This Artichoke Olive Oil Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting is pure California flavor. Artichoke and olive oil give the cake an earthy richness and a tender, almost custardy crumb. A light, lemony cream cheese frosting finishes the cake in a delicate blooming artichoke pattern.
Artichoke in a cake might sound unusual at first, but think of zucchini bread or carrot cake: vegetables can give baked goods exceptional moisture and texture. Combine that expectation with the silky richness of an olive oil cake and a bright, airy lemon cream cheese frosting, and the result is surprisingly delightful.
Inspired by California farms
This cake was inspired by a California Agritour in Monterey. Visits to a mushroom farm, the largest organic vegetable grower in the U.S., and a coastal artichoke farm showcased the skill and care behind ingredients like artichokes, lemons, and olive oil. Walking the artichoke fields and watching harvesters at work sparked the idea to celebrate those flavors in cake form.
California grows all of the commercial U.S. artichokes
The artichoke plants form lush rows with large buds in shades of green and purple. Harvesters select and hand-pick the buds repeatedly through the season, using canasta backpacks to carry their harvest. Seeing this up close helped me appreciate the ingredient and inspired the cake.
Artichoke anatomy and preparation
- The edible heart sits at the center of the bud and has a buttery, meaty texture.
- Above the heart sits the inedible fuzzy “choke,” which must be removed before eating.
- Soft inner petals and tougher outer leaves (bracts) protect the heart; outer bracts may have small thorns that can be trimmed.
For this cake I used steamed fresh artichokes and reserved the tender leaves for snacking with garlic butter and lemon. If you prefer to save time, canned artichoke hearts in brine (not marinated) work well in the recipe.
How the artichoke flavors the cake
The artichoke hearts are roughly chopped and blended with olive oil and lemon juice into a smooth puree. That puree is folded into a batter of flour, sugar, eggs, milk, and a touch of warm ginger. The result is a moist, slightly earthy cake with a custardy texture and a hint of citrus brightness.
Artichokes, olive oil and lemon — a perfect California trio
These three ingredients complement one another: artichoke brings earthiness, olive oil adds richness and moisture, and lemon lifts the flavor. The lemon cream cheese frosting is light, tangy, and airy, and makes a beautiful topping whether you choose a simple swooped finish or an elaborate blooming artichoke decoration.
Tips for easier baking with artichokes
- Use canned artichoke hearts in brine if you don’t want to steam fresh ones—drain and chop before blending.
- If you’re short on time, skip the piped design and simply spread the frosting with an offset spatula into pretty swoops.
Olive oil cakes are straightforward to make and forgiving. With a few time-saving choices, this recipe is easy to pull together and highlights uniquely Californian flavors.
Frosting and decoration
The lemon cream cheese frosting is whipped until airy and can be applied simply or used to pipe concentric rings of leaves and delicate threads to resemble a blooming artichoke. If you choose to decorate, leaf tips and a small round tip are helpful to recreate the layered petals and inner threads.
Recipe
Artichoke Olive Oil Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 8 slices
Description
Artichoke and olive oil give this cake its earthy richness and tender, custardy texture. A light lemon cream cheese frosting crowns the cake in a blooming artichoke design.
Ingredients
Artichoke Olive Oil Cake
- 1 cup artichoke hearts, chopped (3–4 fresh artichokes or 1 can, drained)
- 1 1/4 cups whole milk
- 1 cup olive oil
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 medium lemons, zested and juiced
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 medium lemon, zested and juiced
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
Instructions
Artichoke Olive Oil Cake
- If using fresh artichokes: trim outer leaves and the top inch, snip sharp tips, and trim the stem. Steam until tender (about 30 minutes for medium, up to 45–60 minutes for large). Cool stem-up, remove the choke and inedible leaves, and chop the hearts into 1/2″ pieces to yield about 1 cup.
- If using canned hearts: drain and chop into 1/2″ pieces to make about 1 cup.
- Combine the chopped hearts with 2 tablespoons lemon juice and 1 cup olive oil in a blender or food processor; blend until smooth.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch cake pan (at least 2″ deep), line the bottom with parchment, and lightly flour the pan.
- Sift together flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and ginger. Whisk in lemon zest.
- In a separate bowl, whisk milk, eggs, and the artichoke-olive oil puree until smooth.
- Stir the wet mixture into the dry ingredients until just combined. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake 50 minutes to 1 hour, until golden and a tester comes out clean. Cool in the pan 30 minutes, then invert onto a rack and cool completely.
Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a mixer bowl, beat cream cheese and butter with the whisk attachment on high until smooth and airy. Add lemon zest and juice and blend until smooth.
- Add sifted powdered sugar on low until incorporated, then increase speed to medium-high and whip until light and fluffy.
- For a simple finish, spread the frosting with an offset spatula in swoops and swirls. To create a blooming artichoke design, pipe concentric rings of leaves using leaf tips and add small piped threads in the center with a round tip.
Notes
Store the frosted cake in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If you need step-by-step help preparing fresh artichokes, there are resources and videos from growers that demonstrate steaming and removing the choke.
Substitutions: canned artichoke hearts in brine save time. If you skip the decorative piping, a simple spread of frosting still looks lovely and tastes delicious.
- Prep Time: 2 hours
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: Cake