Lemon Olive Oil Cake Recipe

5 from 19 votes

Lemon Olive Oil Cake made with fresh Meyer lemon juice, olive oil, and cornmeal. Baked in a Bundt pan and finished with lemon syrup and glaze.

Prep Time25

Cook Time1

Total Time1 25

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 449kcal

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup fine yellow cornmeal
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp kosher salt
2 1/4 cup granulated sugar or cane sugar
1 lb meyer lemons, zested and juiced *The lemons should produce about ¾-1 cup of juice. Be sure to measure that! Any leftover juice can be used for the glaze.
6 large eggs room temperature
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 12 cup Bundt pan with butter and a little flour.
In a small bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar and lemon zest. Add the eggs, one at a time, fully incorporating after each addition. Whisk the eggs and sugar together until the eggs aerate, thicken and lighten in color.
Add the vanilla to the large bowl, whisking to fully combine. While still whisking, slowly drizzle in the olive oil.
Alternate between adding the dry ingredients and the lemon juice to the rest of the ingredients. Mix until a smooth batter forms. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes back clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Invert the pan onto a wire cooling rack.

Place lemon juice and sugar into a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until simmering and all sugar has dissolved.
While the cake is still hot, poke it with a toothpick or skewer and immediately brush with syrup.
Allow the cake to cool completely.

Place powdered sugar, cream, and vanilla into a 2 cup measuring cup. Stir with a fork until fully combined. Drizzle over cake.
Top the cake with any leftover lemon zest you might have and serve!

Room Temp: Keep the cake covered or in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days. Olive oil cakes stay moist until their last days!
Fridge: You can pop it in the fridge for up to 5 days. Cover it well so it doesn't dry out, and let slices come back to room temp before serving.
Freezer: Wrap slices tightly in plastic wrap, then add a layer of foil, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature until soft.