Lemon Olive Oil Cake
Do you want a fabulously tart and lemony loaf in your recipe collection? This is definitely the one! This lemon loaf cake has a wonderful fluffy crumb texture, a very lemony zing from the syrup and the glaze plus the cake itself. It’s moist from the syrup and has a wonderful richness from the olive oil definitely why I love olive oil cake recipes. I’m telling you - you do not need to look any further for a perfect lemon olive oil cake! Its tender, moist, bursting with lemon flavor, and can be made in the food processor! How did I find this recipe? It actually found me! Appetite by Random House so graciously sent me my very own copy of The Wickaninnish Cookbook and I got to sample and share some of the wonderful recipes from the book.
The Wickaninnish Cookbook is a book with a collection of beautiful recipes based on signature dishes (including their backstories) served at the exquisite Wickaninnish Inn in Tofino B.C. It is full of sophisticated dishes at The pine Restaurant that are marvelously prepared, styled and photographed, and many very approachable ones too. I will pull directly from the Inn’s website to describe this award winning Hotel. “Perched on the edge of the wild west coast of Vancouver Island, the Wickaninnish Inn in Tofino combines heritage and elegance with untamed natural beauty. Framed by ancient rainforest and the Pacific Ocean, each room at the Wickaninnish Inn is designed to charm with its attention to detail and connection with nature.” Doesn’t that sound like the perfect escape? You should see the beauty that surrounds it. Beautiful photography of the hotel and its surroundings are included throughout the cookbook along with the food.
I will pull directly from the Inn’s website to describe this award winning Hotel. “Perched on the edge of the wild west coast of Vancouver Island, the Wickaninnish Inn in Tofino combines heritage and elegance with untamed natural beauty. Framed by ancient rainforest and the Pacific Ocean, each room at the Wickaninnish Inn is designed to charm with its attention to detail and connection with nature.” Doesn’t that sound like the perfect escape? You should see the beauty that surrounds it. Beautiful photography of the hotel and its surroundings are included throughout the cookbook along with the food.
I can dream about seaside dining at the Inn one day and hopefully I will get there. In the meantime though, I can enjoy some of the hotels finest dishes in the comfort of my own home through this cookbook. In it is a compilation of the hotel’s favourite signature dishes from past and present chefs. The Pacific Ocean is literally at the Inn’s doorstep so the book has some marvelous seafood dishes. There are also some amazing healthy breakfast dishes that I can’t wait to try along with exquisite desserts and cocktail recipes!! UPDATE: I visited The Pointe Restaurant at the Wickaninnish Inn and it was better than I expected. We enjoyed a near empty restaurant with the most amazing view and exquisite food - we made it just in time for brunch and enjoyed matcha lattes, and chai lattes with Smoked Salmon Rosti and a fantastic breakfast crab stir fry with the crispiest fried egg with runny yolk and we finished brunch off with Carrot Cake Trifle. After that delicious meal we headed out to enjoy a walk around the area and beach and then we were ready fo yet another hike with amazing views in Tofino - specifically Cox Bay! If you are ever in that part of the world its a must to visit the inn and restaurant!
