Olive Oil Cake
You’ll love this simple olive oil cake, infused with lemon, almond, and a hint of sherry. So moist, flavorful, and easy to make!
*Original publish date: July 12, 2018.*
Today I am sharing a recipe that is totally different from anything else on this site: olive oil cake!
On this site, you’ll mostly find cake recipes that are made with butter and lots of flavors, frostings, and garnishes. This Banana Pudding Cake is a great example, and so is this Black Forest Cake and this Pumpkin Bundt Cake.
But today we have an olive oil cake recipe that is simple, delicious, and so elegant.
Table of Contents
- What is olive oil cake?
- What’s great about this recipe
- What does olive oil cake taste like?
- Ingredients
- Special equipment
- How to make olive oil cake
- How to serve
- Frequently asked questions
- A few more of my favorite cake recipes
What is olive oil cake?
Olive oil cake is an oil-based cake that’s made with olive oil (as I’m sure you probably suspected!).
It’s moist and light, and very easy to make.
It’s a really nice way to end a meal and a great afternoon pick-me-up.
What’s great about this recipe
- Easy to make: This recipe comes together in a snap!
- Few ingredients: You’ll only need a few pantry staples to make it.
- Out of the ordinary: It’s not every day you find a cake quite like this!
- Healthier for your heart: Olive oil has less saturated fat so it’s considered one of the heart-healthiest fats.
What does olive oil cake taste like?
This olive oil cake is moist and very tender, subtly sweet, with a pronounced olive oil flavor and a hint of lemon and almond. It honors its Spanish roots with a splash of sherry, but if you prefer to bake without alcohol, you can leave it out.
Different kinds of olive oils will yield different flavors. Because it’s the star ingredient of this dish, you want to be sure to choose one that you really love.
Extra virgin olive oils will range in flavor from fruity to pungent to bitter, and everywhere in between!
For what you see here, I chose to use an Arbequina olive oil from Spain. It was light, fruity and buttery-tasting, and it complimented the citrus, almond, and sherry in the cake beautifully.
Ingredients
Flour: I like cake flour for this recipe because it yields a fine, delicate crumb. If you’re not familiar with this product, you can read all about it here: What is Cake Flour?
Almond: A splash of almond extract for its sweet, aromatic flavor, plus almond meal (aka: almond flour) to give the cake nuttiness and added structure. Almond meal is just finely ground almonds. You can buy it in the gluten-free section of the grocery store. Or if you like, you can make your own in the food processor. Just grind the almonds as finely as possible.
Sugar: Sugar adds sweetness (obvs!) but it also aids in browning and keeps things moist, since it’s hydrophilic (this means it loves water, in other words, it draws moisture in). Regular white sugar is fine, or sub for another type of sweetener if you like. As long as it swaps 1:1 for granulated sugar it should work.
Lemon: The zest of one lemon lifts the flavors and adds a lovely citrusy zing. Just run a microplane grater over the outside of the lemon, taking only the outermost yellow part (the white pith can be bitter).
Baking powder: This olive oil cake recipe utilizes baking powder to leaven (or “lift”) it. This is a double-acting leavener, so it starts the batter rising both when liquid is added to it, as well as when it hits the hot oven. Baking soda will not work in this recipe because there isn’t anything acidic to activate it. Baking powder has a little bit of that acid built in.
Salt: Salt carries the flavors and intensifies them. The end result won’t taste salty, but it will make everything so much more flavorful! I like kosher salt best because it doesn’t have any additives (table salt usually contains iodine which can leave a bitter taste), so the flavor is pure. It’s also inexpensive and easy to find in a regular grocery store.
Olive oil: Choose an olive oil that you like the taste of. The flavor will really come through!
Milk: Whatever kind you keep on hand. Even a plant-based milk will work. This ingredient helps to make the cake nice and moist.
Eggs: Eggs lend richness and provide structure to the cake. Use large chicken eggs or a plant-based product that subs 1:1. It’s best if they’re at room temperature, but I don’t find this to be critical.
I also like to add a splash of sherry, but this is completely optional!
See the recipe card at the bottom of this post for exact measurements.
Special equipment
- Cake pan(s): I’ve used a 5-cup capacity mini bundt pan, but you could also use a loaf pan if you like.
