Italian Lemon Cake
A moist olive oil and yoghurt cake with lemon zest, soaked in a light lemon syrup while still warm.
Where This Goes Wrong
Use a mild olive oil.
Prick the cake before adding the syrup.
If your oven runs hot, check at 32 minutes.
Leave it in the tin so the syrup soaks in.
How to Make Italian Lemon Cake
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Heat the oven to 170°C / 340°F and line a 23 cm round tin.
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Whisk the eggs and 150 g sugar for 3 minutes until pale. Whisk in the yoghurt, oil, zest and 60 ml juice.
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Fold in the flour and baking powder until smooth. Pour into the tin.
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Bake for 40 minutes until a skewer comes out clean.
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Warm the syrup sugar with 2 tbsp juice until dissolved, prick the hot cake all over and spoon the syrup over. Cool in the tin.
What's Going On Here
The first sign it is ready is the smell: lemon zest and warm olive oil rising from the oven. The cake itself is almost effortless, as it mixes in a single bowl.
Olive oil keeps the crumb soft and gives a fruity note that butter does not. Use a mild one, because a peppery oil tastes strange in a cake. Do not skip the syrup. It soaks in while the cake is warm and keeps it moist for days.
Whisk the eggs and sugar until pale, then the yoghurt, oil, zest and juice. Fold in the flour and baking powder until smooth.
Bake in a lined 23 cm tin at 170°C for 40 minutes. If your oven runs hot, check at 32 minutes. Prick the hot cake with a skewer, spoon over the syrup of sugar and lemon juice, and leave it to soak in the tin. Serve it in thin wedges, because the soaked crumb is rich and goes a long way.
After You've Cooked It
Keeps in an airtight tin for 4 days.
What to Serve Alongside
- Mascarpone
- Fresh berries
- Espresso
- Sparkling wine
Common Questions About Italian Lemon Cake
How long does Italian Lemon Cake take to make?
About 55 minutes in total — 15 minutes of preparation and 40 minutes of cooking. The recipe serves 10.
What are the key tips for making Italian Lemon Cake?
Use a mild olive oil. Prick the cake before adding the syrup. If your oven runs hot, check at 32 minutes. Leave it in the tin so the syrup soaks in.
What should I serve with Italian Lemon Cake?
Mascarpone; Fresh berries; Espresso; Sparkling wine.
How should Italian Lemon Cake be stored?
Keeps in an airtight tin for 4 days.
Is Italian Lemon Cake suitable for a special diet?
This recipe is vegetarian. Those labels are checked against the ingredient list, so a dish is only marked when nothing in it contradicts the claim.
How many calories are in Italian Lemon Cake?
About 300 kcal per serving, with 6 g protein, 42 g carbohydrate and 12 g fat. The figures are calculated from the ingredient list and are an estimate.
What's in a Serving
Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.
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Written and tested by Turab
One person, one kitchen — no test kitchen, no team. How every recipe on this site is checked before it goes up.
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