This post was kindly sponsored by vomFASS. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands who sponsor my work!
This bright, freshly flavored cake is the perfect way to kick off your Spring baking. It's one of the most tender cakes I've ever had. It has a melt-in-your-mouth texture. No one would ever guess that it's entirely eggless and dairy-free!
vomFASS specializes in sustainable high-quality balsamic vinegars, olive oils, nut oils, and spirits, with over 300 stores worldwide where you can pop in and have a "taste experience" before filling your bottles directly from the barrel. You can also order from their sites via vomFASSusa, vomFASS.de, and vomFASSuk (which also covers Ireland).
They use the best ingredients, real fruit, and no extras. With a low-waste concept and paying fair prices to farmers. They also seal their products in airtight containers at the source, so the very first time they come into contact with air or light is at the moment of tasting them in-store or bottling before being shipped to your home!
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Love pistachio desserts? Try my vegan recipes for pistachio cookies, pistachio ice cream, and pistachio cheesecake next.
🧾 Ingredients Needed
Here's everything you need to make this tender vegan lemon olive oil cake from scratch:
Ingredient Notes
Find the complete list of ingredients, quantities, and instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Lemon Extra Virgin Olive Oil - (EVOO) by vomFASS is made in Tuscany, Italy. It has a very fruity, fresh lemon taste. It adds incredible flavor and moisture to baking, it's also great for salad dressings, or seasoning veggies, tofu, and pasta.
- Raw Shelled Pistachios - It was tricky to balance the pistachio and lemon flavors. I tried blending the pistachios with non-dairy milk and adding them to the dry ingredients. In the end, whisking them with the wet ingredients gave the best balance of flavor and tender crumb to the cake.
- Vegan Greek-Style Yogurt - This acts as an egg replacer and adds moisture and structure to the cake. You can also use vegan sour cream or thick coconut yogurt.
- Non-Dairy Milk - I use soy milk mixed with lemon juice which turns it into a buttermilk alternative to help tenderize the cake. I usually use apple cider vinegar for homemade buttermilk but since this is a lemon-themed cake, fresh lemon juice works perfectly! You can also use almond milk or oat milk.
- Non-Dairy Cream Cheese - You can go for storebought or homemade vegan cream cheese here.
- Leaveners - Since this is an eggless cake, we rely fully on leaving agents to help it rise. A combination of baking powder and baking soda raises the loaf.
- Vanilla Extract - This is a must in cake recipes as it enhances and rounds off the flavor of the cake. Optionally, you can also add a little almond extract which helps to amplify the pistachio flavor.
🥣 How To Make Vegan Olive Oil Cake
You're just a few easy steps away from enjoying these fluffy muffins. Remember, the detailed printable recipe card is at the end of this page, but here are the step-by-images that you can use as a guide:
Step 1: Blitz the pistachios and granulated sugar in a food processor until finely ground. The sugar helps to cut through the nuts and stops them from turning into pistachio paste.
Step 2: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the lemon EVVO, dairy-free yogurt, and vanilla extract (and almond extract if you're using it) until smooth.
Step 3: Add the pistachio sugar to the olive oil mixture and whisk until combined. This helps to marry the flavors and dissolve the sugar before baking for a beautiful tender crumb.
Step 4: Slowly drizzle the soy milk and lemon juice into the bowl while whisking it into the other wet ingredients.
Step 5: Add the dry ingredients in 2 parts (flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt). Fold them into the wet ingredients until there are no visible streaks of flour.
Step 6: Before baking, run a knife dipped in olive oil down the center to help it crack down the center. Bake according to the recipe card below.
Step 7: Whisk together the dairy-free cream cheese and olive oil. Then, slowly add the powdered sugar and whisk until smooth.
Step 8: Once the loaf has cooled fully, pour the glaze over the top and let it drip down the sides.
💡Recipe Tips
Dissolve the sugar into the liquids before baking. Unlike my pistachio muffins and pistachio cake recipes where sugar is added with the dry ingredients, the sugar is whisked with the oil and other wet ingredients here as it gives a more dense and tender consistency.
Run olive oil down the middle before baking. I usually do this with vegan butter, the oil works wonderfully for this olive oil themed cake and helps the cake crack down the center when baking.
