If I say Mediterranean, what flavors come to your mind? Olive oil, lemon, and rosemary are definitely on top of that list. These are the main ingredients of this delicious lemon rosemary olive oil cake.
Flavors of the Mediterranean and Italy
The essence of the Mediterranean is enclosed in this uniquely flavored cake. It’s made with just a few genuine ingredients: lemon, fresh rosemary, extra virgin olive oil, eggs, sugar, flour, and baking powder. After taking the first bite, you can imagine yourself lounging in the countryside of Sicily. Rolling hills and olive trees are all around you, the sun is kissing your skin, and the Mediterranean Sea breeze is going through your hair.
This cake is usually eaten for breakfast with a nice cappuccino or for an afternoon break with some milk or tea. It also makes a good dessert for those who prefer their desserts not super sweet — just enough sweetness with some savory undertones. This recipe is easy even for beginning bakers, and very budget-friendly!
Getting Started with Your Lemon Rosemary Olive Oil Cake
Let’s begin! Heat up your oven to 375 degrees F (180 degrees C) and prepare the ingredients.
If you want a milder taste (as the extra virgin olive oil is quite strong), you can use regular olive oil OR half extra virgin olive oil and half sunflower oil. I like to use the extra virgin olive oil as it makes for a unique and bold flavor all throughout. But using the other oils will make it feel a bit less savory.
Making Rosemary-Lemon Sugar
The first step is to make the flavored sugar. I used light brown cane sugar. It makes the cake a bit moister and slightly nutty, but regular granulated sugar will work as well. A pretty large Sorrento lemon, with thick skin, works best. Put everything in the blender and pulse until you have a fine rosemary-lemon sugar. The aroma is fantastic! It is ok if some rosemary twigs remain whole.
Time to Enjoy
When you take the cake out of the oven, you can top it with powder sugar. The whole house should smell like a Mediterranean breeze!
Enjoy! We usually eat it for three mornings in a row for breakfast (it is only the two of us). By the fourth one, it loses some of the softness.
Lemon Rosemary Olive Oil Cake Variations
Some variations include other Mediterranean ingredients in the batter: Greek yogurt or ricotta. You can add 1/2 cup of plain Greek yogurt and 1/3 cup of flour (50 g) so that the batter is not too loose. Vanilla yogurt is an option for added sweetness or lemon yogurt for an extra citrusy kick.
I love that version as well as it is moister and with extra protein. The recipe I gave you, however, is the original one and friendly for people who are intolerant to dairy. The version with ricotta is the richest and very delicious.
Which one is the best? I can’t answer that for you. The best way to find out it trying them all, and picking your favorite. 😊
Italian Lemon Rosemary Olive Oil Cake
Equipment
- blender
- whisk
- cake pan
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour (250 grams)
- 2/3 cup sugar (130 grams)
- 2 tablespoons chopped rosemary
- 3 eggs
- 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil (150 ml)
- 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon baking powder (15 grams)
Instructions
- Preheat over to 375 degrees (180 degrees Celsius).
- Grate the lemon. Squeeze the juice out of the lemon, remove the lemon seeds, and set aside.
- In a blender, combine the sugar, half of the rosemary, and the grated lemon. Pulse until you have a fine, rosemary-lemon sugar.
- Add the 3 eggs to the sugar and whisk well until you get a foam. Add the olive oil and lemon juice.
- Add the flour and the baking powder. Sift them well for a smooth batter.
- Grease a pan with some butter/oil and a little flour, and pour your batter, which should be creamy and with no clumps.
- Add the rest of the rosemary twigs to the top of the batter to decorate.
- Place the cake it in the oven for 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out dry and the top is lightly golden.
- When you take the cake out, top it with powder sugar.
Notes
Nutrition
25 comments
This looks delicious! I made a similar recipe awhile back but with ricotta and blueberries too. This reminds me that I need to post that recipe soon. LOL I love that you have the rosemary twigs in the cake too. Mmm!
I love rosemary in bread, but I never thought about putting it in a cake. And the lemon must be a great flavor combo with it. This looks like a great any-occasion cake.
Rosemary and lemon work really well together!
Oooo this looks good! Being vegan, I wonder if I could make appropriate substitutions? I’d love to try this with afternoon tea.
The eggs are really the only issue. You could try a vegan substitute for eggs such as flax meal and water?
Rosemary and lemon are such a natural flavor combination and creates such a traditional lovely cake! Thank you so much for sharing 🙂
Yum! I love lemon everything! I may need to take you up on trying all three versions! 🙂
Rosemary and lemon are a beautiful combo of flavors. This cake is perfect for breakfast, with a piping hot cup of coffee- oh and its so simple to make! Thanks for sharing.
So lovely! I only had 1T of fresh rosemary so that’s all I used. 1 beautiful Meyer lemon, and I went with the addition of 1/2c yogurt & 1/3 c flour, and because I have a friend’s 90th birthday tomorrow, I made cupcakes!
Sprinkled with coarse sugar prior to baking at 375f for 21 minutes. They smell SO good!
Thx for this recipe 🙏❤️🍋
This bread looks so delicious. I can’t wait to try your recipe!
This looks lush, will have to give this a try!
Thank you for sharing this recipe
You had me at lemon rosemary flavored sugar! This looks so simple to put together but I know that the flavors will just be amazing. Can’t wait to try it!
this looks so yummy! I’ve never tried rosemary in a cake. I will be trying it later in the week!
Lemon and rosemary makes a great flavor combination.
I grew up with homemade rosemary bread. I remember my grandma using olive oil but not sure if she used lemon, trying to find that recipe in our old papers. I’m going to give this a try, looks delicious and brings back memories.
This is just the kind of cake my Sicilian hubby likes for breakfast! So Mediterranean, light and flavourful!
Rosemary is one of my favorite herbs & I use it a lot in my recipes. This looks super delicious!
I love baking with lemons but never tried rosemary. This cake looks delicious that I want to give this a try.
I never tried Rosmary Olive Cake, but I am sure it looks really delicious and healthy. Can’t wait to try it at home.
[…] for more easy baking recipes? Try our Lemon Rosemary Olive Oil Cake for a taste of the […]
Love both rosemary and lemon. This cake sounds really good!
I made the cake yesterday and not only is it good but my house smells deliciously like rosemary. My neighbors will enjoy a piece or two since I am a house hold of one. I’ll try freezing a few pieces and test the results. Fresh vs. Frozen/defrost. Btw, the ingredients list did not list the 3 eggs. You may want to correct the list.
I have updated the ingredient list. I’m glad you enjoyed the cake! It smells wonderful, doesn’t it?
Yum I bet this smells and tastes amazing! It looks so light and healthy too
Really, really lovely. Smells good and tastes great!