresh lemon, and a few pantry staples mixed in one bowl and in the oven in 10 minutes!
Video
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅔ cup olive oil
- ½ cup Greek yogurt
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 lemon zested
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Oil a 9" round cake pan.
- Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
- Create a well in the flour mixture and add the olive oil, Greek yogurt, and eggs. Whisk into the flour mixture.
- Add the lemon juice and lemon zest. Stir until completely combined with no lumps.
- Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. Bake for 30–35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Let cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing. Serve with a dollop of Greek yogurt and raspberries, if desired.
Equipment
- Round 9" Cake Pan
Notes
- My Top Tip: Use room temperature eggs. The yolks are softer at room temperature and easier to incorporate into the batter.
- Storage: Store the olive oil cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. If you frost the cake, keep it in the fridge.
- Freezing: Wrap individual slices of the olive oil cake in aluminum foil, then place them in a freezer-safe bag or container. The cake will last in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before decorating or serving.
Nutrition
Calories: 319kcal, Carbohydrates: 33g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 19g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 42mg, Sodium: 128mg, Potassium: 85mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 17g, Vitamin A: 60IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 34mg, Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
Did You Make This Recipe?
Recipe Variations
- Make it with cake flour. I wrote the recipe with all-purpose flour, because that’s what most people have. But if you have cake flour, it will make the olive oil cake lighter and extra fluffy.
- Add poppy seeds. Stir a tablespoon or two of poppy seeds into the batter before baking.
- Top it with a lemon glaze. Here’s how to make a classic glaze. For extra lemon flavor, add lemon juice one tablespoon at a time to taste.
Recipe Tips
- Use room temperature eggs. The yolks are softer at room temperature and easier to incorporate into the batter.
- Zest first, juice second. You’ll get the most fragrant oils from the zest if you do it before cutting the lemon.
- Mix your cake batter well. It should be smooth with no lumps for an even texture. But be careful not to over-mix it.
More Cake Recipes
- Cardamom Cake
- Pistachio Cake
- Almond Cake
- Date Cake
- Orange Cake
- Sfouf Turmeric Cake
- Cranberry Cake
- Carrot Cake
- Cinnamon Crumb Coffee Cake
- Vanilla Mug Cake
Comments
Just made this and it came out really light and fluffy. I made a few adjustments because it was what I had on hand. I used 1/4 cup regular whole milk yogurt and 1/4 cup mascarpone cheese stirred together to make the yogurt thicker. I also used 1/4 cup lemon juice and 2 tsp. lemon zest and two light tsp. lime zest. The flavor and sweetness level was just right. I used a high quality finishing olive oil and didn’t really get the taste of olive oil but that was what I was going for, just a light, sweet, lemony, and yummy cake. Thank you for the recipe! Next time I might try all lime or orange and maybe try a more robust olive oil to taste the difference.
Yay, so glad you liked it!! Love the tweaks you made, Denise. Thanks for sharing!
What is the best brand of EVOO to use? Thank you.
I like Pompeian’s Robust Extra Virgin Olive Oil: https://amzlink.to/az0XeuSqwe9AP
Hi can I substitute regular yogurt or sour cream for the Greek yogurt?
Yes, absolutely! I recommend regular yogurt over sour cream. Enjoy!
I made this for Christmas and it was delicious. Instead of yoghurt, I did a 1:1 substitute with cashew cream as I am trying to reduce cholesterol and therefore saturated fat. It needed about 8 minutes longer in the oven (using the toothpick test) but it turned out delicious and moist. And with hardly any saturated fat. Woohoo! I also added 1/2 cup of chopped basil and blended it with the olive oil. There were still some chopped pieces in the cake and it was a lovely hint. Next time I will add more.
Ooh I love that you added basil, that sounds so good!! Thanks so much for sharing! So glad it worked with cashew cream and that you enjoyed it, Toria!!
Love this cake! So easy and came out light and fluffy. Used cake flour and I also used orange olive oil. The orange olive oil along with the lemon juice and zest gave it a nice citrus flavor. Will be making this again! Thanks!
Love that!! So glad you enjoyed it, Meigan. Thank you so much!
Love this recipe. Can you substitute APF with whole wheat pastry flour and any sub for gluten free flour?
I think whole wheat pastry flour and all-purpose 1:1 GF flour would both work well for this recipe. Let me know how they turn out if you end up trying one or both of them!
This cake is delicious! Can I add blueberries to it before baking?
Thank you! So glad you like it!! I haven’t tried adding blueberries but others have had success adding them to the batter. You could also use them as a topping. Hope that helps!
Just finished it! Good overall. Mine was a bit oily vs fluffy so not sure if needed different flour. Cooked 9” pan for 33 minutes. Would like to try again. Lmk any feedback for making more fluffy less oily
Did you use all-purpose flour? I recommend using cake flour instead next time so it comes out extra fluffy! Let me know how it turns out!!
Same thing happened to mine! I baked it for 33 minutes also. Still tasty, but it did look more oily or over mixed versus fluffy. Going to try baking flour next time!
Can’t wait to hear how it turns out with baking flour!
I noticed this is for 9” pan. Would 6” or 8” pan work? And if yes, should I adjust the baking time?
An 8-inch pan will work! You shouldn’t have to adjust the bake time too much. Just check to see if it’s baked all the way through with a toothpick and add more time if needed.
Hi! Can I use an 8 inch pan?
Yes, that will work!
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