Italian Lemon Olive Oil Cake Recipe
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The best Italian Lemon Olive Oil Cake of your dreams, dressed with creamy layers of whipped mascarpone cheese, lemon curd, a lemon blueberry sauce and sprinkled with fresh blackberries. A Tiramisu like berry mascarpone cake but without coffee, simply Amazing!
Berry Mascarpone Italian Lemon Olive Oil Cake
I present to you the first official cake recipe on CiaoFlorentina blog and the only cake recipe you need. It now goes by the Florentina Cake and I’m so excited about this one which is big, because yours truly excited about cake just doesn’t happen.
Melt in your mouth layer cake, lemony and berrylicious, soft and rich with a custardy pudding like lemon curd layer.
Fuhgeddaboutit!
This Italian lemon berry mascarpone cake is also the most and greatest cake recipe ever stollen on the internet, and to that all I have to say is: I am flattered little ones!
It’s the perfect cake all year round, from summer garden parties to birthdays to the holiday table like Christmas, Thanksgiving and Easter. If you aren’t in the mood for creamy lemony luscious layers and summer berries you can just bake the cake and enjoy with a sprinkling of powdered sugar.
Mascarpone Cake
Lemon Olive Oil Cake Ingredients
- Blueberry sauce – because lemon pairs amazingly with blueberries and blackberries I just had to make a quick stove top blueberry sauce that will ad tons of flavor and extra moisture.
- Mascarpone filling – basically I’m following the same principle for making authentic Tiramisu, whipped mascarpone cheese with sugar and egg yolks in which I fold stiff whipped cream. Out of this world!
- Lemon Curd – this homemade lemon custard is where the cake gets its bright and fresh lemon flavor. No extract, no limoncello, just pure zesty lemon.
- Olive oil – I prefer using a fruity cold pressed extra virgin olive oil for this but for a more neutral flavor use an extra light olive oil. In any case you won’t really be able to tell if the cake was made with butter or oil. You can’t really taste the olive oil itself, just a lovely aroma.
- Blackberries – fresh juicy blackberries are the perfect contrast to the cooked blueberry sauce and make a beautiful garnish as well.
Now close your eyes for a second and imagine taking a bite out of fluffy layers of  olive oil cake packed with mascarpone, lemon curd and blueberry sauce. Then sprinkle blackberries all over the place, pretending you are the foodie Picasso or something.
Tell the truth! Can you even handle those luscious creamy layers?!
Make Ahead
Although It might seem like a very self involved recipe at first look, it is really easy actually. There are a few simple steps you can do a day ahead:
- make the lemon curd.
- prepare the blueberry sauce.
- whip the mascarpone filling.
- bake your cake, cool it off then dress it nicely with all the goodies you prepared. EASY!
Garnishes – my lemon thyme was blooming so i just had to use the thyme blossoms for garnish; you can use pretty rosemary and even lavender flowers.
Storage – this cake must be refrigerated, ideally in a cake storage box if you have one. It taste better the second and third day so you can make it in advance.
 Cake Variations
- Berries – replace the blueberries + blackberries with fresh strawberries, raspberries or cherries.
- Glaze – cover with this blueberry glaze.
- Figs – use these balsamic figs as a sauce and decorate with fresh figs.
- Chocolate variation – make a chocolate glaze / frosting and sprinkle with coconut.
- Orange – garnish with candied oranges and rosemary blossoms.
- UPDATE 2019: you can now make this cake 100% Vegan, snatch the recipe from the VeggieSociety blog.
Italian Desserts
- Lemon ricotta cookies
- Blueberry ricotta muffins
- Tiramisu
- Cranberry bread
- Lemon blueberry bread
- Italian Wedding Cookies
- Lemon muffins
- Sicilian ricotta cheesecake
- Ricciarelli Almond Cookies
- Rosemary Shortbread Cookies.
