Lemon Rosemary Olive Oil Cake. Moist, light cake hinted with rosemary and lemon and generously topped with mascarpone whipped cream. Olive oil adds a lovely fruity flavor and lots of moisture. This cake is simply delicious!
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This Lemon Rosemary Olive Oil Cake is light and fluffy. It’s also rich and moist. It’s perfectly sweet and is flavored with rosemary and lemon. Mascarpone whipped cream makes the perfect topping!
I am all about baking with olive oil. It adds a slightly fruity flavor and so much moisture.
If you want to try more olive oil dessert recipes, you’ll love my Olive Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies, Blood Orange Olive Oil Cake and this Flourless Chocolate Olive Oil Cake!
WHAT’S IN THIS CAKE?
- Lemon: Lemon and olive oil are amazing together (I use them pretty much every day in the kitchen).
- Rosemary: Rosemary adds a lovely, unique flavor and just makes this cake even more of a treat! This cake has the perfect hint of rosemary.
- Mascarpone Whipped Cream: Rich and creamy Mascarpone cheese makes THE most amazing, must try whipped cream.
MASCARPONE
Mascarpone cheese is a very creamy cheese made primarily out of cream. It’s similar to but richer than (!) cream cheese. I absolutely love its slightly sweet taste and ultra creamy texture. I used it in this delicious No Churn Mixed Berry Mascarpone Ice Cream.
MASCARPONE WHIPPED CREAM
This whipped cream is the same delicious filling from my Pomegranate Mascarpone Whipped Cream Cake Roll.
THIS WHIPPED CREAM IS:
- EASY TO MAKE: It’s similar to making regular whipped cream. It takes minutes and the mixer does the work!
- VERSATILE: In addition to being the perfect filling for a cake roll, it would be delicious served with some fresh fruit.
- CREAMY YET LIGHT: It’s really the best of both worlds. Creamy and indulgent and also light and refreshing!
- PERFECTLY SWEET: It’s great for people who like their desserts a little less sweet. That said, you can easily add a bit more powdered sugar if you want to sweeten it.
HOW TO DECORATE YOUR CAKE
This cake is rustic which to me means simple! All you need to do is spread the whipped cream. I love using my offset spatula for this.
Add some lemon slices and or some sprigs of rosemary is a great idea too. Not only are these pretty, they also serve as flavor cues!
HOW TO ENJOY THIS CAKE
Since this cake is topped with whipped cream, it’s best eaten the day it’s made. That said, we had it for dessert one evening and breakfast the following day. It was still delicious but just not quite as pretty.
You can generously slather the cake with whipped cream. You can also simply dust the cake with powdered sugar and serve the whipped cream on the side. Put a dollop of whipped cream on top of individual slices or plates. Hot tip! Leftover whipped cream can also be used to top cupcakes or to serve with a bowl of fruit!
WHAT TO TOP IT WITH
- POWDERED SUGAR: It’s so pretty and adds a bit more sweetness!
- POWDERED SUGAR ICING: I was close to drizzling this cake with the lemon icing recipe I used in these Lemon Sour Cream Cookies. I haven’t tried it with this cake yet, but I am sure it’ll be delicious!
There’s nothing not to love about this Lemon Rosemary Olive Oil Cake. It is hinted with rosemary and lemon and perfectly sweet. Top it with refreshing mascarpone whipped cream and you have the most fresh tasting, flavorful cake!
Lemon Rosemary Olive Oil Cake
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons milk
- zest of 2 lemons
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1 ½ tablespoons fresh rosemary chopped
- ½ tablespoon fresh rosemary not chopped
- powdered sugar for dusting, optional
FOR THE MASCARPONE WHIPPED CREAM
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream cold
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 7 ounces mascarpone cheese drained, cold
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter or lightly oil a 9″ springform pan.
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk to combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer using a whisk attachment, beat the sugar, eggs, and lemon zest until thick, fluffy, and pale, about 3-4 minutes. Add the chopped rosemary. Slowly add the olive oil with the mixer still running on high. Beat until combined, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to low, and add the milk and lemon juice alternatively with the dry ingredients.
