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–+ servings
lemon olive oil cake tort cu lamaie si ulei de masline

Lemon Olive Oil Cake

This Italian-inspired lemon olive oil cake is light, moist, and full of fresh citrus flavour - and it happens to be completely vegan, with no eggs or dairy. Layer it with whipped coconut cream frosting and finish with lemon slices, berries, and toasted almonds.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Choose Serving Size 6

Ingredients 

For the cake:

Dry ingredients:

  • 3 cups self-raising flour
  • 1 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 tsp baking powder

Wet ingredients:

  • ¾ cup olive oil plus extra for greasing the tin
  • 1 lemon zested, ½ juiced
  • ⅔ cup water cold

For the “mascarpone” frosting:

  • 2 cups full-fat coconut milk canned, chilled overnight
  • ¼ cup coconut yogurt
  • ¼ cup coconut oil melted
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • ¾ cup almonds finely shredded
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 1 tsp lemon zest

For topping:

  • lemon fresh, sliced
  • almonds sliced, lightly toasted
  • berries frozen

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 200C.
  • For the cake:
  • Grease a springform cake tin and line it with parchment paper.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (self-raising flour, light brown sugar, and baking powder), then add the wet ingredients (olive oil, lemon zest and juice, and cold water). Mix until smooth.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin and place it in the oven.
  • Bake for about 20-30 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
  • Let the cake cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.
  • Meanwhile, make the frosting:
  • Scoop the firm coconut cream out of the chilled can, leaving the watery liquid behind.
  • Using a mixer, whisk the coconut cream until fluffy and soft peaks form. Add the coconut yogurt, melted coconut oil, vanilla extract, shredded almonds, sugar, and lemon zest, then continue mixing until you get a nice silky texture. Chill in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes.
  • Take the cake out of the tin and slice it horizontally into 2-3 layers, depending on how many layers you want. Check out this tutorial to learn how to slice cake layers easily.
  • Using a knife or a spatula, spread the frosting over each cake layer and stack them. Top with fresh lemon slices, berries, and sliced almonds.

Notes

Chill the can of coconut milk upright overnight and scoop out only the firm cream for the frosting - the watery liquid left behind will not whip. Note that the coconut milk, coconut yogurt, coconut oil, vanilla, almonds, sugar, and lemon zest are all for the frosting, not the batter. Store the frosted cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.