Italian Lemon Olive Oil Cake Recipe with Berries + Mascarpone
Ingredients
- 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/3 cup ricotta cheese
- 2 cup all purpose flour
- 5 eggs organic pasture raised
- 1.25 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- Zest from 1 lemon
- A pinch of sea salt
- 1 lb blackberries
- 1/4 cup edible flower blossoms
Blueberry Sauce
- 1/2 lb blueberries
- 1/2 lemon juiced
- 2-3 tbsp wild honey
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Mascarpone Cream
- 4 large egg yolks organic pasture raised
- 4 tbsp granulated sugar
- 3/4 lb mascarpone cheese
- 1.5 cup whipped cream ( Stiff )
- zest from 1 lemon
Lemon curd
- 1/2 cup lemon juice freshly squeezed
- Zest from 1 lemon
- 5 large egg yolks organic pasture raised
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 5 tbsp butter cut into 5 pieces.
Instructions
Make the Blueberry Sauce:
- Start by adding the blueberries with the lemon juice, vanilla and honey to a small sauce pan. Bring to a simmer and cook for a couple of minutes, just until the blueberries burst. Remove from flame and adjust sweetness to your taste with more honey. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Make the Lemon Curd:
- To make the lemon curd, prepare a double boiler with 2 inches of water in the bottom pan. Bring to gentle simmer.
Add the egg yolks, sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice to the top pan. Whisk together over the steam until combined well. Keep whisking for a few minutes until the curd has thickened and coats the back of a spoon. About 5 to 10 minutes or so. Turn off the flame and whisk in the butter until melted. Transfer the curd to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until cooled completely. It should be very thick at this point. - Preheat your oven to 325"F.
- Prepare a 10 inch spring form pan by lightly buttering it with a dab of butter. Place on a baking sheet.
Make the Olive Oil Cake:
- In the bowl of a mixer add the eggs, lemon zest and sugar and using the whisk attachment beat them together until well combined. A few minutes.
- Pour in the olive oil and continue whisking on medium low speed until all incorporated. Add the ricotta cheese and sea salt and whisk till combined.
- Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and slowly mix or fold everything together until incorporated.
- Transfer the cake batter into the buttered spring form pan.
- Bake the olive oil cake in the preheated oven for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean.
- Transfer the cake to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.
Make the Mascarpone Cheese Filling:
- Add the egg yolks and sugar to a large mixing bowl. Use a mixer with a whisk attachment to cream the sugars and egg yolks until fluffy and pale in color.
- Add the lemon zest and spoonfuls of the mascarpone cheese until incorporated.
- Using a spatula fold the whipped cream (must be stiff) into the whipped mascarpone cheese until combined. Make sure to not over mix. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use. It should not be runny, it should be thick and creamy.
Assemble the Cake:
- Once cooled off, remove the cake from the spring form pan by releasing the sides first, then remove the bottom.
- Very carefully slice a thin layer off of the top to remove the top crust and expose the inside of the cake.
- Extra carefully slice the cake in half using a serrated knife.
- Place the bottom part on a plate or cake stand.
- Using a small spatula spread the chilled lemon curd on top of the olive oil cake. Spoon half of the mascarpone filling on top, or as much as you feel comfortable working with. If it seems like too much for you, simply save some for later use. Then top it with half of the blueberries from the blueberry sauce and some of the fresh blackberries. Reserve as much of the liquid from the blueberry sauce as possible for the next layer.
- Add the next olive oil cake layer and spoon all the remaining blueberries with the sauce on top. Add the remaining whipped mascarpone (or however much you feel comfortable working with) and with the back of a spoon or spatula rustically spread it over the top. Place the fresh blackberries all over the top, reserving some to decorate the sides of your olive oil cake.
- Garnish your lemon olive oil cake with edible flower blossoms and enjoy chilled.
Notes
- Make sure the whipped cream is Stiff not runny.
- If whipping your own cream, start with 1 cup of organic heavy whipping cream + 1 tbsp sugar. Whip with the whisk attachment until stiff, it should yield just about 2 cups of whipped cream.
Followed the directions to the letter, but my cake ran each layer that topped in the cake. Made for Easter, my only choice was to put in a triffel bowl to salvage it. Tasted good, but did not hold up.
