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Last Updated on September 17, 2020 by Chenée Lewis
I’m so excited to share this vegan cake with you! I’ve been working on vegan olive oil cake recipes for a while now, with mixed results, but this recipe is definitely a keeper! It’s so moist and fluffy, and bursting with pistachio and lemon flavors. And it’s topped with a pistachio-lemon glaze and more crushed pistachios!
This is an ideal vegan lemon cake for a dinner party, small get-together, or just to treat yourself! And best of all, it’s dairy-free, egg-free, and delicious!
Why this cake is so good
I love olive oil cakes. One of my favorite recipes on this blog is my Orange-Rosemary Olive Oil Cake. The use of olive oil in a cake adds richness, flavor, and keeps the cake from drying out. If you’ve ever had a cake that seemed dry and crumbly, chances are that cake was made with butter. Butter has a higher water content than oil, and as that water evaporates, the cake dries out a bit. Also, oil is liquid at both room temperature and when chilled, so if you store your olive oil cake in the fridge it will keep a soft, moist texture.
Another reason I love this vegan lemon-pistachio olive oil cake is the addition of pistachio oil. I adjusted my olive oil cake recipe to replace some of the extra-virgin olive oil with toasted pistachio oil, to achieve that pistachio flavor without using an extract. The result is a soft and moist crumb, a balanced nutty and lemony flavor, and a truly show-stopping olive oil cake!
Best, of all, this vegan lemon cake is so easy to make! Because there’s no butter, the ingredients can easily be mixed together with just a bowl and a whisk. And it’s a single layer cake, so it’s even easier! You just have to try this vegan cake!
Ingredients
- lemon zest & juice – brings that bright lemony flavor.
- granulated sugar – gives this cake just the right amount of sweetness.
- extra-virgin olive oil
- toasted pistachio oil
- unsweetened applesauce
- vegan milk of your choice — I used soy milk, but oat milk or almond milk would also work.
- pure vanilla extract
- all-purpose flour
- baking powder
- salt
For the Pistachio-Lemon Glaze:
- toasted pistachio oil toasted pistachio oil
- fresh lemon juice – a little more lemony goodness to top off this lemon olive oil cake recipe.
- powdered sugar – gives our glaze the sweetness and texture it needs.
- chopped roasted pistachios and lemon zest – this topping finishes off the elegant look of this vegan lemon cake, and adds a nice lemony crunch to each bite!
Toasted Pistachio Oil
For this cake, I used toasted pistachio oil to achieve the nutty pistachio flavor while adding to the moist texture of the cake. I chose La Tourangelle pistachio oil, and I really enjoyed the flavor, but you can use whatever pistachio oil you prefer. If you can’t find pistachio oil, feel free to substitute a teaspoon of pistachio extract, but then you’ll need to add in another 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
Equipment
As I mentioned, this vegan cake recipe is a one bowl, one whisk situation. That means that you won’t have to plug in any tools or wash out any mixing attachments. Just grab a bowl, a whisk, and your 8-inch cake pan and you’re ready to start baking!
Step by Step
The steps for this vegan lemon cake couldn’t be easier!
- First, press your lemon zest and sugar together in a large bowl. Rub them well with either a spatula or your fingers to release all that lemony oil.
- Add the rest of your wet ingredients, whisking between each one.
- Sift in your dry ingredients and fold them to combine.
- Pour into your baking pan and bake!
Related Recipes
If you like this vegan olive oil cake, you’ll definitely want to try my pistachio lemon white bean dip! It’s a savory recipe, but it has a lot of the same flavors as this cake — lemon, roasted pistachio, and extra-virgin olive oil. Plus, like this lemon olive oil cake, it’s vegan!
You should also check out a recipe that has been a big hit with Chenée Today readers, my Strawberry-Banana Sorbet! It’s another vegan recipe (as long as you don’t use honey as your sweetener) and it’s so delicious and easy! It’s perfect as a summertime treat!
Equipment you may need
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp lemon zest – from about 2 medium lemons
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil – (see note)
- 2 tbsp toasted pistachio oil
- ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
- ⅔ cup soy milk
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- ½ tsp pure vanilla extract – 2g
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour – 228g
- 1½ tsp baking powder – 7g
- ½ tsp kosher salt – 2g
Pistachio-Lemon Glaze
- 1 tbsp toasted pistachio oil
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 1¾ cups powdered sugar – 202g
- Chopped roasted pistachios and lemon zest – for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Spray an 8-inch round cake pan with baking spray with flour; line bottom of pan with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar and lemon zest. Rub sugar and zest together to thoroughly release oils.
