This Italian-inspired dairy-free lemon olive oil cake is light yet moist thanks to the almond flour, citrus zest, and whipped egg whites. Since it’s made without dairy products, conventional flour or baking soda, it’s a perfect Kosher Passover cake to serve at seder.
The past two Octobers, I’ve been lucky enough to travel to Sicily. Usually, when I’m in a foreign country, I’m forced to watch as my husband goes from bakery to bakery (like on his Paris croissant crawl) and sample every delicious local delicacy with sugar in it.
But in Italy, there’s usually a few gluten-free desserts to choose from, and in Sicily, most of them revolve around almond flour, olive oil and citrus. Whenever I take a bite of this cake, I’m immediately transported back to my Italian vacation on the islands.
When you’re using almond flour in a gluten-free dairy-free cake, the crumb can become super moist and almost marzipan-like, especially if you amp up the almond flavor with a little extract (as I do).
Usually, baking soda or powder helps this gluten-free cake puff up. But because a flourless cake is so perfect for Passover, I chose to do without any rising agents to make it adaptable for this Spring holiday.
To make sure that the cake stays light and moist, you simply separate your eggs and whip up the egg whites until soft peaks form (try to resist the urge to over beat them – if anything aim for under rather than over!).
What’s in this almond citrus cake
Using olive oil in this gluten-free lemon cake
Finally, the beauty of this dairy-free cake is using olive oil as the fat. Believe it or not, olive oil is perfectly fine to sub into any baking recipe for butter, coconut oil or conventional vegetable oil. I use it quite often in my muffins and quick breads (like this gluten-free banana bread).
I find that even though it’s not as sinful as butter, olive oil still offers a richness that you won’t get with other oils. Plus, when you’re adding olive oil to lemon, the golden colors really highlight one another. You end up with a beautiful mellow yellow cake with just a hint of the olive’s earthiness. It’s also wonderful in this Italian polenta cake.
Making this almond citrus cake for Passover (it’s not enough to be flourless and gluten-free!)
There are a few things to consider when baking a Passover cake. First, is that you can’t use any conventional flours. Even gluten-free flours made from other grains are not allowed. Coconut flour or a nut-based flour like almond flour are usually the go-to’s.
Second, there can’t be any rising agent. Even though there are plenty of flourless or gluten-free cakes out there, the majority of them are not going to be Kosher for Passover because of the use of baking soda or baking powder.
Third, most of the time at seder, dessert is served after a meat course – this Passover brisket (or this Passover chicken) and this Jewish chicken soup with gluten-free matzo balls are always at our table! So that means if you’re keeping Kosher, whatever desserts that follow should be dairy-free as well.
Luckily, this flourless olive oil lemon cake checks all these boxes, which is why it is the PERFECT Passover cake. My husband Charlie made a similar version last year for the holiday based on this gluten-free almond cake, which partially inspired this one.
Olive oil lemon cake step by step
Using different citrus in this gluten-free almond cake
If you don’t have lemons on hand, you can use any other type of citrus for this cake. Blood orange would in particular lend a lovely color. But Meyer lemon, grapefruit, or naval oranges also work.
Lastly, though this cake is perfumed with lemon, it doesn’t hit you over the head in any intense puckering sort of way. The best way to maximize your lemon flavor if you’re searching for something more punchy, is to add a lemon drizzle after baking your cake.
You can reference this Turmeric Lemon drizzle (feel free to adapt it to be more classic without the turmeric) to add a punchy glaze on top.
The second option is to make a lemon simple syrup to brush the cake with at the end. It will soak in and eventually reach the crumb. Simply combine ¼ cup lemon juice with 2-4 tablespoons of granulated sugar (or honey / maple syrup) and stir until dissolved. Then spoon the mixture over the top of the cake and let it seep in. you can also use a pastry brush.
How to serve your lemon olive oil cake
I love serving this almond citrus cake with a dollop of yogurt. I go with coconut yogurt to keep it dairy-free, but you can also do full fat Greek yogurt or mascarpone for a more classic Italian option! Some fresh berries also are wonderful on top.
More dairy-free gluten-free desserts:
- Dairy-free lemon tart
- Raspberry frangipane tart
- Gluten-free lemon loaf cake
- Dairy-free chocolate mousse
- Gluten-free lemon bars
Read on for this delicious lemon olive oil cake that’s perfect for Passover, but is excellent all year round for dessert!
With health and hedonism,
Phoebe
Flourless Lemon Olive Oil Cake (Kosher for Passover)
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup olive oil plus additional for pan
- 7 large eggs separated
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- Zest of 2 lemons
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 4 cups 400 grams almond flour
- 1 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar for dusting (see note)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F degrees.
- Lightly oil a 9-inch round springform pan and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the egg yolks, sugar, and lemon zest. Beat until smooth by hand. Whisk in the olive oil, lemon juice and almond extract. Add the almond flour in two parts, mixing until smooth and beating out any clumps.
- Using a stand or hand mixer, whisk the egg whites until stiff but not dry, and set aside.
- Gently fold a third of the whites into the batter, then repeat with the rest until just incorporated.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the top is golden brown, about 50 minutes. Allow to cool completely in the pan. Run a knife around the edge, then release the springform.
- To serve, transfer to a platter or cake plate and dust with confectioners’ sugar and top with chopped almonds or pistachios (optional). Serve alongside fresh berries and coconut yogurt. If not Kosher for Passover, you can serve with a dollop of crème fraiche or full fat Greek yogurt.
Tina says
What other gluten free flour can I use
We have a nut allergy
Thanks
Phoebe Lapine says
This is an almond cake, so I’d suggest a different lemon cake like this one: https://feedmephoebe.com/gluten-free-lemon-loaf-cake-recipe/
You can replace the almond flour with AP GF flour in that one.
Carol says
I have not made this yet,but would like to freeze it since passover cooking is so time intensive. Wil freezing the cake ruin it?
Michele says
Hi, Thanks for this recipe. How can you make it nut free and still gluten free?
Phoebe Lapine says
It’s an almond cake, so not the best option for nut free 🙂 sorry!
Erica Eisdorfer says
How does it do if it’s frozen before eating? I have a couple of days before I can serve it.
Phoebe Lapine says
I haven’t tried freezing it! But it should be fine for a few days in the fridge
Vaughn Sills says
I think 400 grams equals two cups of almond flour, according to what I ‘ve read. So I cut the flour in half. It’s in the oven now!