Coming together effortlessly with simple ingredients, this Olive Oil Cake is perfect for any occasion. Rich and tender with subtle hints of lemon and fruity flavor, everyone will love this cake.
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly oil a 9-inch round cake pan using olive oil and dust with flour. Line the bottom with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together 1½ cups sugar and eggs using on high speed, until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. With the mixer on low, gradually stream in the olive oil. Beat in the milk, lemon zest, and lemon juice on low until well combined. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the flour mixture, beating until just combined. Pour into the prepared pan, and spread the top into an even layer using a small spatula. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Remove the cake from the pan, and remove and discard the parchment paper. Let the cake cool completely on the wire rack before serving.
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Notes
Don’t panic if your cake pan seems very full. Because you are making a single-layer cake, you want the cake to be nice and tall. You could also split between 2 (9-inch) cake pans if you wanted to use this recipe for a stacked, frosted cake.
I highly recommend using a scale to measure your flour for the most accurate results. However, if you don’t have a scale, fluff your flour with a spoon and then spoon it into your cups before leveling it off with a knife. This method is the best way to measure flour without overpacking the measuring cup, leading to a heavy olive oil cake.
I recommend bringing the eggs to room temperature so they incorporate into the batter without mixing. If you forgot to bring the eggs out, place them in a bowl of warm tap water to help warm them up.
Remember to zest the lemon before juicing! Also, when zesting the lemon, make sure only to zest the yellow parts. The white layer underneath is bitter.
To get more juice from the lemons, roll them under your hand on the countertop to loosen the juices.
Avoid overmixing the cake batter, as it’ll lead to a tough and rubbery cake.
Allow the cake to cool in the pan for a bit before removing it. If you do not wait, you risk the cake cracking when you lift it.
If the top of the cake is getting too dark during baking, you can tent it with foil.