Lemon-Rosemary Olive Oil Cake

16 Reviews
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Photo: Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner
Yield
16 servings (serving size: 1 slice)
By Marge Perry
September 2009
RECIPE BY Cooking Light

Rosemary lends evergreen essence, while olive oil enhances the flavor and maintains the moist texture of this Mediterranean-inspired cake. You can prepare it up to 2 weeks ahead and freeze, unglazed; top thawed cake with glaze before serving to your guests. Casual yet elegant, it's a fine finish for a dinner party featuring Spice-Rubbed Braised Beef, though it also makes a well-chosen addition to a dessert buffet.

Ingredients

  • Cooking spray
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 13.5 ounces all-purpose flour (about 3 cups)
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1/2 cup fat-free milk
  • 2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon lemon extract
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • Fresh rosemary sprig (optional)

Nutritional Information

  • Calories 265
  • Fat 7.9g
  • Satfat 1.3g
  • Monofat 5.3g
  • Polyfat 0.9g
  • Protein 3.9g
  • Carbohydrate 45.1g
  • Fiber 0.7g
  • Cholesterol 40mg
  • Iron 1.3mg
  • Sodium 211mg
  • Calcium 20mg

How to Make It

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350°.

Step 2

Coat a 10-inch tube pan with cooking spray; dust with 2 tablespoons flour. Weigh or lightly spoon 5 ounces flour (about 3 cups) into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 4 ingredients (through salt) in a large bowl.

Step 3

Place granulated sugar and next 7 ingredients (through eggs) in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer at low speed 2 minutes or until smooth. Add to flour mixture; beat until blended.

Step 4

Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 15 minutes on a wire rack, and remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack. Combine powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon lemon juice, stirring until smooth. Drizzle sugar mixture over cake. Garnish with rosemary sprig, if desired.

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Ratings & Reviews

creaghzy's Review

Utley1954
November 04, 2014
Mine came out dry and bitter--I do not think it is a flour amount issue as much as a chemistry problem. Probably would be better to leave out the lemon juice and add more milk and lemon zest. There are much better recipes for lemon cakes -- this one was sadly a waste of time and ingredients for me.

blogsiren's Review

creaghzy
July 28, 2014
N/A

zimmlovsbaking's Review

zimmlovsbaking
June 06, 2010
Thankfully I read the reviews and only added 2 1/4 cups of flour. I also did some modifications which included 50/50 sugar and splenda to cut down on the calories, and since I didn't have any lemon extract, I used 1/3 cup juice instead of 1/4. I baked it in a loaf pan for 47 minutes at 325 (after 20 minutes at 350 it wasn't cooking evenly). It turned out beautifully and I brought it into work the morning after baking it and every person raved about how delicious it was. I will definitely add this to my lineup.

Heffrob's Review

pamj46
February 01, 2010
I have made this cake for guests twice with rave reviews and requests for the recipe each time. I used fresh lemon juice and rosemary. It was not dry at all, I measured the flour very carefully after fluffing it up in my big flour tub. I also watched the time carefully as I am known for overcooking things! I did need more liquid for the glaze than what was called for, an easy adjustment.

Harleysmom's Review

blogsiren
January 10, 2010
Excellent. If you love lemon make this cake

skspillman's Review

ChefLora
December 20, 2009
I made this for a holiday party last night and it went over well. Following the suggestions below, I just used 2 1/2 cups flour. I used fresh rosemary, and the lemon and rosemary flavors were subtle--neither was overpowering. I found that I had to add a bit more lemon juice to the glaze to thin it. I will make this delicate cake again.

Stirling1's Review

hiskipper
November 22, 2009
Many of the reviews commented on the cake being dry and not tasting enough of rosemary. I weighed the flour and used fresh rosemary (not to mention the fact that I love rosemary and tend to go slightly over the recipe amount) - my entire party LOVED this cake - perfect at the end of a relatively heavy meal - somewhat lighter, not too sweet - just excellent...could have been a bit more lemony - I will put in a bit of extra rind next time...

pamj46's Review

Heffrob
September 24, 2009
This was so dry, I used it as duck food and they would hardly eat it! I even tried poking holes and pouring a simple syrup infused with rosemary over the bottom...no luck. However, it had one redeeming quality...the taste was good.

karajb's Review

fatime1a
September 24, 2009
Similar to all reviews...a bit dry, great lemon flavor (use all fresh lemon elements), reduce flour, and increase rosemary. I sent this to work with my husband asking for feedback and everyone loved it. It's a unique cake, and worth playing with to get just right.

fatime1a's Review

skspillman
September 14, 2009
I wish I had read all the reviews re: the correct amount of flour to use because this cake turned out VERY DRY for me. And the lemon and rosemary flavors were disappointingly mild. Definitely think there are better/more flavorful lemon cake recipes on this site. Try those instead!