- Non-stick spray: So the cakes slip out of the pan easily.
- Measuring cups and spoons: For measuring ingredients accurately. Follow this guide: How to Measure Ingredients for Baking.
- Mixing bowls: One large and one smaller, for the liquid ingredients.
- Whisk: To create a smooth batter.
- Silicone spatula: Helps to get every drop of batter out of the bowl.
- Wire rack: On which to cool the cake(s).
How to make olive oil cake
This is one of the easiest cakes you’ll ever bake! You’ll love how simple it is to make.
Step 1: Combine the dry ingredients
Start by gathering all your ingredients. You’ll need flour, almond meal/flour (which is just finely ground almonds), sugar, baking powder, lemon zest, and salt. Those are your dry ingredients!
Whisk them up in a large mixing bowl, just to get them combined.
Step 2: Combine the liquid ingredients
For liquid ingredients, we are using olive oil (of course!), milk, egg, sherry (optional), and almond extract.
Whisk these together in the smaller bowl, until smooth.
Step 3: Add liquid to dry
Pour the liquid ingredients into the larger bowl with the dry mix, and whisk everything together.
The batter will be smooth and a little on the thin side.
Step 4: Bake
Just pour the batter into your greased pan and bake!
You’ll know your olive oil cake is done when it feels springy in the center. A toothpick inserted in the thickest part should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
How to serve
This olive oil cake is delicious on its own, with just a little powdered sugar for garnish.
But I like it even better with a few fresh berries alongside!
For the pics you see here, I tossed blackberries with a little sugar and a tablespoon of sherry and garnished with a sprig of fresh rosemary. The woodsy flavors balance the richness of the cake in the most wonderful way!
Frequently asked questions
I love my mini-bundt pan, but if you don’t have one, or if you prefer a more traditional presentation, this olive oil cake can also be baked in a 5-cup loaf pan, or in a 9-inch diameter x 2-inch deep cake pan.
Or you can double the recipe and bake a 2-layer cake, a 3-layer 6-inch diameter cake, a 9×13 sheet cake, or 24 cupcakes.
Just bear in mind that whenever you bake in a different sized pan, the bake time will need to be adjusted. You’ll know your cake is done when it feels springy and a toothpick inserted in the thickest part comes out clean.
You can keep these cakes (once cool) at room temperature for 2 to 3 days. You can slip them into a zip-top bag or wrap them with plastic wrap to keep them from getting stale.
If they hang around any longer than that, they should go into the fridge or freezer. They can last in the fridge for at least a week, and in the freezer for around a month.
This recipe makes 5 mini bundt cakes. Each one is 1 serving.
The nutritional info in the recipe card below is for 1/5th the whole batch.
A few more of my favorite cake recipes
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Olive Oil Cake
Ingredients
For the olive oil cake
- 1 1/2 cups (187.5 g) cake flour
- 1/2 cup (56 g) almond meal
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) kosher salt
- 3/4 cup (162 g) olive oil
- 1/2 cup (122 g) milk
- 1 egg, large
- 3 tablespoons sherry, (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) almond extract
Optional garnishes:
- 1 1/2 cups (216 g) fresh blackberries
- 1 tablespoon sherry
- 1 tablespoon (14.79 g) granulated sugar
- sprig of fresh rosemary
- powdered sugar
Instructions
To make the olive oil cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and mist a 5-cup mini-bundt pan with non-stick spray.
- Place the flour, almond meal, sugar, lemon zest, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl and whisk to combine.
- Place the olive oil, milk, egg, sherry (if using), and almond extract in a smaller bowl, and whisk to combine.
- Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for 18 to 22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the thickest part of a cake comes out clean.
- Cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then turn the cakes out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
For the garnish:
- Toss the blackberries, sugar, and sherry together in a small bowl to coat.
- Serve alongside the cakes, with a sprig of fresh rosemary.
- Dust with powdered sugar.
My son loves olive oil cake. I made it today to see how it would come out. My trial run before Christmas. It is fantastic!!!!!!! It reminds of of the cake my Grandma used to bake. My son is going to love this!!!! Thank you!!!
