This Easy and Moist Lemon Olive Oil Loaf Cake with a supremely tender crumb and natural citrus flavor screams of spring and citrus season. This Lemon loaf is generously infused with fresh lemon sugar syrup, making this snack cake an irresistible treat to be enjoyed at anytime of the day!!
Think about a snack cake made with fresh citrus and soaked with freshly made lemon syrup while the cake is still warm! Moist and tender and utterly addictive!


WHY YOU WILL LOVE THIS EASY AND MOIST LEMON OLIVE OIL LOAF CAKE

Light & Fluffy
A copycat Starbucks lemon cake. If you like the lemon cake from Starbucks, then you will love this olive oil lemon cake.
Low fat. In this lemon cake, I have used olive oil instead of butter, making it a low version of the regular cake.
A perfectly balanced sweet and-sour cake. The natural sourness from the fresh lemons and the sweetness from the sugar-lemon syrup makes this citrus cake a perfectly balanced sweet & sour cake.
Can be a yummy breakfast cake. This lemon cake tastes amazing with a cup of coffee or tea.
Readily available ingredients. You will need basic pantry ingredients to bake this cake.
WHAT INGREDIENTS YOU WILL NEED TO MAKE THIS CITRUS CAKE

- Flour: I have used all purpose flour in this lemon snack loaf recipe
- Sugar: You will need white granulated sugar
- Olive Oil: Any kind will work – dark, light, virgin or extra-virgin
- Eggs: You will need room temperature eggs
- Milk: You will need regular whole milk. You can use cream too.
- Lemon: Fresh juicy lemons
- Lemon Zest
- Baking Soda, Baking Powder, Salt
STEP-STEP-STEP PROCESS TO MAKE THIS LEMON LOAF CAKE
STEP 1 – Preparation
Pre-heat the oven to 325 degree F
Butter and line a loaf pan with a piece of parchment paper. You can use any size loaf pan you want.
STEP 2 – Mix the Wet Ingredients
Zest the lemons
Mix the lemon zest with sugar with your fingers. (this will ensure that, the oil from lemon zest infuses the sugar with a fresh lemon flavor.

Beat eggs and sugar till the mixture becomes frothy and pale.


Add lemon extract.
Stir in the oil.

STEP 3 – Mix the Dry Ingredients with Wet Mixture
Sieve the flour, baking soda and baking powder
Mix the flour mixture into the olive oil, eggs and sugar mixture

Add in the milk

Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf pan

STEP 4 – Bake the Lemon Loaf Cake
Pour the lemon cake batter into the prepared loaf pan.
In the center (length wise) cut through with a sharp knife and pour 1 spoon butter
This process of adding butter to the center of the batter will ensure that you have that beautiful café style loaf cake with a center parting.
Bake the cake in the pre-heated oven till an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
STEP 5 – Make a Lemon-Sugar Syrup
While the cake is baking, boil sugar, water, and lemon juice. Boil till the sugar dissolves with the lemon juice.
STEP 6 -Soak the Olive Oil Lemon Loaf with Lemon Sugar syrup

Pour the lemon-sugar mixture into the hot cake. Wrap with a cling wrap and let the cake absorb the syrup overnight

FAQs & Useful Tips

How do I Store the Lemon Cake: Store the lemon cake in an airtight container. It’s fine at room temperature for a day or so, but should then be stored in the fridge. Best if eaten within 3-4 days.
How do I freeze the cake: Wrap the loaf cake tightly in plastic wrap and freeze in a heavy-duty storage bag or airtight container for up to 2 months.
How do I Ice my Lemon Loaf Cake: I haven’t iced the lemon cake, but you can use a simple powdered sugar and lemon juice icing recipe to ice this beautiful-tasting citrus cake.
Mix 1 cup powdered sugar with 2 TBSP of Lemon Juice. Mix well till you get a thick but pourable consistency. Pour the icing all over the cooled cake.
Can I Use any other Citrus Fruit: If you’re strongly opposed to lemon flavor or simply want to change it up, you can use any citrus juice and zest of your choice for this loaf cake. I think an orange, lime or grapefruit version would be divine!
Can I add Poppyseed to my Lemon Loaf: Absolutely! Feel free to add couple of tablespoons of poppyseeds into the loaf batter
Can I make this cake Gluten-Free: Substitute the all-purpose flour for a 1:1 gluten-free alternative. Be sure to use certified gluten-free baking powder and powdered sugar as well. My go to GF flour is Bob’s Red Mill GF Flour.
Can I make this Lemon snack loaf egg free: Replace the eggs with 3/4 cup buttermilk

OTHER LEMON CAKES
Easy and Moist Lemon Olive Oil Loaf Cake
Lemon Poppyseed Muffins Recipe
Lemon Ricotta Bundt Cake (Low Fat)
Easy and Moist Lemon Olive Oil Loaf Cake
Ingredients
DRY INGREDIENTS for the Lemon Loaf Cake
- 1 cup White granulated sugar (200g)
- 1 and 1/2 cups All Purpose Fl1our (185g)
- 1 tsp Baking soda
- 1/2 tsp Baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp lemon zest Zest 2 to 2 to 3 lemons
WET INGREDIENTS for the Lemon Loaf Cake
- 3 Eggs Room Temperature
- 1/2 cup Milk Whole Milk
- 1 tbsp Lemon extract
- 1/4 cup Olive oil
LEMON SYRUP for for the Lemon Loaf Cake
- 1/4 cup Lemon Juice (50g)
- 1/4 cup Water (50g)
- 1/2 cup Sugar (100g)
Fruity and citrusy, a great cake. Loved the lemon syrup, which made the cake so moist.
The citrus flavor shines through in this cake! And the olive oil really kicks up the flavor. Lovely recipe.
I love this wonderfully citrusy cake. I never used olive oil, and I am amazed at how soft and flavorful this cake is. Wonderful recipe
Lemon olive oil loaf cake looks delicious perfect treat for the summer.
Thank you, Giangi!
Thank you, Stephanie!
Thank you, Andrea!
What a delicious pound cake! Your recipe was easy to make and the results, spectacular!
So moist and tasty. I especially like the addition of the lemon extract as well as the lemon. It adds more intensity to the cake. It is perfection!