- Pour the batter into the cake pan. Scatter the remaining 1/2 tablespoon non-chopped rosemary overtop. Bake 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the cake (a few crumbs are okay).
- Place the pan on a rack and cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Remove cake from the pan and allow to cool completely on the rack.
- Once cooled or before serving, dust with powdered sugar, mascarpone whipped cream or lemon icing.
FOR THE MASCARPONE WHIPPED CREAM
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla extract on high speed until you have soft peaks.
- Add the mascarpone cheese and whip til stiff peaks form. Spread it on top of the cooled cake or serve it alongside individual slices.
Nutrition
Please note that nutritional values are created by an online calculator and should only be used as an estimate.
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Deb McAdams
Great! I’d be making cake donuts with your recipe! I used a dash of dried Instead of fresh Italian seasoning. it turned out perfect with only confectionery sugar to dust! Thanks!
Orion
I made this cake with my girlfriend! She moved across the country, and we made this cake over call together to celebrate our one year anniversary. I used to make rosemary lemonade for her, and this was just the perfect recipe. It came out so fluffy! My only recommendation for anyone making this is to scale down the whipped cream recipe just a bit. We both ended up having quite a bit leftover. This cake is amazing and it will be going in both of our families’ cookbooks!
Natalie
Aw yay such a sweet idea to make the cake together! So happy you enjoyed it and thank you for the tip about the whipped cream. Happy anniversary!! Thank you for sharing 🤍
Dina
Hello,
How small does the rosemary need to be chopped? Can it be put into a food processor?
thanks!
Natalie
Hi Dina, The rosemary can be finely chopped or roughly chopped. I prefer it finely chopped. It can be pulsed in a food processor til it’s finely chopped/minced. Please let me know if you have any other questions. Hope you enjoy the cake!
C. Jernigan
I made this cake yesterday for my niece’s birthday, and it was so delicious! The amount of rosemary was not overwhelming (just right), and the leaves sprinkled on top of the cake make it very pretty. I did add about 1/4 teaspoon of lemon extract to ensure the lemony flavor. The mascarpone whipped cream was perfect with the cake. We truly enjoyed it. So much so that I made it for friends for dessert tonight with macerated fruit on the side, no frosting/whipped cream. They loved it! This is a great recipe and one that I will make again and again.
Natalie
Thank you so much for making this cake. I love that you made it for your niece’s birthday and for friends and so happy it was a hit with everyone. Great idea to serve it with some macerated fruit too. I will have to try that! Have a great day! -Natalie
Brittny
Made this today and it was DELICIOUS. Probably one of the best cakes I’ve had. The flavors are light and fresh, and it’s not overly sweet. SO GOOD!
Natalie
Yay so happy you loved this cake, Brittny! Thanks so much for making it and for your review. Have a great weekend! -Natalie
Alexandra Rees
I made this cake for a friend who “doesn’t love frosting” (who even is this person?! 😂😂) and she loved it! The frosting is not too sweet and I added a tiny tiny 1/4 teaspoon of lemon juice (so not to split it) and some lemon zest to ensure the lemony flavour was still strong. Lovely moist crumb in the cake itself. 10/10 would make again!
Natalie
Haha so happpy your friend who doesn’t love frosting loved this cake! Thank you for making it and for sharing your recipe notes 🙂 This is one of my favorite cakes and makes my day to hear you enjoyed it! Thanks for taking the time to comment!
Ayfer
Hey,
I have tried the cake once without the mascarpone whipped cream on top and it was amazing but this time I am eager to try making it with the cream. So is it ok if we make the mascarpone whipped cream in the morning and set it aside until the night and the same with the cake if we make it in the morning and store it in the fridge till the night will it be ok?
Natalie
Hi Ayfer, So sorry for the late response. I’m so happy you enjoyed this cake. Thanks so much for making it 🙂 I always try to make whipped cream just before serving. It’s the most thick and fresh right after making it. That said, you can make the mascarpone whipped cream in the morning, but it won’t be as thick as the longer it sits in the fridge, but it will still be yummy! Please let me know if you have any other questions!
