Olive Oil Cake

This light and luscious olive oil cake is perfectly moist with a tender crumb thanks to almond flour! Whip it up for a unique, scrumptious and easy cake.

So….what is olive oil cake?

You’ve probably seen olive oil cake on the dessert menu at fancy restaurants, but it’s not exactly a staple recipe in most cook books. Which personally I feel is a right shame! Olive oil cakes have light, almost fruity flavor with a super tender crumb thanks to a combination of almond flour and all purpose flour. The result is a unique cake that tastes sophisticated  enough to end a dinner party with, but is SUPER easy to make.

Now I know, we always say cakes are moist and tender, but this cake takes the cake. Heh. It’s ridiculously moist, crazy tender, subtlety sweet, dense yet also light, and almost buttery.

TLDR: It’s the best cake you’ll ever have. You can quote me on that.

What do you need to make olive oil cake?

Like most homemade cakes, you’ll need eggs, sugar, fat, leavener…etc. In fact you probably have most of these ingredients already lying around, whispering to you, “hello. I know you may not think much of me, for I am a mere egg, but I can become the most delicious cake you’ll ever have.” Listen to them, listen to me–you NEED this cake! You’ll only need 9 ingredients (one of which is totally optional) and 1 bowl!

• Olive Oil
• Granulated Sugar
• Eggs
• Vanilla Extract
• Almond Flour
• Baking Powder
• Orange Zest
• Salt
• Berries

What kind of olive oil should you use for olive oil cake?

This is our most asked question when it comes to olive oil cake baking. While there is not a specific brand that will work better than others, it’s important to use a high quality, extra virgin olive oil if you want a true olive oil cake. Or really in any olive oil dessert recipes. It is so worth it and creates the most delicate flavor balance you’ll ever have in a cake. Keep your eyes out for the kind in heavy dark glass (usually dark green) with a robust flavor.

That being said, if potent olive oil flavor isn’t your thing (sad for you, but I get it), you can always use a milder or lighter flavored olive oil, but still look for extra virgin!

Do olive oil cakes have icing?

Olive oil is slightly denser, silkier and richer than traditional layer cakes like vanilla cake, chocolate cake etc. Because of this, there’s no need to load it up with a sugary buttercream. I wouldn’t recommend making this into a layer cake as it is a much heavier cake, but there are tons of ways you can tweak this recipe to give it a little extra pizzaz. We made this berry olive oil cake with a combination of in season berries which add a delightful complement to the fruity tones in the olive oil. But if berries aren’t your thing, you can always omit them and try one of the options below!

Omit the berries and do this instead:

• Top with an icing/glaze: Buttercream and traditional frosting is much too heavy for olive oil cake, but a light layer of a lemon, orange, or vanilla icing will perfectly complement the tender crumb of the cake and help to bring out the olive oil flavor.
• Dust with powdered sugar: Powdered sugar adds an extra hint of sweetness to finish off this unique cake!
• Top with jam or a fresh made fruit reduction: If you’re feeling extra fancy, you can make a homemade sauce with fresh or frozen fruit to spoon over the cake!
• Top with whipped cream: Lightly sweetened whipped cream can give the cake a little extra height without weighing it down. We recommend freshly whipped cream with a hint of sugar and orange zest!
• Serve it plain: This olive oil cake is absolutely scrumptious on it’s own, so don’t feel the need to finish it off with anything else!

How to store olive oil cake

I can almost guarantee that you won’t have any of this olive oil cake left, so this is sort of a trick question. It’s one of those cake that you have a little sliver of and keep going back from itty bitty slivers until it’s completely gone.  BUT, if you do have any left, you can store it in an air tight container, plastic bag, covered plate, or under a cake dome for up to 5 days!

Pro tip: It also freezes very well! Simply let the cake cool completely and place in a freezer safe plastic bag. Simply defrost the cake overnight in the fridge. Freeze for up to 2 months!

We hope you gobble up this addicting berry olive oil cake all week long. Happy baking!

• Author: Sofi | Broma Bakery
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 55 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
• Yield: 16 servings
• Category: dessert
• Method: oven
• Cuisine: italin

Olive Oil Cake

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This light and luscious olive oil cake is perfectly moist with a tender crumb. Studded with fresh berries, this unique cake is the ultimate sophisticated yet easy treat!

• Author: Sofi | Broma Bakery
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 55 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
• Yield: 16 servings
• Category: dessert
• Method: oven
• Cuisine: italin

Units: USM

Ingredients

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• pinch of orange zest
• 3/4 cup high-quality extra virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups berries, fresh or frozen

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line an 8 or 9 inch round with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. In a stand mixer on medium speed, beat the sugar, orange zest, and eggs together until pale yellow, about 1 minute. If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can also do this by hand with a whisk!
3. Keeping the mixer going at a medium low speed, slowly streaming in the olive oil to emulsify. Make sure you go slowly to prevent the batter from splitting! Add in the vanilla extract and mix well.
4. Add the dry ingredients (all purpose flour, almond flour, baking powder, and salt) and stir until just combined. Do not over mix. Last, fold in the berries gently.
5.  Pour the batter into your prepared pan and bake for 45 -55 minutes or until he cake is a lightly golden brown and a knife inserted into the middle comes out mostly clean. Dust with powdered sugar and enjoy!