Sage and Lemon Olive Oil Cake
A super easy and quick dessert that packs a zingy punch! This sage and lemon olive oil cake is moist, super lemony, full of flavor in every forkful, and is essentially a lemon cake with oil, not butter. It also happens to be a dairy free dessert.
What Makes an Olive Oil Cake Different?
The best olive oil cake recipe will use only olive oil for its fat instead of other vegetable oils or butter. The olive oil gives off a more fruity flavor accented by the citrusy lemon in this recipe as well as gives it extra moisture. This cake is the best lemon olive oil cake recipe out there because it will stay moist for DAYS and also have that fresh cake feel after a week. I also find olive oil cakes to be easier recipes than other, non-olive oil cakes since it doesn’t adhere to the creaming method.
The Origin of Olive Oil Cake
Olive oil usage in cakes and other baked goods have a peasant background but rose in popularity for diet culture. Central and southern Italy peasants used olive oil in their biscuits and dry sweets to make the most out of every drop of the precious oil ensuring nothing went to waste. Later, using olive oil in baked goods was a way to cut out dairy or to make something vegan. Read up on using olive oil in sweets in the past here!
Sage and Lemon Olive Oil Cake Ingredients
- Lemons: You need fresh lemons since you need the zest as well as the juice. If you’re looking for other citrusy bakes, then check out all of my citrus recipes!
- Sage: Fresh sage is best for this herby bake as dried sage will produce a bitter after taste. If you don’t have fresh then I would skip out on the sage all together unless you’re okay with a more bitter glaze.
- Madeira or Marsala: This is a boozy bake, and I have made this recipe many times using both of those alcohols interchangeably. I honestly can’t pick a favorite. I would be interested in trying other sweet alcohols like port or brandy.
Major Allergens Present: alcohol, eggs, gluten
Equipment Needed
- Hand or Stand Mixer: Used to make the cake batter. For this lemon olive oil cake recipe you will use the whip attachment if using a stand mixer and the beaters if using a hand mixer.
- 9″ Cake Pan: Used to bake the cake in. I would use pan spray and line with parchment paper. Also, the cake pan should be lighter in color versus the dark metal pans. With the high moisture content, a dark pan will cause this cake to crack on top.
How to Make Lemon Olive Oil Cake:
What is a Simple Lemon Olive Oil Cake Made Of?
What makes this the best olive oil cake recipe you’ve had is the addition of lemon and sage to make this moist cake super flavorful. Other than olive oil, lemon, and sage, this simple lemon olive oil cake recipe uses a sweeter alcohol like Marsala or Madeira which adds such a nice flavor profile. It also does not contain any dairy if you’re looking for a dairy free recipe.
Make and Bake the Cake Batter:
This method of cake making whips the sugar with eggs and olive oil until pale and fluffy then alternately adds in the dry ingredients in 3 additions and the wet ingredients in 2 additions. The whipping enables the cake to be super light and fluffy. One technique to enhance the citrus flavor is to rub the zest into the sugar. The sugar crystals scrape the zest releasing more of the natural oils and flavor. Definitely, don’t skip this step!
Since this cake is a high moisture and high fat cake, we want to bake low and slow to prevent cracking. We also don’t want to bake in a dark coated pan which causes the outside to bake faster than the inside causing the top to crack. Bake until a knife inserted comes out clean, and allow to cool in the pan.
Make the Sage Glaze
While that cake is baking, let’s make this cake a little herby with the sage glaze! Steep fresh sage leaves in heavy cream (use water or dairy alternative if dairy free) by bringing everything except the powdered sugar to a boil then let sit off heat for about 30 minutes to infuse. Strain, then mix in the powdered sugar. If you find it too runny then add more powdered sugar. If too stiff then add more liquid (like cream, water, lemon juice or even the Marsala/Madeira). Cover with plastic wrap on the surface if you’re not using right away.
Finish the Sage and Lemon Olive Oil Cake
Time for the last few touches of the olive oil cake with lemon and sage! Transfer your cake to your serving platter and drizzle with as much or as little glaze as you want. You may also want to reserve some for serving if you have enough. Serve and store at room temperature. This cake is a perfect lemon dessert to serve at Easter or any other holiday.
Enhancing This Sage and Lemon Olive Oil Cake Recipe:
- Use a different herb other than sage! Thyme, basil, and lavender will go very well with the olive oil cake with lemon.
- Try using a different sweet wine instead of the marsala/Madeira like Port.
- Use a different citrus instead of lemon like lime, orange, or grapefruit!
How to Store and Freeze Sage and Lemon Olive Oil Cake:
- Olive oil cake is best stored and eaten at room temperature for up to 7 days wrapped or in an airtight container.
- Freeze cake, wrapped, for up 2 months.
- Refrigerate cake, wrapped or in an airtight container, for up to 1 month.
Sage and Lemon Olive Oil Cake
Equipment
- Hand or stand mixer
- 9" Cake Pan
Ingredients
Lemon Olive Oil Cake
- 261 g Granulated sugar
- 2 ea Lemon zest
- 132 g Olive oil
- 3 ea Whole eggs
- 230 g All purpose flour
- ¾ tsp Baking powder
- 2 pinch Kosher salt
- 2 ea Lemon juice
- 66 g Marsala Or Madeira
Sage Glaze
- 50 g Heavy cream Substitute water or dairy alternative for a dairy free dessert
- 2 Splash Lemon juice
- 10-15 leaves Fresh sage
- 100 g Powdered sugar
Instructions
To prepare the lemon olive oil cake
- Preheat the oven to 325℉ and prepare your cake pan (not a dark coated one) with pan spray and lined with parchment paper.
- Add you sugar to the bowl of your hand or stand mixer. Zest two lemons into the sugar and rub the zest into the sugar.
- Add in the olive oil and eggs and, using the whip attachment for a stand mixer or beaters for a hand mixer, whip on high speed until pale and fluffy.
- Bring the mixer down to low speed and alternately add in the dry ingredients and wet ingredients starting and ending with the dry (dry, wet, dry, wet, dry). Mix just until combined.
- Pour your cake batter into your prepared cake pan and bake for 45 minutes minutes or until a nice inserted comes back clean.
- Allow to cool for about 10-15 minutes in the pan before transferring to a wire rack top side up to fully cool.
To prepare the sage glaze and finish
- While your cake is baking, prepare the glaze by combining all ingredients except the sugar in a pot. Bring to a boil and allow the sage to steep for about 30 minutes.
- Strain out the sage and whisk in the powdered sugar. If the consistency is too loose, add more sugar. If it's too thick, add more liquid.
- Transfer the cake to your serving platter and top with the glaze. Serve and store at room temperature.
Nutrition
The sage was interesting but worth it!! Loved how lemony this was too.
Love an olive oil cake! This is sooooo flavorful
What an absolutely delicious cake! So moist and you can taste all of the different flavor profiles. The sage glaze is very subtle not to overpower the lemon sponge. Can’t wait to make this again!