Vegan Olive Oil Cake

It works for breakfast, brunch or a snack, and goes great with coffee or tea. It’s also perfect for holidays like Christmas, Easter and Mother’s Day or any other special occasion.

This Vegan Lemon Loaf, Vegan Apple Cake and Vegan Carrot Cake are all lovely for special occasions as well. For brunch get-togethers, this Vegan Monkey Bread and French Toast Casserole are also always a hit.

You’ll love how easy this cake is to make. You’ll need just 1 bowl and less than an hour to prepare it. Serve this beautiful cake at your next get-together and it’s sure to be a huge hit!

Variations & Additions

• Berry Olive Oil Cake: Add up to 1 cup of fresh berries to the batter before baking. I wouldn’t recommend using frozen berries as they’ll add too much moisture. Raspberries are a great choice!
• Vegan Orange Olive Oil Cake: The lemon juice and optional lemon zest in the glaze can be substituted with orange juice and orange zest but you can also try 2 tsp orange zest in the cake batter for more orange flavor.
• Lemon Rosemary: Add 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary and 1 tsp lemon zest to the cake batter.
• Blueberry or Strawberry Compote: Instead of making the glaze, heat 1 lb of strawberries or raspberries in a small pot with 3 T sugar and a squeeze of lemon. Cook for 10-15 minutes until thickened and juicy.
• If you don’t want to make the glaze, I’d suggest dusting your cake with sifted powdered sugar after it cools briefly.
• If you’re not icing the cake, try serving your cake with whipped cream, fresh fruit or ice cream.
• Poppy seeds work well in the cake. Gently mix in up to 1/2 cup to the cake batter before baking.
• Chopped pistachios can be sprinkled over the glaze for a pretty effect and complementary flavor.

Step 1: Add the olive oil and sugar to a large bowl and cream with a hand mixer until fully combined and a little fluffy. This step helps make the cake delicate and fluffy.

If you don’t have a hand mixing you can use an electric mixer or vigorously mix with a fork or metal whisk.

Step 2: Once you’ve creamed the sugar and oil, add the applesauce and vanilla and whisk to mix them in.

Step 3: Add the flour, salt and baking powder and gently fold everything together until there are no dry clumps remaining. Once the flour has been incorporated, stop mixing to avoid overmixing the batter.

Step 4: Add the cake batter to the prepared pan. Bake the cake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean if inserted in the center of the cake. If the toothpick has wet batter on it, bake the cake for a few more minutes and test it again.

Let the cake cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes then carefully invert it onto your hand or a wire rack and remove the parchment paper. Flip the cake back over and place it on a serving platter or cake stand.

Step 5: The lemon glaze is optional but if you’d like to make it, whisk together the powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth. For a more lemony flavour, you can add up to 1 tbsp lemon zest as well.

Step 6: Spoon the glaze over the cake, rotating the cake from side to side to help spread the glaze around, if needed.

If you’re not doing the glaze, consider using a fine mesh sieve to dust the cake with powdered sugar. Otherwise, the cake is really nice served plain too!

Recipe FAQs

Baking Tips

1. Use room temperature ingredients. If you have time, letting the ingredients come to room temperature helps with mixing.
2. Use a Scale. Use a kitchen scale to measure ingredients for accuracy. This is the best way to ensure success when baking! Plus, you don’t need measuring cups this way, just measure your ingredients directly into the mixing bowl.
3. Avoid over-mixing the batter. As with any recipe that uses gluten, overmixing the batter can make the cake heavy, dense and gummy. As soon as the wet and dry ingredients are incorporated, stop mixing.
4. Avoid opening the oven door. Allowing the heat to escape and a temperature change during baking can cause the cake to fall.
5. Line the pan. Use parchment paper to line the pan to avoid sticking. Rub the pan with oil or lightly spritz with non-stick cooking spray before adding the parchment to help it stick to the pan.
6. Zest: If you’re adding lemon zest or orange zest to the cake or glaze, be sure to only use the outermost peel and avoid the white pith, which is bitter.