- Whisk in olive oil, pistachio oil, applesauce, soy milk, and vanilla, mixing between each addition.
- Sift in flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and fold until just combined.
- Transfer batter into prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, approximately 35 minutes. .
- Let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool completely on a wire rack.
- For the glaze, whisk together powdered sugar, pistachio oil, and lemon juice in a bowl. Spread over cooled cake and top with chopped pistachios and lemon zest.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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This looks amazing! I have a very random allergy to apples… do you have any recommendations for subbing out the applesauce?
Thanks! Some possible substitutions for the applesauce would be 1/4 cup of whipped silken tofu, or a flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flaxseeds mixed with 2 tbsp water). I haven’t tested those, so if you try one of them let me know how it goes 🙂
Do you think this will work with another type of flour? Almond or coconut perhaps or a mix of those? What about whole wheat flour; do you think it will taste extremely different or pretty much the same? I’m also looking at adding grated coconut palm sugar in it instead. Any ideas on these things? I don’t want to mask the flavor of anything with the whole wheat but I was just looking at my pantry and saw those 3 flours (also semolina flour lol) but if it will mess up flavors and/or consistency too much I will just go get some regular flour. Please let me know, thank you!
Hi! I haven’t tried this cake with almond flour or coconut flour but I imagine it would work pretty well with a mix of those — it would definitely have a slightly different texture and may not rise as nicely with a heavier flour, but the flavors would still work. And almond flour might complement the nutty flavor of the pistachio oil! I also haven’t tried it with coconut palm sugar, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. It might just add a deeper, more caramely sweetness, but otherwise it sounds great!
If you do make these changes, please let me know how the cake turns out! Thanks so much for trying the recipe!
This cake is so fluffy and easy to decorate! My sister loved it and asked me to make it for her birthday next year.
Wonderful! I hope it makes her birthday extra special 🙂
Oh my goodness I cannot explain how hard I drooled while scrolling through! This cake is not only beautiful but looks super moist too!!!
Thank you! I hope you enjoy it!
Olive oil cake!! You’ve combined lemon-pistachio which are two of my most favorite flavors. My family raved about it all night after we ate it.
Thanks! Two of my favorite flavors too!
Omg, this cake is delicious and so moist!! I can’t wait to make it again!!
I’m glad you liked it! 🙂
The pistachio oil was a game-changer for me. I loved the tenderness of this cake. We’ll be making this again!
I love the pistachio oil too! It adds so much flavor!
I’m always looking for vegan dessert recipes so that I can share my love of baking with my vegan friends. This cake is so delicious and moist!
Thank you! I love olive oil cakes for that reason 🙂
We had this cake for a ladies night- and man it was a hit!! Those flavors are perfect together!
Thank you! I’m so glad you all enjoyed it!
If lemon is involved, I’m aaaaallllll over it! This recipe was no exception! So moist, so delicious! I added a little extra lemon zest and it was perfection!
Can’t go wrong with a little extra lemon!! Glad you liked it!
This cake is right up my street. Citrusy deliciousness and super moist.
Yay! So glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
I made this recipe for a work function and everyone raved about the flavor. Will make again.
So glad it was a hit! Thanks!
pistacchio is one of the few nuts I am not allergic to and I love them to the core. So when I saw this cake I knew I had to immediately try it. It was so good and now I have to get more ideas to use up that delicious pistacchio oil. Thank you so much for introducing me to this product.
I’m so glad this cake worked out for you! I agree — pistachio oil is so good!
This cake was so moist and delicious! I love pistachios and the fact that this is vegan makes it even better!
Thanks! I’m so glad you liked it!
I’ve always been so intrigued by olive oil cakes! I cannot wait to try this one! The recipe looks so straight-forward and easy to follow! And the photos are beautiful!!
Thank you! It’s very simple to make — hope you enjoy it!
This olive oil cake was so moist and delicious. My mother in law couldn’t believe it was vegan. So happy I found this recipe.
I’m so glad you both enjoyed!! 🙂