Lemon Olive Oil Ingredients:
- Olive Oil: extra virgin olive oil is what the recipe calls for and you can use a light one or a more flavourful grassy one - just remember the stronger the flavour is the more it will translate into the loaf. If you prefer to use another vegetable oil feel fret use canola or any other neutral oil
- Eggs: make sure they are room temperature so that they blend well into the batter
- Flour: all purpose flour is what the recipe calls for - use a gluten free all purpose flour for a gluten free version
- Sugar: granulated sugar is what you need for this recipe for the loaf cake and for the lemon syrup
- Baking Powder: for leavening
- Salt: for flavour
- Invert Sugar/Light Corn Syrup: this is that secret ingredient that is in this recipe (more details in recipe notes) and apparently used in many bakeries to get that unmistakable bakery style loaf texture - and I have to agree its a must for the tender crumb
- Lemons: you will need lemon zest and lemon juice for the loaf and, the lemon syrup and the lemon glaze
- Vanilla Extract & Lemon Extract: vanilla extract is something I added to the loaf recipe because I always add it to baked goods but it is optional. Pure Lemon extract is something new I have been adding to may lemony baked goods and I love the extra lemony flavour it adds but it is totally optional and not needed to make this tasty loaf
- Confectioners Sugar/Powdered Sugar: this is for the lemon glaze which is technically optional but recommend
A cake that can be made in a food processor
I chose to do the lemon olive oil cake and a delicious Halibut recipe which I will be sharing soon. Let’s talk about the olive oil cake. I already described it to you but I will tell you about a few changes I made to it. The recipe calls for splitting the batter into two loaf pans but I did not do that. I thought the full batter was the perfect amount for a regular sized loaf tin or for two minis. I also did not use the full amount of lemon syrup in the cake as I wanted the cake to maintain its crumb - and adjusted the recipe to suit. That’s pretty much it. My husband loved this loaf sliced and served with a dollop of whip cream (unsweetened) and fresh berries that he thought perfectly balanced the tartness of the cake and mellowed the sweetness. It’s so easy to make. The food processor does all the mixing for you and you end up with a perfect lemon loaf - even better than your average coffee shop lemon loaf. It’s got that delicious bakery quality but made at home. What could be better? That being said using the food processor is totally optional you can easily use an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer if you prefer.
How To Make This Lemon Olive Oil Loaf Cake
This cake is very easy to make with or without a food processor. here are the simple instructions (full details in recipe below)
- WHISK together the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside
- PROCESS or MIX the eggs and the corn syrup on low speed until light and frothy
- Add the SUGAR and process until pale in colour
- Add the FLOUR mixture gradually while processing then the vanilla and lemon zest
- Continue to process and slowly stream in the OLIVE OIL until fully incorporated
- POUR batter into prepared pan (it will be thick)
- BAKE until deeply golden and toothpick tester comes out clean or mostly clean
- Make LEMON SYRUP then brush cake with it as soon as it comes out of the oven while still in the pan and warm - remove from pan after 10 minutes of cooling then brush the rest of it with lemon syrup and allow to fully cool
- Make LEMON GLAZE and pour it over evenly over cooled cake then slice and enjoy
The recipe note below and expert from the book itself explains the SECRET ingredient that bakeries use to get that perfect crumb texture we all love. Adding it to the recipe is optional but I recommend it if you want that same bakery quality texture in your lemon loaf. That ingredient is Invert sugar. I used the light corn syrup instead of the invert sugar because I couldn’t get my hand on any. It worked like a charm. This is THE most perfect lemon olive oil cake. The recipe is delicious, so simple to make and a crowd pleaser.
Storage & Freezing
- Your Lemon Loaf will remain fresh for up to 5-6 days when properly stored, or up to 6 months in the freezer. Store leftover Lemon Loaf in an airtight container at room temperature for 4-5 days. Do not refrigerate as this can dry out the cake.
- For long term storage, you can freeze the Lemon Loaf and store in the freezer for up to 6 months. Place frosted lemon loaf (whole or slices) on a sheet pan and pop it into the freezer for 2-3 hours. Once it’s frozen, wrap it up in plastic wrap and a layer of foil, then into an airtight freezer container. Unfrosted lemon loaf you can just wrap and freeze.
If You Liked This Lemon Cake Recipe You Will Love These:
- Lemon Bundt Cake
- Lemon Ricotta Cake
- Blueberry Lemon Loaf Cake
- Whole Orange Cake
- Orange Olive Oil Cake
- Glazed Blood Orange and Lavender Loaf
- Pink Grapefruit Cupcakes
Recipe
Ingredients
For the cake
- 3 Tbsp (45 mL) invert sugar or light corn syrup (see recipe note)
- 4 eggs, room temperature
- ¾ cup (175 g) granulated sugar
- 1½ cups (220 g) all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons (10 g) baking powder
- ½ teaspoon (2 g) salt
- Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (4 g)
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract (4 g) (optional)
- ¾ cup plus 1 tbsp (200 mL) extra virgin olive oil
For the Lemon Syrup
- ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (118 ml) lemon juice
For the Lemon Glaze
- 4-5 tablespoons (45 to 60 mL) lemon juice
- 2 cups (240 g) icing sugar/powdered sugar
For Garnishing
- Lemon slices, lemon peel or lemon zest
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease and line two mini loaf pans or an 8x4 inch pan with parchment paper overhanging for easy removal.
