Lemon Olive Oil Loaf Cake

This lemon olive oil loaf cake is perfection. Rich, dense and loaded with subtle lemony flavors, it’s the quick and easy dessert you need to have at hand anytime of the year!

The origins of this lemon olive oil loaf

This lemon olive oil loaf cake is inspired and adapted from French pastry chef Christophe Bacquié’s recipe. If you don’t know him, he’s a 3 Michelin star chef for his restaurant l’Hotel du Castelet in Provence. The story goes that he usually serves some individual lemon olive oil loaves for each and every of his guest at the hotel.

Christophe Bacquié shared his famous recipe last year on Instagram during the pandemic and the recipe went viral in France. I took inspiration from the original recipe and added a few tweaks here and there to make the recipe accessible to everyone, easy to make and absolutely delicious. The result is rich and soft in texture, with the perfect balance of sweet and lemony flavors. I call it perfection!

The ingredients you need

• Lemon. You will need both the zest and the juice. The zest is what will bring all the lemony flavors to the cake, while the lemon juice will be used for the glaze. Make sure you do not skip the lemon syrup, it really is part of the recipe and participates to its deep, bold, lemony flavors.
• Olive oil. Unlike a classic pound cake or loaf, this recipe calls for vegetable oil instead of butter. It impacts the final texture of the loaf, with a lighter crumb than a butter-based one. Olive oil also enhances the lemony flavors of the cake. If however you do not love the smell or bitter taste of olive oil, try to use one that is pretty mild in flavor.

• All-purpose flour + baking powder. Please do respect the ratio indicated in the recipe for perfect result. Too much flour and baking powder would result in a dry loaf, while not enough would bring too much humidity in the cake.
• Sugar. Use granulated sugar for best result in the recipe. I would not recommend to cut the sugar amount too much or it will impact the final outcome of the loaf, both in taste and texture.
• Eggs. Use 3 large eggs in this lemon olive oil loaf cake. If your eggs are on the smaller side, feel free to add one more.
• Whipping cream. This is a key ingredient in the recipe. Whipping cream is lighter than butter but contributes to the moisture as well as the soft crumb structure of the loaf.

Is the syrup mandatory in this recipe?

In short YES, please DO NOT SKIP IT! Note that the olive oil loaf cake recipe itself does not call for lemon other than the zest. The juice is used in the syrup that you will pour over the cake (or brush the cake with) after baking. It clearly participates to the deep lemony flavors of the loaf cake and is super easy to make.

Simply combine water, sugar and lemon juice in same proportions in a pan placed over medium heat, until the mixture becomes syrupy (this process happens when the syrup is heat up over 230ºF (110ºC). If you do not have a cooking thermometer, you know it’s ready when the mixture becomes syrupy and coats the spoon.

How to get the perfect cracked hump in your loaf cake?

If you are familiar with French pound cakes, you know they usually have this high cracked hump in the center after baking. Here’s the secret to get it too: draw a line of softened butter in the center all the way through the longer side of the loaf pan before baking in the oven. To do so, proceed as follows:

1. Place about 1 Tablespoon of softened butter in a piping bag and cut the tip using scissors. Make sure you make a small cut, about 0,2″ (0,5 cm) or smaller.
2. Draw a central line of softened butter over the loaf cake before baking, all the way from the longer side of the loaf pan.
3. Bake, and watch the result: a lovely, buttery, cracked hump on top of the cake!

How to serve this lemon olive oil loaf cake?

To be honest, this loaf cake is perfection just as is, coated with the lemon syrup – again, do not miss that part, it really is part of the recipe. But you could also serve it with fresh berries of your choice (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries… you pick!).

Freezing instructions:

If you ask me, the cake is usually eaten even before I think about freezing it. That being said, you can freeze it whole or sliced. Wrap it whole (or individually if sliced) with plastic wrap, then wrap it one more time with foil. The loaf will keep for up to 3 months.

For the lemon lovers:

• Best Ever Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf (+video)
• The Fabulous Speculoos Lemon Tart
• Homemade Lemon Curd
• Lemon Magic Cake
• Perfect Lemon Ricotta Bundt Cake (+video)
• Also, do not miss The Best Ever Lemon Dessert Recipes

What about baking a marble loaf?

• Lime Matcha Marble Pound Cake
• Easy Chocolate Marble Yogurt Cake
• White Chocolate Raspberry Marble Cake

Lemon Olive Oil Loaf Cake

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• Author: Delphine Fortin
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 50 mins
• Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
• Yield: 8 servings 1x
• Category: Quick breads

This lemon olive oil loaf cake is perfection. Rich, dense and loaded with subtle lemony flavors, it’s the quick and easy dessert you need to have at hand anytime of the year!

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

For the lemon loaf*:

• 3 large eggs
• 3/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons (180g) sugar
• 1 ⅓ cup (165g) all-purpose flour
• ¾ teaspoon baking powder
• ⅓ cup + 1 Tablespoon (100 ml) whipping cream
• ¼ cup (55 ml) olive oil**
• 2 lemons, zest only
• 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter, softened

For the syrup (a must have):

• 3 Tablespoons mineral water
• 3 Tablespoons lemon juice
• 3 Tablespoons sugar

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and place the rack on the second lower level. Grease a 9×5-inch (23×13 cm) loaf pan with oil and line with parchment, leaving a 2-inch overhang on long sides. Set aside.
2. Mix sugar and lemon zest with a whisk in a large mixing bowl, until some fragrant lemony flavors develop. Using a hand mixer or a balloon whisk, whisk in the whipping cream and the eggs until combined.
3. In a separate bowl, mix flour and baking powder, and add it to the wet ingredients.
4. Heat olive oil for about 30 seconds in the microwave until slightly lukewarm, then add it to the cake batter. Pour over the prepared loaf pan.
5. To create the hump: place softened butter in a piping bag, make a little cut, and pipe it into the center of the cake in a straight line from top to bottom.
6. Bake for about 50 minutes or until the cake is golden and the hump is well risen over the cake.
7. Meanwhile, prepare the syrup. Add all the ingredients for the syrup in a saucepan placed over medium heat. Heat up until it becomes syrupy and coats to a wooden spoon, or until it reaches 230ºF (110ºC) if you are using a cooking thermometer.
8. Remove loaf cake from the oven and let cool 10 minutes in the pan. Then invert the cake onto a cooling rack. Brush immediately with the syrup on the top and the sides while the cake is still warm. Let cool completely.

Notes

* For best results, I recommend you use the metric system rather than the cup measurements for this very recipe.

** Choose a very fruity olive oil for bolder and deeper flavor. If however you do not like the strong flavor of olive oil in your baking, choose one with a mild flavor.

Cakes, Citrus, Easter, Fruit Desserts, Loaves, Snacks, Spring, Summer

Did you make this recipe?

Lastly, if you make this Lemon Olive Oil Loaf Cake, be sure to leave a comment and give this recipe a rating, letting me know how you liked it. And of course, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Thank you and enjoy!