Lemon Thyme Olive Oil Cake

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This melt in your mouth, perfectly sweet cake with hints of fragrant thyme and lemon makes for the perfect summer dessert. With simple, wholesome ingredients, this cake is the perfect addition to your next gathering or celebration! The fresh thyme pairs beautifully with bright and citrusy lemons, a combination that’ll leave your taste buds dancing.

Thyme to Create

After 2 months adventuring around Europe and getting back to my roots in Spain for much needed family-time and relaxation, I’ve had a lot of time to let my mind (and tastebuds) wander. As a creator I often feel an underlying need to continue producing content, and the looming worry that I’ll get stuck in a creative rut is often on my mind.

This summer I took a break from creating and dove a little deeper into experiencing. From tasting culinary masterpieces at famous restaurants across Europe to sitting down for my dad’s homemade seafood paellas, this summer was all about immersing myself in a rich food culture that served to nurture my creativity and daring spirit in the kitchen.

It’s been a few months since I’ve truly tested a recipe. Looking back, I’m glad I allowed myself the grace of waiting until I was truly ready to begin creating again rather than fulfilling the responsibility I thought I had to publish new recipes despite the creative rut I was in.

Lemon olive oil cake is one of my favorite’s in the summertime and a sweet treat I often had while in the Mediterranean. Something magical happens when you combine silky-smooth extra virgin olive oil, rich in flavor and nutrients with bright and pungent lemons.

This simple lemon olive oil cake gets a daring twist with the addition of fragrant fresh thyme, making this cake a decadent masterpiece of flavor.

Dreamy, Delicious, Daring

When I was jotting down ideas for this recipe I thought of ways I could jazz up a simple lemon and olive oil cake and the first thing that came to mind was fresh herbs. Of course, it wasn’t hard deciding which herb I’d use considering the fact that the thyme plant in my garden was overflowing and staring me right in the face.

I wanted to find a way to infuse the cake with hints of thyme without the flavor overpowering the vibrant notes of the other ingredients and found that just a teaspoon of minced fresh thyme did the trick.

By rubbing the thyme and lemon zest right into the sugar before adding it to the rest of the wet ingredients, it allows for a fuller and more even flavor.

For this recipe, I used extra virgin olive oil and didn’t find the flavor off-putting in any way. In fact, using this richer olive oil added a decadent and irresistible touch.

The Ingredients

Below I have outlined all the ingredients you’ll need to make this cake!

• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup olive oil (I used extra virgin)
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1 tsp minced fresh thyme
• zest of 1 lemon
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup low-fat plain greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• powdered sugar for topping

Thyme to Bake!

Luckily if you’re not an expert baker this cake recipe is for you. It’s a fairly straight-forward recipe and the final product ends up looking gorgeous and fancier than it really is!

To make this recipe start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 2, 9-inch round cake pans with butter and flour or place parchment paper on the bottom to avoid sticking.

In a large bowl add the eggs and olive oil, whisking until light and frothy. In a separate smaller bowl add the sugar, minced thyme, and lemon zest. Now for the fun part. Use your fingers to rub the thyme and lemon zest into the sugar until the sugar smells fragrant and the thyme is well incorporated. Add the sugar in with the eggs and olive oil and whisk to combine. Add in vanilla extract, lemon juice, Greek yogurt, and milk to the same bowl.

In a separate large bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In several batches, add the dry ingredients to the wet, folding with a wooden spoon until just combined.

Divide the cake batter evenly between the two pans and bake at 350 F for 40-50 minutes rotating halfway. Remove from oven once a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool completely before removing the cakes from the pan.

I like to dust the cakes with powdered sugar for a gorgeous presentation!

Note: I have only tested this recipe using 2 separate 9-inch, round cake pans. Since the cakes are not frosted I like to serve them separately rather than stacking but the choice is totally up to you! If you try adding all of the batter to one large cake pan let me know in the comments how it turned out 🙂

Summer Delight

As summer comes to a close be sure to wow your friends and family with this lemon thyme olive oil cake at your next gathering or celebration! I love to serve this cake with tea (dunking it in the tea is the move).

Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do!

If you liked this recipe be sure to leave a rating and comment on this post to help boost visibility! I appreciate all of your continued support as I grow my blog.

Liked this recipe?

Be sure to check out some of my other dessert recipes! From loafs to muffins and healthy energy bites, I’ve got you covered.

• Apple Cinnamon Scones
• Lemon Thyme Olive Oil Cake
• Lemon Turmeric Blueberry Breakfast Loaf
• Zesty Olive Oil Zucchini Bread
• Healthy Chocolate Orange Energy Bites

happy baking !

Sip & Scone