Lemon Olive Oil Loaf with Lavender Mascarpone is the perfect dish for spring. Floral lavender, lemony citrus, and creamy mascarpone come together to make the perfect treat! The cake is easy to make and the creamy lavender mascarpone truly seals the deal!
Lemon olive oil loaf with lavender mascarpone
It's finally Spring, can you believe it? It's time for all things bright, floral, and fun as we emerge from the darkness of winter. I can not be more excited for longer days full of sun, seeing the trees grow back their leaves, and simply being outside without a couple layers of clothes.
That being said, with the change of seasons also comes the incorporation of Spring flavors like lemon and lavender. If you haven't experimented with or tried lavender in your baking, I highly advise you to try this recipe! This lemon olive oil loaf is simply splendid. It incorporates all of the best flavors for Spring and celebrating all things bright and sunny!
lemon with a subtle hint of olive oil and floral lavender
When I took the first test bite of this cake, my taste buds did a happy dance. The lemon with the subtle hint of olive oil paired with the floral lavender hints has truly made this one of my favorite cakes/loaves to make. Also, it's SO easy to make. This recipe also features Filippo Berio Extra Light Olive Oil which truly elevates this lemon loaf and adds such a beautiful and delicate flavor. The olive oil also makes this cake SO moist and tender, you'll have to stop yourself from eating it!
how do you make a moist lemon olive oil cake from scratch?
Very easily! Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees and greasing a 9x5 loaf pan with olive oil and flour. You can also use parchment paper instead. Combine sugar, lemon zest, and olive oil and fold together until the mixture is that of wet sand. Add lemon extract and eggs, one at a time and mix together. After that, add the sour cream, mix that in too. In a separate bowl, add the dry ingredients, give it a quick whisk and add to the wet ingredients and fold together.
Add the batter to the loaf pan and bake for 55 minutes to an hour, until a toothpick comes out clean. And that's how you make a moist lemon olive oil cake from scratch. The sour cream and olive oil will ensure that this cake is super moist and truly delicious! If you love this recipe, you also have to try this Lemon Cream Cake with Saffron Glaze and this Sour Cream Pound Cake!
how do you make lavender mascarpone?
So, you'll need Lavender syrup for this mascarpone. Don't fret, it's definitely a specialty ingredient but isn't hard to find. Also, it's totally worth it when pairing with this Lemon Olive Oil Loaf. In fact, I made my own. I got these edible lavender flowers off of amazon for only $9.99. I made a quick simple syrup with the lavender leaves by boiling 1 cup of sugar, ¾ cup of water, and 2 tbsps lavender leaves. Your house will smell heavenly while making this. Total time to make this, about 30 minutes, including the time you need to allow it to cool.
Not to mention, you can use the lavender syrup for a bunch of different things like lattes, syrup on pancakes or waffles if you wanna be fancy, and even bake with it in cakes! It's really delicious. Best part, you only need a tiny bit of it because it's so strong.
Ok, so now that you made your lavender syrup, simply add 3 tbsps of the lavender syrup to a cup of mascarpone and mix together with some powdered sugar and a pinch of salt. Mix it all together and that's it! Oh! If you wanna add food coloring, you can. Totally optional. I used violet gel food coloring to get the color in the photos 🙂
let's talk tips and tricks!
For this lemon olive oil loaf, there are a couple of simple tips and tricks that will make your loaf truly amazing!
- When combining the lemon zest and sugar and olive oil, really make sure that you fold the ingredients together well so that the oils in the lemon zest break down and release that delicious citrusy lemon flavor! Starting this process early really makes for a beautifully lemony loaf!
- When adding eggs, add one at a time, mixing each egg in before adding the next.
- For the olive oil, ensure that you are using an extra light virgin olive oil like the Filippo Berio Extra light olive oil! It's light with subtle olive notes and perfect for this lemon olive oil loaf!
- Ensure that the sour cream and eggs are at room temperature when adding to the cake batter or else it could curdle from the lemon.
- Taste the mascarpone icing when adding the lavender syrup. I liked 2 tablespoons, but if you really love the taste of lavender, you can add more syrup depending on your tastebuds.
- Last but not least, for the lavender mascarpone, you'll want this to be cold when you go to add the lavender simple syrup. That way it'll keep it's shape and you'll get those pretty swoops on top of the lemon olive oil loaf!
what type of cooking tools do I need for this lemon olive oil loaf?
For this Lemon Olive Oil Loaf, you'll need the below:
- 2 Mixing Bowls
- 9x5 Loaf Pan
- Filippo Berio Extra Light Olive Oil
- Lavender Simple Syrup (you can buy this if you don't want to make your own)
- Measuring Spoons
- Lavender Flowers, optional
- Violet Food Coloring, also optional
This recipe was featured in The Pioneer Woman's 40 Best Cakes to make for Mother's Day! Check out this line up, it has so many amazing recipes!
Here are some other Spring recipes I'm loving lately! Check them out!
- Lemon Poppyseed Pancakes with Raspberry Coulis
- Lemon Cream Cake with Saffron Glaze
- Lemon Sheet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Glazed Lemon-Thyme Poppy Seed Cake
- Lemon Lavender Mini Tarts
Lemon Olive Oil Loaf with Lavender Mascarpone
Ingredients
Lemon Olive Oil Loaf
- 1 cup Sugar
- 3 tbsps Lemon Zest about 3 lemons
- 2 tsps Lemon Extract
- ½ cup olive oil
- 2 Eggs room temperature
- ½ cup Sour Cream room temperature
- 1 ½ cup All-Purpose Flour
- ½ tsp Kosher Salt
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- ¼ tsp Baking Soda
Lavender Mascarpone
- 1 cup Mascarpone cold
- 2-3 tbsps Lavender Syrup
- ⅓ cup Powdered Sugar
- Pinch Pinch Kosher Salt
- Violet Food Coloring optional
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees °F. Grease a 9x5 loaf pan with olive oil and dust with flour, tapping out any excessive flour.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar, lemon zest, and olive oil. Mix together for about 30 seconds to allow the lemon zest to break down and release the oils. Add lemon extract, and eggs, one at a time, mixing in one before adding the other. Add sour cream and mix in thoroughly.
- In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and a pinch of salt. Whisk together and add to wet ingredients. Fold together until batter is smooth, about 20-30 seconds.
- Pour batter into the loaf pan and bake for 55 minutes to 1 hour, until a toothpick comes out clean.
- While cake is baking, add mascarpone and lavender syrup to a bowl and mix together. Add powdered sugar and a pinch of salt along with food coloring if using. Mix together and put in to the refrigerator until ready to use.
- Once cake is finished baking, allow the cake to cool completely before adding the lavender mascarpone. Garnish with additional lavender flowers, optional.
Hi!
I don't see a measurement for the olive oil. How much does the recipe call for?
Thanks!
Hi! This recipe calls for a 1/2 cup of olive oil. I hope that you enjoy!
Thank you for posting your delicious recipes. I will try my hand at making the Lemon Olive Oil Loaf with Lavender Mascarpone for Mother’s Day.
I hope that you love it! Thanks for giving it a try!
I had so much fun making this cake! I haven’t baked in a long time and this recipe was so easy to follow and yummy to eat. It also didn’t last long in my house because my husband kept cutting the biggest slices LOL! If I had to choose between this cake and Alison roman’s turmeric lemon tea cake, I would choose Britney’s cake 100%!!!
Also, I recommend making the lavender simple syrup at home and using it for other fun drinks or bakes.
Omg thank you so much Alana!! This has officially made my week!!