Louise
This cake was wonderful EXCEPT the 8″ cake pan recommended was too small. I had cake batter pouring out when baked. I should have followed my instinct and moved the batter into a 9″ pan. I am surprised no one else mentions this.
Natalie
Hi Louise,
Thanks so much for making this cake! I’m so happy you enjoyed it but sorry the cake pan recommendation is too small. I will definitely retest the recipe this week and update the recipe as needed. I really appreciate you pointing that out! Have a nice week. -Natalie
Laura Duarte
Is it possible to make the frosting for the lemon rosemary cake ahead of time? I want to make it for a dinner party and would like it to be ready for serving.
Natalie
Hi Laura,
Apologies for the late response. Good question. Yes you can make the frosting ahead of time and refrigerate it for up to 2 days. Please let me know if you have any other questions! Natalie
Laura Duarte
It was so delicious, the frosting was amazing! I used canola oil instead of olive oil and it was a bit dry. When using olive oil will
It make the cake more moist?
Natalie
Hi Laura! Thanks so much for giving this cake a try! I’m so happy you enjoyed it but sorry to hear it cake out a little dry. Hmm the canola oil would change the flavor but it should still be moist with it. Is there any chance your oven runs a little hot? Thanks for your feedback and comment. Have a great day! -Natalie
Wallij
Looks amazing and and very excited to try this recipe. Two of my favorite flavors— rosemary and lemon. Thank you for providing this recipe. The one rule of bakery decorating that I follow is only put decorations that you can eat. In this case, although edible, a large slice of fresh lemon is not something that I, or most people I think, would enjoy eating. But the recipe is definitely in my list to do this summer!
Natalie
Hi Wallij, Thanks for your kind comment and feedback! I’m so happy this recipe is on your summer baking list! I hope you love it 🙂 Have a great weekend! -Natalie
Melanie
Fantastic!!!! Didn’t have rosemary, nor the ingredients to make the icing. Nonetheless, this cake was adored by all!
Alternative icing that I made with what I had: lemon zest (2 lemons), juice of 1.5 lemons, 2 cups powdered sugar
Thank you❤️
Natalie
Hi Melanie! Thanks so much for making this cake and for sharing your adjustments! I love to hear that it was adored! Have a great rest of your week:) Xo Natalie
Sylvia Magyar
Great recipe! I tried a variation on this where I added a lemon crumble (3 tbs flour, 3 tbs demerara sugar, 1 tbs butter and the rind from 1 lemon) on top before baking and it also works very well.
Natalie
Hi Sylvia thank you for making this cake! I’m so glad you enjoyed it 🙂 Great idea to add a lemon crumble. Thanks for sharing that recipe. I can’t wait to try to it sometime! Have a great evening! -Natalie
Kristina Schafer
If I top my cake with the mascarpone topping, how would I store this cake? In the refrigerator?
Natalie
Hi Kristina, yes I definitely recommend storing the cake in the refrigerator due to the mascarpone. It’s also a good idea to keep the cake in the fridge until just before serving. Please let me know if you have any other questions 🙂 Natalie
Susan Boston
Have made this cake 3 times – everybody knows including myself love it!
Natalie
Thank you so much for making this cake and for your comment Susan! I’m so happy everyone loves it! I hope you continue to enjoy it! 🙂 Natalie
Barbara Briggs Ward
Adore Lemon! Can only imagine the taste with that whipped cream!
Natalie
Me too! I love anything with lemon 🙂 The mascarpone whipped cream is a must-try! Rich and light at the same time!
Yous
One of most delicious 😋lemon cakes you can possible make!
Natalie
Thanks Yous! So happy you loved this Lemon Rosemary Olive Oil Cake!
Norka
Hi! Was curious if you think it would be too much to rosemary infused olive oil? I just made some and I’m tempted o try but don’t want to ruin the cake!!
Natalie
Hi Norka! Rosemary infused olive oil sounds amazing! I can’t say for sure how it would work in the cake since I haven’t tried this cake with rosemary infused olive oil. I would think it would be okay but if you used that olive oil, I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t need to add any additional rosemary. Please let me know if you try it or if you have any other questions! XO Natalie