Hi Chasity, sounds like the whipped cream wasn’t stiff enough, which i return made the mascarpone filling kind of runny. I would suggest making sure you use very stiff whipped cream that you fold into the mascarpone and refrigerate for about an hour or so. This filling should be thick and creamy and hold together well. Also make sure the lemon curd is also thick and chilled. Do not attempt to assemble your cake until cooled off completely. If your cake is still even a little warm, it will cause the filling to become runny. Alternatively, you can definitely assemble this into a large trifle dish and enjoy with a spoon 🙂 ~Florentina Xo’s
Hi! I made this beautiful cake for my dad’s 80th birthday! It was so delicious and *almost beautiful* …. The cream was overly abundant and it was oozing all over the place and the layers of the cake were sliding around! It didn’t matter, because it still tasted amizingly flavorful, everyone loved it, and the huge mess made the celebration more entertaining. I’d like to try again, and wonder if you could please tell me what I did wrong… pretty sure I measured exactly as instructed.
Thank you so much for this exquisite recipe!
Hi Janet! So happy you loved the cake. Sounds like the whipped cream was not as stiff as it should have been, or maybe the mascarpone filling not chilled enough. Depending on the room temperature where you are assembling the cake that might effect the textures. Same goes for the lemon curd, better to cook it a little longer to get it thicker than to have it runny. Was the cake cooled off completely before assembling ? If not, that could also make the filling loosen up. My advice would be #1 Make sure everything is cooled off/ refrigerated before putting the final cake together. #2 Try using less mascarpone filling next time and that will make it easier for you to work with. In my experience If the mascarpone is chilled and stiff as it should be, you can have a pretty thick layer in between as it will hold well. Also important to refrigerate the cake after assembling and before serving for at least a couple of hours. Hope that helps 🙂
Made this cake for my dad’s birthday – it was a HUGE hit. Wouldn’t change a thing about it, highly recommend everyone make it. It didn’t really take very long (despite having so many steps – they are not super time consuming). It’s also very well balanced – not super lemony and not super sweet. I made one addition – I didn’t have the thyme flowers but added little basil leaves throughout. Although it’s not AS pretty as the thyme, it added a really nice freshness to it. Mint could work as well, but the Basil was lovely.
One question – how did you put the layers together? My middle layers squished out so it didn’t look so well put together as yours. I have some ideas as to how to tackle the next time I make it but would love to hear how you went about it.
Hi Mariana, I’m so happy your dad loved the cake, Happy Birthday! The secret to getting the layers to stay together is making sure the filling is chilled and thick, including the lemon curd. Use less mascarpone if you feel it might be a little too much next time. Then refrigerate for a couple of hours for everything to kind of glue together. To make things easier you can place the Ring from a Spring Form pan around the cake stand/platter, assemble your layers, refrigerate then remove the cake ring gently before serving. Let me know If that works better for you ~ Florentina Xo’s
What do I do if don’t have a double boiler? – Calle
Hi Calle, you can improvise one, simply use a sauce pan with water in the bottom, then place another sauce on top making sure it doesn’t touch the water. Make your lemon curd 🙂
This was a hit at my Bunco party and I’ll be making it again for Easter! Even bought a domed cake stand to display this beauty! Now, mine looked a bit of a hot mess, but indeed was delicious! The whipped mascarpone looked more yellow than white, but again, was delicious. Thanks for the easy-to-follow directions for those of us who aren’t pros! This was my first layer cake and I thoroughly enjoyed it!
Woohoo Samantha! I’m si happy you loved the cake! Try refrigerating the filling for a little bit next time before assembling the cake, or use less of the mascarpone filling. Also make sure the cake is cooled completely. It will be easier to assemble and not so messy. However, this is a rustic style cake so looks are not essential ~ Florentina Xo’s
Hello,
I want to make this cake, but will
Need to transport it to an office for a celebration. Should I just make it as directed and place in fridge overnight? Would it hold up?
Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!
Hi Angela, you can definitely make it the night before, just make sure to wrap it gently in plastic wrap. If you plan to decorate with the thyme blossoms, orchids or any edible flowers, just garnish with those the day of the event so they look at their prime. Enjoy! ~ Florentina
Just made the cake using your recipe this Monday. Thank you for sharing! You made it simple to execute. Mine was not as beautiful but it was delightful to eat 🙂 🙂 Have gotten many compliments and shared this recipe to a couple folks who asked. Looking forward to trying more from your collection!
