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Vegan Lemon Pistachio Olive Oil Cake

If you love citrus as much as I do, you are going to be obsessed with this vegan lemon pistachio olive oil cake! It is incredibly moist, perfectly sweet, and packed with bright, zesty lemon flavor and nutty pistachios. It's the ultimate spring cake that will surely brighten up your week!
Print Recipe
slice of lemon pistachio olive oil cake on a plate
Prep Time:10 minutes
Cook Time:25 minutes
Total Time:35 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup shelled pistachios, ground
  • 1 Tbsp arrowroot starch (or sub cornstarch)
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp lemon zest
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 2/3 cup pure organic cane sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup almond milk (or any non-dairy milk)
  • 1/3 cup applesauce

topping options:

  • coconut whip (recipe in the notes)
  • lemon glaze (powdered sugar mixed with lemon juice)
  • powdered sugar for dusting on top

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and/or line an 8 inch square pan. 
  • In a medium bowl, add the flour, ground pistachios, arrowroot starch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk until well combined. 
  • In a large bowl, add the olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar, vanilla, almond milk, and applesauce. Whisk until well combined. 
  • Add the dry to the wet. Use a spatula and mix until just combined. Don’t over mix. Pour batter into the prepared cake pan. 
  • Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let it cool for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and place on a cooling rack to cool completely. Top with coconut whip and crushed pistachios if desired. You can also make a simple lemon glaze instead or do a dusting of powdered sugar on top. Enjoy! 

Notes

Coconut whip recipe here
Servings: 9