Italian Lemon Cake Recipe

4.97 from 80 votes

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This Italian Lemon Cake is the perfect balance of tangy but sweet. With lemon juice and lemon zest, there's no denying the flavor. Plus it has the extra flavor and moisture of extra virgin olive oil!

Prep Time15

Cook Time45

Total Time1

Servings: people

Author: Marcellina

Equipment

1 8 inch (20cm) deep round cake pan or similar sized springform pan (use a 2¾ (7cm) deep pan)

Ingredients

2 cups (250 grams) all purpose flour (See Note 1)
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
3 eggs (at room temperature)
1 cup (200 grams) granulated white sugar
¾ cup (180 mls)extra virgin olive oil (See Note 2)
⅔ cup whole milk (See Note 3)
finely grated zest of one lemon (See Note 4)
¼ cup (60 mls ) lemon juice

Instructions

Please note that this recipe uses the US customary cup (240 ml). In many other countries, a metric cup equals 250 ml. The difference is usually minor, but it can affect results if the flour is packed or heaped.
Preheat the oven to 350ºF/180ºC.
Use a little olive oil to coat the inside of an 8-inch (20cm) round cake pan with high sides. Line the base with paper.
Whisk or sieve together flour, baking powder and salt. Have you checked the notes below about measuring the flour?
Using a hand held (or stand mixer) beat eggs and sugar in a large mixing bowl for 4 minutes on high speed until thick, light and creamy.
Reduce the speed to medium and slowly drizzle in the extra virgin olive oil. Followed by milk, lemon juice and lemon zest.
With the electric mixer on low speed, spoon in the flour mixture. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides. Then, on medium speed and beat for 30 seconds to 1 minute or until the mixture is smooth and lump-free. Don't overbeat!
Scrape in prepared baking pan and bake for 40-45 minutes or until well risen, browned on top and the cake is coming away from the sides of the pan a little. You can insert a skewer into the cake, if it comes out free of batter, it’s ready. If the cake is becoming to too dark, cover lightly with a sheet of foil.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes in the pan before carefully turning out onto a wire rack to completely cool.
Dust with powdered sugar to serve.

Notes

Be sure to measure the flour correctly. If you have scales, weigh the flour for accuracy. Alternatively, stir the flour to lighten and then spoon it into the measuring cup and level off with a knife, taking extra care not to pack the flour.
Extra virgin olive oil - I generally use a light flavored olive oil, but regular olive oil is fine.
Whole milk - substitute any milk you prefer, like low-fat or plant-based.
Lemon zest - for extra lemony flavor, increase the lemon zest or add a few drops of pure lemon oil or extract.

Tips for Success

Have all the ingredients ready and at room temperature.
Preheat the oven.
Beat the eggs and sugar until light and thickened.

For more tips and information, read the full post above.

This updated and improved recipe was first posted on June 11, 2012.

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