Lemon Blueberry Olive Oil Cake

Lemon Blueberry Olive Cake is made with fresh blueberries, lemon zest, and fruity olive oil. Using olive oil makes the cake light and fluffy, but also lends flavor. The blueberries burst with sweet juice in the cake. It's easy to throw together, with one bowl, and real fresh ingredients.

There are two big categories of cakes, those made with butter, and those made with vegetable oil. Butter cakes have lots of flavor but are often dense. Cakes made with vegetable oil are light and fluffy but often lack flavor. Making a cake with olive oil means that you are getting the best of both worlds: a light and fluffy cake made flavorful with the fat and floral notes of the olive oil.

If you’re looking to delve further into the world of olive oil cakes, I have made a whole series of cakes based on this incredible ingredient. Try a classic Italian Olive Oil Cake made with a hint of lemon, or a Lemon Rosemary Olive Oil Cake where the olive oil is infused with fresh rosemary (don’t worry infusing the olive oil is easy), or for a really fun twist try Grapefruit Olive Oil Cake, which almost tastes like cotton candy.

Jump to:

• 🌟 Why You’ll Love This Cake
• 🫒 Choosing Olive Oil
• 📝 Ingredients
• 🍰 Variations
• 🫐 How to Make Lemon Blueberry Olive Oil Cake
• Tips & Tricks
• 🍴 How to Serve and Store
• 📋 Lemon Blueberry Olive Oil Cake FAQs
• Other Desserts You May Love
• Lemon Blueberry Olive Oil Cake

🫒 Choosing Olive Oil

The flavor of the olive oil that you use will lend flavor to the cake. Choose an extra virgin olive oil (not regular or light) that you already know that you like. Some are more mild, some are more fruity, and some are more bitter.

If you need a starting point, choose Spanish Olive Oil from Costco or Trader Joe’s. This olive oil is generally slightly fruity and fairly mild in flavor.

Spain makes excellent olive oil and is the largest olive oil producer in the world. I lived in Spain for two years and met olive growers while there. Spanish olive oils tend not to be as well marketed in the US as Italian olive oil.

📝 Ingredients

Below are the ingredients needed to make this Lemon Blueberry Olive Oil Cake.

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Use extra virgin olive oil, not regular or light. Choose one you like, or if you need a starting point choose Spanish olive oil from Trader Joe’s or Costco.
• Whole Milk: Use whole milk, not reduced fat.
• Eggs: Use large eggs, pasture-raised if possible
• Lemon Zest & Lemon Juice: Zest the lemon first. Use the smallest grate on a box grater or a zester and zest only the bright outermost yellow part of the lemon.
• Vanilla Extract:  Use real vanilla extract, not imitation vanilla.
• Granulated Sugar: I find that ¾ cup is just the right amount of sweetness, but you could reduce the sugar to ½ cup for a mildly sweet cake or increase it to 1 cup for a very sweet cake.
• Baking Powder: For leavening. Baking powder is double-acting, which means the first reaction happens when it is combined with liquid. For this reason, do not let the cake batter sit in the springform or cake pan for too long before putting it in the oven.
• Salt: To balance and brighten flavors
• Flour: Use all-purpose, unbleached flour.
• Blueberries: Use fresh, firm blueberries (which is also helpful in these Lemon Blueberry Muffins). Wash and gently pat dry so as to not incorporate extra water into the cake batter.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

🍰 Variations

Here are a few of my favorite Olive Oil Cake Variations:

• Italian Olive Oil Cake: A classic with a hint of lemon.
• Rosemary Olive Oil Cake: The olive oil is infused with fresh rosemary, which is easy to do.
• Grapefruit Olive Oil Cake: A super fun twist, that tastes almost like cotton candy.
• Lemon Blueberry Mascarpone Cake: The super layer cake version with lemon curd filling and an easy creamy mascarpone frosting.
• It can be made into a loaf cake, with basil, or ricotta, with mascarpone icing, or whipped cream.

🫐 How to Make Lemon Blueberry Olive Oil Cake

Below are the step-by-step instructions and photos for how to make Lemon Blueberry Olive Oil Cake.

Step 1. Preheat the oven to 350℉. Prepare a 9-inch springform or cake pan: Butter and flour the pan, or cut a piece of parchment paper to fit the bottom of the pan. Coat the pan in butter then press the parchment paper into the bottom of the pan. Flip the parchment paper over then dust the pan with flour, shaking off any excess.

Step 2. Add wet ingredients: In a large mixing bowl add the extra virgin olive oil, milk, and eggs and combine.

Step 3. Add the sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice and combine.

Step 4. Add the baking powder, salt, and flour and combine.

Step 5. Add the blueberries and gently combine with a spoon.

Step 6. Bake the cake. Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan and bake at 350°F for 40-43 minutes. The cake is done when the entire top of the cake is a medium golden brown and the center of the cake has a slight dome shape.

🍴 How to Serve and Store

To Serve: Serve this cake on its own, dusted with powdered sugar, or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. It would be great alongside a cup of coffee or tea, as a kid's afternoon snack, or for dessert.

To Store: This cake is best eaten the same day it is baked, but it can be covered, placed in the fridge, and stored for up to 2 days.

📋 Lemon Blueberry Olive Oil Cake FAQs

Other Desserts You May Love

If you tried this  Lemon Blueberry Olive Oil Cake Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. I'd love to hear your feedback!