If you’ve been searching for the perfect Citrus Olive Oil Cake, this is the one to make! After testing this recipe again and again, I finally landed on a cake with a soft, tender crumb that’s wonderfully moist without feeling heavy or tasting too strongly of olive oil.
Fresh orange and lemon bring bright, balanced flavor, while a cloud of sour cream whipped cream and spoonfuls of homemade citrus curd take this cake from simple to unforgettable. It’s the kind of cake that’s just as welcome at a casual afternoon coffee as it is on a holiday table.
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A Citrus Olive Oil Cake That Is Truly Special
This citrus olive oil cake stands out because every element has a purpose! Too many olive oil cakes are dense, greasy, or hidden under overly sweet frosting. After testing the recipe over and over, I created a cake with a tender crumb that’s perfectly moist without feeling heavy or overly greasy from the olive oil (literally nothing worse!).
I knew I didn’t want to cover it with a traditional buttercream or cream cheese frosting, which would be too sweet and overpower the delicate citrus flavor. We want the cake to be the star here! Instead, it’s topped with a lightly sweetened sour cream whipped cream that adds richness without stealing the spotlight, along with a homemade citrus curd that brings a bright, tangy contrast. Together, the toppings complement the cake rather than compete with it, making each bite balanced, fresh, and full of citrus flavor.
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Key Recipe Ingredients
You can find the full list of ingredients, quantities & method in the recipe card at the end of the page.
- Extra virgin olive oil. You want to use a nicer olive oil with flavor here, but that doesn’t mean it needs to be super expensive! Trader Joe’s is one of my favorite places to shop for quality olive oil with great flavor that is affordable!
- Dry ingredients. You’ll need all purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, and kosher salt.
- Milk & sour cream. The sour cream adds a bit of extra fat and richness while being acidic enough to help activate the baking soda.
- Granulated sugar. You’ll need granulated sugar for the cake and the citrus curd.
- Citrus Zest. Make sure to zest your lemons and oranges before juicing them.
- Fresh citrus juice. Freshly squeezed lemon and orange juice is the play here!
- Eggs. You’ll need whole eggs for the citrus olive oil cake and a mixture of whole eggs and yolks for the citrus curd.
- Sour cream whipped cream. I love the tang that sour cream adds to the whipped cream! All you need is sour cream, heavy cream, a bit of powdered sugar and some vanilla bean paste.
How to Make Citrus Olive Oil Cake (+ Step-by-Step Photos)
- Make the citrus curd. Because this will last a few days in the fridge, I love to get the citrus curd out of the way first so that it has time to chill and set up! After you massage the citrus zest into the sugar, add the eggs, yolks, and juice and whisk really well. Cook it over low heat until it’s thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, then whisk in the cold butter.
- Make the citrus sugar. This is an important step to making sure you have a really bright citrus flavor to your olive oil cake! Use your fingers to massage the lemon and orange zest into the sugar until it’s really fragrant, then set it aside.
- Emulsify the olive oil and eggs. I like to use a hand mixer here for ease! You want to mix the olive oil and eggs together for a minute or so on medium speed until they’re totally emulsified and almost look like aioli. Then, you’ll whisk in the milk/sour cream mixture and the citrus sugar until smooth. Finally, mix in the dry ingredients.
- Bake the cake. After you pour the cake batter into your prepared cake pan, give the pan a tap or two on the counter to settle the batter and remove any air bubbles. Bake for 60-70 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan before inverting it onto a serving plate.
Jenny’s Tip: Make sure to let the cake cool completely before you invert it from the pan and top with the whipped cream and citrus curd. If the cake is warm, the whipped cream will totally melt!
- Make the sour cream whipped cream. When making whipped cream, you want to be really careful not to over-whip it! It’ll end up feeling grainy and oily. Mix on medium speed until medium-soft peaks form and don’t mix it any further! You want a soft whipped cream, not the texture that comes out of a can.
- Frost and top the cake. Spread the whipped cream onto the inverted, cooled cake. Feel free to make some decorative swooshes over the top! Then, artfully drizzle the citrus curd on top and let it really settle in little puddles into the whipped cream swooshes for best flavor.
Storage & Make Ahead Instructions
Because there are several components when it comes to baking up this citrus olive oil cake, I am a big fan of breaking up the work! You can make the cake and citrus curd ahead of time and bake the cake. I recommend making the whipped cream right before serving.
Olive oil cake: You can make your cake 2 days in advance. Wrap it really well in plastic wrap and store it on the counter. If you want to make it earlier, wrap the cake well in plastic wrap, place it in a freezer-safe ziplock bag, and freeze for up to 1 month. Simply defrost the cake overnight in the fridge before serving it. I do recommend bringing the cake to room temperature before serving for the best cake texture.
Citrus curd: The citrus curd will last about 1 week in the fridge after preparing. I recommend storing it in a glass, non-reactive container to help it maintain its flavor and not develop any off flavors.
If you do give this recipe a try, I love hearing about it! Leave a comment with a star rating below. Be sure to subscribe to my weekly newsletter and never miss a new recipe! You can also snap a photo & tag @JENNYGOYCOCHEA on Instagram.
More Single-Layer Cake Recipes to Try
Easy Lemon Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Cranberry Ricotta Cake
Chocolate Whiskey Cake
Banana Coffee Cake
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Citrus Olive Oil Cake
Ingredients
Olive Oil Cake
- 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 2 cups all purpose flour, spooned and leveled (260 g)
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon diamond crystal kosher salt
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 2 teaspoons orange zest
- 1 cup whole milk, room temperature
- 1/3 cup full fat sour cream, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Sour Cream Whipped Cream
- 1/3 cup sour cream, room temperature
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream, cold
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
Citrus Curd
- 2 eggs
- 3 egg yolks
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup fresh orange juice
- 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 2 teaspoons orange zest
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter cold
Instructions
- Make the curd. Add the sugar to a medium saucepan or saucier and massage the orange and lemon zest in. Whisk in the orange juice, lemon juice, eggs, and egg yolks until smooth. Cook over medium-low heat whisking constantly until the curd has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter. Pour the curd through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap on the surface and chill in the fridge until set. This can be made several days in advance and stored in the fridge.
- Preheat an oven to 325 F. Grease and line a 9×3 cake pan or springform pan with parchment paper.
- Mix the dry ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Mix the citrus sugar. In a separate bowl, massage the lemon and orange zest into the sugar until it’s well mixed. Set aside.
- Mix the wet ingredients. In a measuring cup, whisk together the sour cream and milk until smooth and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, use a hand mixer on medium speed to whisk the olive oil, vanilla bean paste, and eggs together until creamy and emulsified, about 1 minute. Whisk in the milk/sour cream mixture and the citrus sugar until smooth.
- Fold in the dry ingredients. Whisk in the flour on low speed until combined, then finally mix in the lemon juice. Switch to a rubber spatula and make sure the batter is well-mixed and no streaks of flour remain.
- Bake the cake. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and tap the pan on your counter to settle the batter. Bake for 65-75 minutes or until a toothpick or cake tester inserted comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan and then invert onto a serving plate once cool. NOTE: The cake may bake up a little darker in the center. This is totally fine! You'll invert the cake for topping it anyway.
- Make the whipped cream. Whisk the sour cream, heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla bean paste using a hand mixer until medium-soft peaks form.
- Assemble the cake. Using an offset spatula, spread the whipped cream onto the top of the cake and drizzle the curd over the top in an artful layer. Serve right away.
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