Woohoo! That is so exciting to hear! Try using a little less mascarpone filling next time, it will be much easier to work with 😉
Wow, wow, wow! Every single picture makes me want to try this cake more than the last. What a delicious looking combination of flavors and textures! Can’t wait to try this!
Thanks so much Rebecca, i hope you give it a try one beautiful spring day 🙂 ~ Florentina
Hi there! This looks not only beautiful, but very delicious! I’m having an Italian night at my house and wanted to make this cake for dessert. My only concern is I am pregnant and worried about the raw eggs in the mascarpone and lemon curd. Do you know if this is safe or not to eat while pregnant?
Hi Deanna, I would say leave them out If you are worried. I am not a medical doctor so i can’t give advice, in your case better safe than sorry rule 🙂
Heavy whipping cream or cool whip???
Whipped Cream, you can make it yourself by whipping about 3/4 c of heavy cream.
Is the whipped cream heavy whipping cream???
It is heavy whipping cream that is already whipped, so whipped cream, the fluffy stuff 🙂
I think I know the answer to this now. But you do mean two cups whipped cream for the filling not 2 cups cream then whipped? I did the latter and have 2 cups extra filling even after being very generous with it. Plus my filling doesn’t have mascarpone flavor. The cake is otherwise delicious and soo moist.
Hi Lisa, you are correct, 2 cups of whipped cream, so cream that is already whipped 😉 So glad you loved the cake! Xo’s ~ Florentina
This cake was AMAZING!!!!! I made it for my Mom/Sister-in-law’s birthday, and it was perfect!! I did use a gluten free flour mix (Bobs Red Mill was what i had on hand, just be sure to sift before mixing it in!) and it worked perfectly!!! I had no thyme flowers to decorate with so I zested a lemon and lime on to the top of the cake with the blackberries.
Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe!!!
I’m so happy Janine! Wow, I’ll have to try it gluten free next time. I love seeing tiny specs of lemon and lime zest on desserts. You can also use any edible flowers to decorate as well, for Christmas last year I used orchids 🙂
I am going to make this for my mother in laws birthday! She will love it. I really really hate ricotta cheese, any substitutes?!
Thank you!
Krista
Haha, you know the ricotta here is added to the batter to make it extra moist. You could get away with using a little bit less, but I wouldn’t leave it out. I promise, you won’t even be able to taste the actual cheese. Let me know how it goes 🙂
Such a stunning cake. I do have a concern about the Mascarpone cream. It calls for 4 egg yolks. Could there be a concern since you are not heating the yolks? Hope to get a reply soon.
Thanks Patt. Using the raw egg yolks is a traditional thing for us, just like we do when making Tiramisu. It isn’t any different than eating sushi, however I strongly encourage you to use fresh, organic and free eggs from free range grass fed chickens. If you are concerned you can leave them out. Let me know how it goes 🙂
I made this, and I had the same concern about raw egg yolks because I am pregnant. I got an idea for a solution by looking at recipes for tirimisu: I cooked the egg yolks with the sugar and a few table spoons of unwhipped heavy cream whisking quickly in a double boiler until it was thickened, similar to the lemon curd in texture. Then I poured the cooked yolks into the mascarpone cream and whipped them together before combining with the whipped cream. While I didn’t try using raw yolks to compare, I can report that my mascarpone cream filling looks a lot like the pictures and tastes yummy! The cooking of egg yolks may even have helped to thicken it, although I did also overwhip my cream on purpose to follow Florentina’s advice, and I think that was enough to thicken it adequately already.
Thank you for this great recipe! I had so much fun making this cake and would like to make it again 🙂
Oh I’m so happy to hear Cristal! Hands down our most favorite cake ever!
Hello! I have the cake baking in the oven as I type this message 😉 I have a question-in the directions it says use a spoonful of the mascarpone cheese when the recipe calls for 1 lb. the whole 1lb is used for the filling correct?
Thank you and I will send you a picture when it’s finished!! So excited to make this!!