- In medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt until well combined and set aside.
- In a food processor, place the invert sugar (or corn syrup) and eggs and blend or process on low until the mixture is light and frothy. (Alternatively, you can use a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a hand electric mixer and a large bowl for mixing.)
- Once the mixture starts to get fluffy, slowly stream in the sugar and continue to blend until it’s starts to get pale in colour.
- Slowly pour the dry ingredients/flour mixture into the food processor, then add the lemon zest and vanilla and process on low until everything is combined.
- Continue to process on low speed and slowly stream in the olive oil until fully emulsified. Batter will be thick.
- Remove lid on processor and scrape sides of the bowl and give it a stir with a spatula. Scrape the batter into the parchment-lined prepared pan and BAKE for (20-30 min if using mini pans) 50-60 minutes for 8x4 inch loaf or until golden brown and a wooden skewer or toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. If after about 30-40 minutes the top is browning too quickly, tent a piece of aluminum foil loosely over top and continue baking.
- While the cake is baking, make the LEMON SYRUP: In a small pot, mix together the lemon juice and sugar and heat stirring often, until the sugar is fully dissolved (can also do this in the microwave in 20 second increments) Allow to cool to room temperature.
- Remove the loaves/loaf from the oven and brush with the lemon syrup while still hot. Allow to cool in pan 10 min then remove and brush rest of it with the lemon syrup and then allow it to cool completely on cooling rack/wire rack
- Make the LEMON GLAZE: Whisk the lemon juice and icing sugar together until fully blended. The glaze should be thick but still pourable. If necessary, add more sugar or lemon juice until you reach the desired consistency.
- Drizzle the glaze over the cooled loaves/ loaf and allow to set for 20-30 min before slicing and serving.
Recipe Notes
- Your Lemon Loaf will remain fresh for up to 5-6 days when properly stored, or up to 6 months in the freezer. Store leftover Lemon Loaf in an airtight container at room temperature for 4-5 days. Do not refrigerate as this can dry out the cake.
- For long term storage, you can freeze the Lemon Loaf and store in the freezer for up to 6 months. Place frosted lemon loaf (whole or slices) on a sheet pan and pop it into the freezer for 2-3 hours. Once it’s frozen, wrap it up in plastic wrap and a layer of foil, then into an airtight freezer container. Unfrosted lemon loaf you can just wrap and freeze.
- Why add invert sugar or corn syrup to baked goods? Excerpt from the recipe notes in the book: Ever wondered why your baked goods don’t turn out the way they do at your favourite bakery? That’s because pastry chefs have some clever tricks up their white sleeves—tools like ice cream stabilizers, gelatin sheets, and invert sugar. The last is a syrup used in confectionery, patisserie and ice cream to prevent crystallization. It gives food a tender mouthfeel, and increase the browning effect. The best-known brand name is Trimoline; unfortunately, it’s not readily available to home cooks. You can use an equal amount of light corn syrup as a substitute. MY NOTE: let me tell you it does make a difference the loaf gets super golden brown - deeply golden so don’t be afraid of that and even more so when brushed with lemon syrup. The cake is absolutely tender and perfect with caramelized edges. Don’t skip if you can get your hands on some light corn syrup use it!
- It’s ok to use a larger loaf tin like a 9x5 or a 9x6 - just keep in mind that the loaf will likely need less time to bake so keep a close eye on it after the 30 minute mark. You will notice I made this loaf in both the 8x4 and 9x5 and they both bake up deliciously just watch your baking time if you are using the 9x5 or mini loafs.
Excerpted from The Wickaninnish Cookbook: Rustic Elegance on Nature’s Edge by The Wickaninnish Inn. Copyright © 2018 Wickaninnish Inn. Published by Appetite by Random House®, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.
