This easy-to-make vegan olive oil cake is extra tender, moist and packed with amazingly rich yet bright flavors. Perfect quick and versatile cake suitable for any occasion. Decorate simply with fresh berries and a dust of powdered sugar, or garnish with your favorite frosting or glaze.
This vegan olive oil cake makes for the perfect treat for tea time or as an afternoon snack, and it comes right in time for the beginning of spring! So fast and easy to whip up, I love to make this cake when I need something quickly without having to put in much effort.
It is nicely tender and moist, thanks to the olive oil, and it is just perfectly sweetened. The added oil also adds a signature rich flavor packed with Mediterranean aromas that are brightened with a little lemon juice.
It pairs beautifully with berries and a dust of powdered sugar for a quick and effortless "wow" effect to impress your guests. Or spread my favorite 2-ingredient vegan chocolate ganache or this peanut butter caramel over, you will be in for a treat!
For more easy cake recipes, check out this vegan date cake and this vegan chocolate bundt cake!
Let me know if you give it a try! ❤️
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❤️ Why you will love this recipe
- Very easy and fast cake recipe, perfect for the beginner baker or when you need something effortless
- Versatile ways to flavor the cake and decorate it
- Burst with rich and bright flavors
- Beautiful cake perfect for any occasion, such as Mother's Day or Easter
- Vegan, dairy-free and egg-free
🗒 Ingredient notes (+ substitutions)
- Flour: I used all-purpose white flour from King Arthur. Do not use bread flour!
- Olive oil: this cake is best when using high-quality cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil. The flavor of the olive oil is important since you will be able to taste it a lot in the cake. I love the brand Graza.
- Sugar: I used cane sugar, but regular white sugar works fine too. Traditionally, this isn't a super sweet cake, but you can make it sweeter by garnishing it with frosting or sweet fruit.
- Lemon juice: adds a tangy and fresh flavor to balance the rich olive oil taste, but also, the acidity from the lemon helps activate the baking soda.
- Milk: I used oat milk from Oatly, although any kind of plant-based milk will work, such as almond milk or soy milk.
⭐️ Full list of ingredients (+ quantities) down below in the recipe card!
📝 Variations
- Extra lemon flavor: include the zest of a lemon for a stronger lemon flavor.
- Spices: cinnamon, vanilla extract and almond extract are all great additions to this cake.
- Orange olive oil cake: swap the lemon juice for orange juice and add the zest of a whole orange.
- Sweeter: for a sweeter and super moist cake, brush some maple syrup or agave nectar over while the cake is just out of the oven and is still warm so it soaks up the syrup.
🍽 How to make vegan olive oil cake
Step 1: In a medium bowl, add the olive oil, sugar, lemon juice and oat milk. Whisk well until combined and uniform.
Step 2: To a large mixing bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir until combined.
Step 3: Pour the wet mixture over the bowl with the flour.
Step 4: And stir to combine until a smooth and uniform cake batter comes together. Try not to overmix!
Step 5: Cover the bottom of a round cake pan with parchment paper and pour the cake batter into it. Bake at 350ºF for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Step 6: Let the cake completely cool down before unmolding, then decorate with fresh berries or your favorite frosting.
⭐️ Detailed recipe (+ video) down below in the recipe card!
💡 Baking tips
- I highly recommend weighing the ingredients for the best result. If you don't have a small kitchen scale, then use cups following the Spoon and level method.
- Make sure not to overmix the cake batter for a light and fluffy result. A few lumps in the mix are fine as long as they are small and you don't see any clumps of dry flour anymore.
- Adding parchment paper at the bottom of your cake pan is essential if you want to be able to unmold the whole cake for a beautiful presentation.
- Make sure the cake is completely cooled down before flipping it and unmolding it! If you try unmolding too early, the cake might break!
➡️ Serving suggestions
We love this cake as is, but here are a few ways you can decorate your cake:
- Fresh berries
- Dust of powdered sugar
- Chocolate ganache
- Peanut butter caramel
- Simple lemon glaze
- Fresh mint
- Lemon zest
- Orange chocolate ganache
- Vanilla ice cream
This cake pairs perfectly with a cup of coffee or tea!
You can also use this recipe to make a vegan layered olive oil cake! Simply make double recipe so you end up with 2 round cakes, then use your favorite vegan frosting to assemble the cake!
❗️Storage tips
Keep the cake well covered or in an airtight container on the counter for up to 4 days. The cake will dry easily if not sealed. You can also freeze it for up to 3 months!
❓ FAQs
I have not tried making this recipe gluten-free, but I think that a GF flour would work.
The texture would be fine if you use canola oil or another type of oil, but it will change the flavor.
I used a simple 9-inch round cake pan, but you can also use a springform pan of about the same size or even, use a loaf pan if you prefer (although you will likely have to bake the cake for a little longer).
🍰 More vegan cakes you might like
I hope you enjoyed this vegan olive oil cake recipe! If you have any questions, please leave them in the comment section below. Your feedback is so helpful!
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Olive Oil Cake
Equipment
- Mixing bowls
- Small kitchen scale (or measuring cups)
- Measuring spoons
- 9-inch round can pan
- Parchment paper
Ingredients
- 240 g all-purpose flour (240g = 2 cups)
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 115 g olive oil (115 g = ½ cup)
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 230 g oat milk (230 g = 1 ¼ cup)
- 210 g cane sugar (210 g = 1 cup)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line the bottom of a 9-inch round cake pan with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, add the olive oil, sugar, milk and lemon juice. Whisk well until combined and uniform.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir to combine. Then, pour the wet mixture over and keep stirring until it becomes smooth and uniform.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cake completely cool down before unmolding and decorating.
Video
Notes
- I highly recommend weighing the ingredients for the best result. If you don't have a small kitchen scale, then use cups following the Spoon and level method.
- Make sure not to overmix the cake batter for a light and fluffy result. A few lumps in the mix are fine as long as they are small and you don't see any clumps of dry flour anymore.
- Adding parchment paper at the bottom of your cake pan is essential if you want to be able to unmold the whole cake for a beautiful presentation.
- Make sure the cake is completely cooled down before flipping it and unmolding it! If you try unmolding too early, the cake might break!
- Nutrition: please note that the nutritional information is an estimate per serving provided for informational purposes only (calculated by software) and accuracy is not guaranteed. Consult with your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if you need precise nutrition calculations for health reasons.
- We love this cake as is, but here are a few ways you can decorate your cake:
-
- Chocolate ganache
- Peanut butter caramel
- Simple lemon glaze
- Fresh mint
- Fresh berries
- Dust of powdered sugar
- Lemon zest
- Vanilla ice cream
-
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