This brightly flavored Strawberry Lemon Olive Oil Cake has three layers of lemon cake lightly frosted with strawberry whipped cream.
Friends and family assume that I can whip up a cake in a flash.
In reality, baking anything requires a bit of prep.
From acquiring ingredients to factoring in baking and cooling time, it takes a while.
When I’m invited to a last-minute gathering or celebration, this is the kind of cake I search for in my recipe arsenal.
This strawberry lemon cake is easy to make yet definitely stands out on a dessert table.
Quick and Easy Lemon Olive Oil Cake
This strawberry lemon olive oil cake is quick and easy to make.
In in a pinch, it doesn’t require the use of a stand mixer or even an electric hand mixer. (Patience and one strong arm will do!)
I’m sharing the recipe for this cake over at BHG’s Delish Dish blog.
It’s an adaptation of this lemon cake from an earlier spring issue of BHG magazine.
This is the kind of cake I can bake in the morning and have ready for a party by the early afternoon.
The cake batter is very easy to whip together. It’s as simple as those cake boxes from the market.
The only difficult part is waiting for the baked cake layers to cool down.
And honestly, even that part didn’t take too long.
I placed the cooling rack in the coolest area of the kitchen and it took less than 20 minutes to cool to room temperature.
Fluffy Lemon Olive Oil Cake
One would normally associate olive oil cakes with dense, rich pound cakes. Not this cake!
This olive oil cake is light and fluffy. The reaction from the acids (lemon juice and buttermilk) mixed with the baking soda and baking powder creates a lovely airy texture.
Baking soda produces carbon dioxide when combined with acid and moisture.
The carbon dioxide (gas) works wonders to leaven the cake.
However, don’t alter the recipe and add more baking soda.
Too much baking soda will result in a strong chemical flavor. It might also cause the baked cake to have a slight green tint.
For the sake of flavor, use freshly grated lemon zest and freshly squeezed lemon juice.
Stay away from bottled lemon juice. It will never taste as good as fresh.
Use a light flavored olive oil. It should smell fruity. Throw out any olive oil that smells stale or rancid.
Whipped Cream Frosting
This soft and fluffy cake is wrapped in a ridiculously easy to make whipped cream frosting.
The frosting is simply heavy cream, powdered sugar, and strawberry puree.
The secret: use COLD CREAM! The colder the cream, the stronger the whipped cream will be.
I suggest popping the heavy cream in the freezer for 15 minutes to ensure it is super chilled.
Whipped cream frosting is not the most stable of frostings.
Be sure to chill the cake before slicing. Otherwise, the assembled cake layers may slide and shift.
UPDATE: I will soon be sharing a recipe for stable whipped cream frosting which uses gelatin.
Next time you’re in a pinch or just in dire need of some cake, this strawberry olive oil cake is all you need.
If you want to further intensify the lemon flavor, I suggest you use infused olive oil.
Homemade lemon infused olive oil is simple to make.
Best of all, they make for great holiday gifts, hostess gifts, and housewarming gifts!
Fans of lemon treats will enjoy these other lemon cake recipes:
- Lemon Chamomile Pound Cake is perfect for your afternoon tea! It’s buttery, tangy, and a little floral.
- Poppy Seed Lemon Cake features three layers of lemon cake with poppy seed cream cheese filling and brown sugar Swiss buttercream frosting.
- Lemon Layer Cake filled with lemon curd and lightly frosted with mascarpone buttercream is perfect for welcoming springtime weather!
Strawberry Lemon Olive Oil Cake
Ingredients
Lemon Olive Oil Cake:
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar, (200 g)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, (260 g)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅔ cup olive oil, (135 g)
- 4 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
- ½ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice, (112 g)
- ½ cup buttermilk, (114 g)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Strawberry Cream:
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream, (227 g), very cold
- ¼ cup powdered sugar, (30 g), also called confectioners' sugar
- 5 Tablespoons strawberry puree
Instructions
Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease three 6-inch cake pans and line bottoms with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat eggs and sugar until pale, about 5-7 minutes. Beat until mixture can form thick ribbons.* (Alternatively, use an electric hand mixer.)
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In another bowl, mix together olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, buttermilk, and vanilla. Set aside.
- With the mixer running on slow speed, alternate adding the dry and wet ingredients in three additions. Start and end with the dry. Scrape down sides of bowl as needed. Mix until just combined. Be careful not to overmix.
- Divide batter evenly among prepared cake pans. Bake for 20-25 minutes until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Cool cakes in pan for 10 minutes. Run mini offset spatula along edges of cake. Invert and unmold cakes. Cool cakes to room temperature on wire racks.
Strawberry Cream:
- Using a whisk or an electric hand mixer, beat cold whipping cream to soft peaks. Add powdered sugar and strawberry puree. Continue to beat to medium peaks. Cover and keep chilled in the fridge until ready to use. Whisk cream to revitalize before assembling cake.
Assembly:
- Place one cake layer on serving plate. Spread about ¼ of strawberry cream over cake layer. Place second cake layer on top. Spread another ¼ of cream over cake. Top with final third cake layer, followed with another ¼ of strawberry cream. Use the remaining ¼ strawberry cream to make a light crumb coat around the sides of the cake.
Notes
- For the sake of flavor, use freshly grated lemon zest and freshly squeezed lemon juice. Stay away from bottled lemon juice. It will never taste as good as fresh.
- Use a light flavored olive oil. It should smell pleasant and fruity. Throw out any olive oil that smells stale or rancid.
- The colder the cream, the stronger the whipped cream will be. I suggest popping the heavy cream in the freezer for 15 minutes to ensure it is super chilled.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!
can i use honey or another substitute to sugar? thank you!
This is an amazing recipe, I have a quick question. Can I make this recipe in 2 nine inch round pans or do I need to adjust the measurements of the ingredients? Thank you
Yes, you can use the batter to bake two 9-inch (or 8-inch) round pans without adjusting the ingredients. Reduce baking time. It should be done in 18-20 minutes. Hope that helps!
Made for my daughter’s Bridal Shower