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!
This is a sponsored post, written by me and created in partnership with Olive Oils from Spain. All opinions expressed herein are straight from my heart.
Today I am sharing a cake that is totally different from anything else on this site: olive oil cake!
Most of the other cakes you’ll find here 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.
But today we have an olive oil cake recipe that is simple, delicious, and so elegant.
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 from Spain will range in flavor from fruity to pungent to bitter, and everywhere in between!
I chose to use an Arbequina olive oil from Spain, the world’s leading producer and exporter of the highest quality olive oils. It was light, fruity and buttery-tasting, and it complimented the citrus, almond, and sherry in the cake beautifully.
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.
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!
For liquid ingredients, we are using olive oil (of course!), milk, egg, sherry (optional), and almond extract.
All you need to do is whisk your dry ingredients together in one bowl, your liquid ingredients in another, and then combine them.
The batter will be smooth and a little on the thin side. Just pour it into a greased pan and bake!
HOW TO SERVE OLIVE OIL CAKE
This olive oil cake is delicious on it’s 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!
CAN THIS OLIVE OIL CAKE BE BAKED IN A DIFFERENT SIZED PAN?
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.
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.
HOW TO STORE OLIVE OIL CAKE
These cakes, once cool, can be kept 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.
Get lots more recipes and info on Spanish olive oils when you check out their site: Olive Oils from Spain.
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.
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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!