I like to bake it on an aluminum baking sheet which conducts heat and helps bake the cake evenly from underneath.
💬 FAQs
When your cake has cooled, wrap any leftovers tightly in plastic wrap, foil, or in a sealed container.
Store at room temperature for up to 2 days with glaze or 5 days (without glaze). You can keep it in the fridge for up to a week.
Absolutely! You can either wrap and freeze the cake entirely or cut it into individual slices and separate them with sheets of parchment. Place in a sealed container and freeze for up to a month.
To defrost, let it thaw at room temperature for a couple of hours.
🍞 More Vegan Loaf Cakes
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star ★★★★★ rating in the recipe card below and consider leaving a comment as well, thanks!
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Description
Equipment
Ingredients
Cake
- 220 g (1 ¾ cups + 1 tablespoon) all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 180 ml (¾ cup) soy milk, *see note 1
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 100 g (¾ cup + 2 tablespoons) raw shelled pistachios, (with or without skins) *see note 2
- 200 g (1 cups) granulated sugar
- 100 ml (⅓ cup + 4 teaspoons) lemon extra virgin olive oil, *see note 3
- 100 g (⅓ cup + 3 teaspoons) vegan Greek-style yogurt, *see note 4
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract, optional
Cream Cheese Glaze
- 60 g (¼ cup) vegan cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon lemon extra virgin olive oil, or pistachio oil *see note 3
- 120 g (1 cup) powdered sugar
- 20 g raw shelled pistachios, roughly chopped for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Mix the dry ingredients: To a medium bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine and set aside.
- Make vegan buttermilk: Add the soy milk and lemon juice to a jug, stir, and set aside.
- Blend the nuts and sugar: Add the pistachios and sugar to a food processor or blender, and blitz until finely ground.
- Mix the wet ingredients: To a large mixing bowl, add the lemon extra virgin olive oil, yogurt, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Whisk until combined.
- Add the pistachio sugar mixture to the bowl with the wet ingredients and whisk it in until smooth.
- Slowly pour the vegan buttermilk into the bowl while whisking until combined fully.
- Combine wet and dry ingredients: Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in 2 parts. Fold the ingredients into the batter between each increment until there are no pockets or streaks of flour. Do not be tempted to overmix!
- Assemble: Add the batter to the prepared loaf pan and smooth out the top of it with a spatula or knife. Place the pan on top of an aluminum tray or baking sheet. Optionally, dip a butter knife in some more olive oil and run it through the center of the loaf, this will help the loaf to crack in the center once it bakes.
- Bake: Bake for 45-55 minutes. The loaf will rise and the top will be golden brown. Check the cake is done at the 45-minute mark by piercing it with a toothpick or a knife, the knife should come out clean with just a few visible crumbs. Continue to bake in 5-minute increments as and if needed until baked through
- Allow the cake to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before transferring it to a cooling rack to cool completely. Once the loaf is completely cool, transfer it to a tray or sheet of parchment paper.
- Make the glaze: Whisk the cream cheese and lemon olive oil until smooth, then slowly whisk in the powdered sugar. Whisk until smooth - add more or less sugar depending on whether you want it runny or thicker.
- Decorate: Drizzle the glaze on top of the cooled loaf. Optionally, you can top the loaf with more chopped pistachios, lemon slices, and lemon zest.
- Storage: When your cake has cooled, wrap any leftovers tightly in plastic wrap, foil, or in a sealed container. Store at room temperature for up to 2 days with glaze or 5 days (without glaze). You can keep it in the fridge for up to a week.To freeze, cut the cake into individual slices and separate them with sheets of parchment. Place them in a sealed container and freeze for up to a month. To defrost, let it thaw at room temperature for a couple of hours.
Notes
- Soy Milk: Sub with almond milk or oat milk.
- Pistachios: Raw shelled pistachios with or without skins. You can also use unsalted roasted pistachios.
- Lemon Extra Virgin Olive Oil: I use vomFASS, this can be found in their stores worldwide or via their websites for UK & Ireland, the US, and Germany. Code ‘DATES20’ will give you 20% OFF.
- Vegan Greek-Style Yogurt: Sub for vegan sour cream or thick coconut yogurt.
Nutrition
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