Moist Lemon Cake
Easy one layer moist lemon cake with olive oil, lemon juice, and zest. A simple citrus cake that’s soft, bright, and needs no frosting.
Servings 12 slices
Calories 276kcal
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour, scoop & leveled
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 Tbsp lemon zest, about 3 lemons
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, or bottled lemon juice
- 1 cup whole milk, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Icing
- 2 powdered sugar, for dusting
- ½ tsp finely grated lemon zest
Instructions
- Preheat Oven & Prepare Pan: Preheat your oven to 356°F (180°C) fan-forced. Grease and line a 9-inch round springform pan with parchment paper. If using a non-stick pan, line the base with parchment paper and grease and dust the sides with flour. Set aside.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium-size mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- Rub Zest Into Sugar: In a separate large mixing bowl, add the sugar and the lemon zest. Use your fingers to rub the zest into the sugar for 1 minute until the mixture smells fragrant and resembles damp sand.
- Beat Eggs Into Sugar: Add the eggs to the sugar mixture and beat using electric hand beaters or a stand mixer on medium speed for 1 minute until pale and slightly thickened.
- Add Olive Oil: With the mixer running on low, slowly drizzle in the olive oil to emulsify, taking about 1 minute and 30 seconds seconds in total. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Milk, Juice & Vanilla: Pour in the milk, lemon juice and the vanilla. Beat on low for 15 seconds until well combined.
- Add Dry Ingredients: Add all of the flour mixture and beat on low speed until just combined and no flour streaks remain. Be careful not to overmix. Use a spatula to gently fold through the batter to ensure everything is evenly incorporated. The batter will be thin.
- Bake: Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 40–45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Cool: Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Rub Zest into Sugar: In a small bowl, rub ½ teaspoon of finely grated lemon zest into the powdered sugar until fragrant and slightly damp. Dust this lemon-sugar mixture over the cooled cake before serving. Or simply sift over just powdered sugar. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Store: Keep the cake in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days.
Freeze: Wrap the cake tightly in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil, and freeze for up to 2 months.
Thaw: Thaw the cake in the refrigerator overnight or for several hours before serving.
Nutrition
Calories: 276kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 0.003g | Cholesterol: 30mg | Sodium: 139mg | Potassium: 103mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 74IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 1mg