Yes you are correct Cristal, you just need to add the mascarpone by the spoonful to mix it in 🙂 Hope you love the cake! ~Florentina
Oh my goodness!!!! You should enter this beautiful, beautiful work of art in one of those $1,000,000 recipe contests.
Thanks so much for posting this.
Ha! Thanks Stephhy, I could sure use $1,000,000 right now! Let’s do it! ~Florentina
This cake looks amazing!
This is beautiful. I’m planning to make it tomorrow for thanksgiving and a baker friend I showed the recipe to is doing the same…. I’m planning to substitute raspberries though…
I have just one question… is the lemon curd only between the 2 cake layers or does it go on the top as well?
Thanks!
Also.. I don’t own a springform pan so I had intended to use 2 9-inch rounds… should I also trim the bottom off the round I’m using for the top? I’m assuming yes since I want the yummy sauce/filling to soak in?
Yes I would still lightly trim it so it soaks up that sauce 🙂 Enjoy!
Hi Lins, yes you are correct, the lemon curd is only in one layer 🙂
Looks amazing. Do you know the carb count?
When I baked the cake in a 10 in round pan, the cake was only about 1-1/2 inches thick. Then slice it into half’s. Was yours this thin? If not what did I do wrong? Thanks! Love the recipe!
Hi Emilia, mine wasn’t quite that thin so I suspect maybe the baking powder you use was not performing the best.So happy you loved the cake 🙂
I am excited to make this cake this weekend. I have a question. The recipe calls for 1/3 c ricotta cheese. I saw a post about the some sort of confusion. Does this recipe call for the 1/3 c ricotta cheese at all? If not, is 1/3 c mascarpone used instead? Also, I don’t have an electronic whisk for the lemon curd. Can I just use my hand mixer or a manual whisk? Thank you
Hi Karina, there is 1/3 c of ricotta cheese in the cake batter. The mascarpone cheese is for the filling only. The recipe doesn’t call for an electronic whisk. You will need a regular hand held whisk to make the lemon curd over a double boiler, so you should be fine. Also you can make the cake batter by hand, but you will need a mixer to whip the mascarpone filling. I hope that makes sense 🙂 ~ Florentina
I made this cake yesterday. OMG!!!!! This cake right here is by far the BEST cake I have ever tasted…. This cake has everything that I love and obsess about (lemon curd and blueberries). I will for sure be making this in my near future.. Thank you for such an amazing recipe. 🙂
I’m so excited! Thanks for taking the time to let me know how it turned out! Xo’s ~Florentina
Made this cake for Christmas Eve to end the Night of the Seven Fishes feast. Was delicious, my Italian husband loved it! I have never made a cake with olive oil, and a whole cup! Loved the flavor of the cake by itself and the lemon, berries and mascarpone make it a perfect dessert!
I did cheat and used a jar of lemon curd and a different mascarpone cream recipe that didn’t call for raw eggs but followed the recipe for everything else. Delicious!!!
Ciao!
I was scrolling thru your cookie recipes and this stopped me dead in my tracks. Insanely gorgeous cake! Love how you decorated it too.. I don’t think I can wait until summer to try this … Being Italian and having been to Italy I truly appreciate your page and the authenticity with which your recipes are made… can’t wait to make it! Grazie mille!
awww thank you so much Gina! You made my day! We make this during the holidays as well so definitely no need to wait until summer Xo’s ~Florentina
So… I found this on Pinterest and thought” wow what a gorgeous cake ” seriously, gorgeous . I tried to find a review on how it tasted . I didn’t browse all the way through but didn’t see any, so I made the cake …. here is a review on how it tastes ……….
BEST CAKE EVER !!!!! Delish . The cake is perfect (although I didn’t realize I was out of vanilla so I used almond extract , highly suggest you try that. It was awesome ) absolutely perfect . And for the record the lemon curd is delish by itself and I have now saved it for my lemon meringue pies . Holds up perfectly !
Hi Summer! So happy you love the cake. It is my favorite cake ever too 🙂
Almond extract sounds fabulous, I’m going to update the recipe and add that as an option. Thank you for taking the time to write a lovely comment ~ Florentina