I keep a running list of recipes from others that I want to make, ideas for my own creations I want to make, and a list for pretty much everything else in my life. I thrive on lists. The only thing more satisfying than having a perfectly organized list, is crossing something off of said list. Well, my friends, today I did just that, and it was a GOOD ONE.
My mom used to make a decadent Lemon Olive Oil Pound Cake when I was growing up. I looked forward to it on every occasion, because it was perfectly moist, tangy, and light; meaning my stomach didn’t feel like I had just consumed a BRICK. One day I asked my mom for the recipe, fully knowing that it wasn’t “healthy”, but surprised at just HOW unhealthy it really was. Her version contains canola oil in addition to olive oil, butter, white sugar, and white flour. Talk about a spike in the blood sugar levels and a SUGAR CRASH to go along with it.
So this weekend I was on a mission to see if I could substitute some of these ingredients with healthier ones, and achieve the same flavor palate. After 5 rounds of testing, I am pleased to report that I have succeeded! So let’s do it, shall we?
Ingredients
The Cake
- 1 ¾ cups gluten free flour (I use Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 2 ripe bananas
- ¼ cup non dairy milk (I used almond)
- ¾ cup Pure Evoo Heritage Collection Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup coconut sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
The Glaze
- Juice of one lemon
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350. Spray a bundt pan generously with coconut oil spray so that your cake doesn’t stick to the pan. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and sea salt.
- Set aside.
- In another medium bowl, mash the bananas well.
- Next add the non-dairy milk, olive oil, and vanilla. Whisk everything together well.
- Once well combined, add the coconut sugar and eggs. Whisk until well combined.
- Pour the liquid mixture into the dry mixture. Do not overmix.
- Pour cake batter into the bundt pan.
- Bake for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Remove the cake from the oven and let cool.
- Once the cake has cooled, flip the bundt pan over and pop the cake out.
- Make the glaze by mixing together the lemon juice and powder sugar, ensuring no clumps.
- Pour the lemon glaze over the cake.
- Slice and serve.
Rate & review
SELECT A RATING and tell me what you think!
What others are saying
Would it be possible to use almond, coconut, or oat flour for this?
I’d do oat flour in the same ratio!
I noticed that the recipe called for lemon zest but it was omitted from the instructions. I went ahead and added it to the wet mixture. BTW, this was amazing! loved it! Am going to try making it with an almond extract next time. Also could not find my bundt pan but had a mini bundt pan so made them smaller and it yielded 6 and baked it for 25 minutes.
I don’t have a Bundt pan. Can I use some sort of other pan and if so any idea on how long to bake it for?
Can confirm that almond flour in the same ratio is a major fail….. still delicious, but got a bit burnt on the outside, almost overly moist on the inside, and fell apart coming out of the pan. However, it will be eaten with an icing dipping sauce because it seriously so tasty.
This looks amazing. Curious about what to sub for bananas?
Hi! This recipe needs the banana so it comes out like a Bundt cake! But if you don’t mind a flatter cake, then sub for about 1/2 cup apple sauce. But haven’t tested the exact measurement!
If I use a 7inch spring foam pan, then will the ratio of the ingredients remain the same?
Hmmmm, I’m not exactly sure, since that’s smaller than what I would use!
This was delicious. Flavorful and moist. It was hard to not get a second slice. However, this tastes more like a banana cake than lemon. I used two bananas like the recipe said. I was hoping the lemon flavor would pop more. Any suggestions? Smaller bananas? As lemon extract? Lemon juice. The recipe only called for lemon zest. Any advice is much appreciated!
Hi Annamaria! If you want more of a lemon flavor, you can add a few drops of lemon extract or add more lemon zest!
This is delicious!!! I doubled the zest and added some frozen blueberries once the batter was in the pan. I didn’t do the glaze as I don’t have powdered sugar on hand and it’s still very good. Not super strong lemon flavor but I like that it’s not over sweet. Would be good with chopped nuts too.
I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Caitlin! Thank you so much for your review!
Please do you have a link for the Bundt pan you used? Or a pan maker you recommend? Thank you
I am waiting for it to come out of the oven!!! I made two of them and in circular cake pan. Do you have any easy ideas to put both of them together? Maybe berries home made mermelade and the the glaze on top? …I don´t mind the nude cake style but had to make it bigger for my kid´s 6th birthday and really wanted to try your recipe.