Oh that’s awesome! I’m so happy you were pleased. TYSM for the 5-star review!
heyy
I was planning to bake this for a party this weekend but one of my friends has an egg allergy 🙁
So are there any substitutes for the same without compromising the beautiful texture and flavour?
I’m not sure if you’d have the same texture, but you could try it with a flax or chia seed egg. 1 Tablespoon of ground seeds + 2 Tablespoons water, allow it to gel. Or you could look for a vegan egg substitute from a carton? Good luck!
Can I use Splenda for the grfandular sugar. ? Then what would b the sugar content
I haven’t tried but as long as it’s meant to sub 1:1 for regular sugar I would think that would work just fine! Good luck!
This was great!!!! Thank you for a great recipe.
Hello Allie
I have one question
Do you taste the olive oil?
Yes absolutely that’s why I would recommend using a good quality olive oil that you like the flavor of. I particularly like a fruitier oil for this recipe. Hope you enjoy!
I love adding a bit of almond extract to my olive oil cake too. My mom used almond extract in our birthday cakes when I was little, so I came to associate that flavor with celebrations and happy family gatherings. 🙂
I love the taste of almond too. There’s something so sweet and special about it!
I used corn meal because our local market didn’t have almond meal. I also used orange zest instead of lemon. It turned out tasty and we all loved it but it was drier and not as fluffy ( like in the pic ) as I had expected. Next time I’ll add more olive oil or ??!
Any advise ?
I served it with a shake and sprinkle of powdered sugar . berries , vanilla ice cream and mint leaves for garnish
Hey Angie! I’m afraid cornmeal and almond meal are NOT the same thing. They would most certainly not yield the same result, so if you’re looking for something similar to what you see in the pictures here, you would need to follow the recipe and use the ingredients that are called for.
Thank you for this recipe. It was delicious. I’ll definitely make it again!!
I’m so happy you liked it Marietta!
This cake is so amazingly delicious! We served for a Christmas Eve desert- garnished with a dusting of powdered sugar and a rosemary sprig (baked in an 8 inch spring foam pan) All of our guests raved about the cake and have asked for the recipe. I am making again for a party this weekend! Thank you for this simple and scrumptious recipe!
I’m so happy you liked it Courtney! Thank you so much for the positive feedback!
Do you have to make it in a bundt pan?
Hey Mariah! You can bake it in another size pan but just be aware that the bake times might need to be adjusted. Good luck!
It is a nice cake recipe
Very happy you like it!
I made some slight modifications (added orange zest, a tsp of vanilla paste, and brushed a bit more olive oil on the bottom side of each cake after removing from the mini bundt tins), but this cake is amazing! The flavor was outstanding, and very moist. However, in the mini bundt pans, my cakes mounded at the top, so I had to slice off a bit of the top layer to get them to stand properly on serving plates. Do you have a suggestion for how to keep the top from mounding over while baking?
Thanks for you work on this. I’ll use this recipe over and over!
So happy you like the recipe! And your modifications sound fantastic. If you’d like a flatter bottom on your cakes, try lowering the oven temp by 25 degrees F, and extending the bake time as needed. That usually works well for me! Good luck!
Wow this cake is looking so delicious, thank you for sharing your blog
This cake is my new favorite!!! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! I can’t wait to include it in my tastings!
So happy you like it!
Wow this is looking so delicious, thank you for sharing your blog
Such a rich and moist cake!
Allie, I didn’t get very far in this post because of that first beautiful photo with the blackberries and fine sprinkle atop of the cake. Then I had to pause because I had to click on the link to that banana pudding cake. One peek at that and I turn into Homer Simpson, drooling over a doughnut. Anyways, I have to ask because I am truly in awe: do you take your own photos and do you stage your own photo shoots for your desserts? The photos–My goodness! It is always a stunning experience to peruse your website, and especially today! Oh, my. I am at a loss for words. Even the bowl of lemon zest and the positioning of the different sized bowls is perfect.
Oh my goodness you are the sweetest! Thank you so much for the kind words. You have truly brightened my day! I can’t thank you enough. Yes I take all the pictures and videos myself! It’s something I really enjoy and nothing makes me happier than when it is appreciated. Hugs to you Amanda!