Olive Oil Cake

 

I wanted to bake something yesterday but was a bit unsure what I wanted to bake.  Every morning between 9 and 9:30 my sister and I cycle together on our cycling machines and talk to each other on the phone at the same time. She said you should try this olive oil cake recipe I found. It looks really good.

I have always wanted to try baking an olive oil cake so I said sure, shoot me the recipe. The original recipe comes from a page called Once Upon a Chef.   I actually have Jenn's cookbook. It is a real favorite book of mine.

 

I had been wanting to bake an olive oil cake for a while now. I don't know what took me so long.  Perhaps fear that the olive oil would overtake every other flavor in the cake, or that it might end up having an oily greasy texture.  Anyways, I went for it and was very pleasantly surprised!

This is a phenomenal cake!  It has a lovely crumb and texture and the flavor is gorgeous. You can't really taste the olive oil at all,  and it is not greasy, but what the olive oil does is to keep the cake lovely and moist.  

The flavor is so lovely. Nice, lemony and fruity.  I had a piece for my lunch yesterday with some  macerated strawberries and then I took half it over to my sister for them to try. They loved it also.

I really think this is a cake you are going to enjoy. I adapted the original recipe to give metric measures for all of my U.K./European readers.  Its actually the way I prefer to bake myself. Weighing your ingredients out is much more accurate than using cups. Cup sizes can differ a bit, but a gram is always a gram is always a gram!

 

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE AN OLIVE OIL CAKE

Really simple ingredients. Use the best quality and freshest ingredients that you can and make sure they are all at room temperature for the best results.

• 1 1/4 cups (183g) plain all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup (40g) yellow cornmeal
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 3 large free range eggs
• 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup (160ml) good quality extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup (120ml) whole milk
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• the finely grated zest of two lemons
• macerated strawberries for serving (optional) (see notes)
• Icing sugar to dust (optional)

 

Plain all purpose flour works the best for this cake. No need to sift it. I use Robin Hood flour which is pre-sifted anyways.

In the U.K. you can use fine polenta instead of cornmeal.  It gives just a tiny bit of crunch to the cake which is really very nice. I thought it was noticeable more on the edges than anywhere else.

 

Use a good quality olive oil with a nice fruity flavor.  Don't be tempted to use a cheap one.  The olive oil adds a lovely perfume to the cake and helps to keep it moist for quite a few days.

I used large free range eggs. I use them for all of my baking and cooking. To bring your eggs to room temperature, drop them into a bowl of quite warm (but not hot) water and leave for about 8 minutes or so. This takes the chill off nicely.

Scrub your lemons really well with a vegetable brush and dry before zesting. I use my small micro-plane grater to zest my lemons. It works a charm.

 

HOW TO MAKE OLIVE OIL CAKE 

You can use either an electric hand whisk or a stand mixer to make this cake. For the best texture do not over beat.  Its amazing!!

Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Spray a deep 8-inch round cake tin very well with low fat non-stick baking spray, and line the bottom with some baking parchment. Set aside.

Whisk the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt together in a bowl. Set aside.

Measure your eggs and sugar into a bowl. Whisk together with an electric hand mixer at high speed for about 30 seconds, or until very well combined.

 

Continuing to beat at high speed, slowly drizzle in the olive oil in a slow and steady stream until thoroughly combined. Gradually whisk in the milk at low speed. Whisk in the lemon zest and vanilla.

Whisk in the dry ingredients at medium speed until evenly combined, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl as needed. Do not over beat.

Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin. Bake in the preheated oven for about 35 minutes, until the top of the cake has achieved a slight dome and is golden brown in color. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean.

Leave to cool in the pan for 15 minutes before removing to cool on a wire rack until ready to serve.

Dust with icing sugar (optional) and serve cut into wedges, along with some macerated berries. (also optional) This cake will keep covered at room temperature for up to 4 days. This cake can be served slightly warm or at room temperature.

 

This was, simply put, a beautiful cake.  I am in love with it. The texture is just wonderful and the flavor is amazing.  I was afraid that it might be greasy or a bit oily, or that the flavor of the olive oil would dominate, but it simply does not. This is easily the best cake I have baked this year!

You know a cake is a good one when it really needs no adornment at all, like a frosting or a glaze.  I had another piece of it for breakfast this morning and if anything it tasted even better than it did yesterday!  My sister's household also gave it two thumbs up!

 

If you like a nice simple cake as much as I do, you may also enjoy the following cakes!

GRANDMOTHER'S BUTTERMILK CAKE - A simple, uncomplicated cake with a beautifully moist crumb and a lovely flavor.  This is the kind of cake that you can enjoy any time. I do like to frost it with a simple buttercream icing, but it is very good even without any adornment!

MOM'S HOT MILK CAKE - This was pretty much the only cake my mother baked for us when I was growing up and the first cake I learned how to make. It is simple, moist and delicious. Mom used to split it and fill the center with jam, which is how we all still enjoy it. Its also very nice served with berries and whipped cream.

Yield: 1 (8-inch) cake

Author: Marie Rayner

Olive Oil Cake

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 35 MinTotal time: 50 Min

For such an easy to make cake, this is an exceptionally flavorsome and moist cake. Simple, wholesome ingredients put together in the most delicious way!

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups (183g) plain all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup (40g) yellow cornmeal
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 3 large free range eggs
• 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup (160ml) good quality extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup (120ml) whole milk
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• the finely grated zest of two lemons
• macerated strawberries for serving (optional) (see notes)
• Icing sugar to dust (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Spray a deep 8-inch round cake tin very well with low fat non-stick baking spray, and line the bottom with some baking parchment. Set aside.
2. Whisk the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt together in a bowl. Set aside.
3. Measure your eggs and sugar into a bowl. Whisk together with an electric hand mixer at high speed for about 30 seconds, or until very well combined.
4. Continuing to beat at high speed, slowly drizzle in the olive oil in a slow and steady stream until thoroughly combined. Gradually whisk in the milk at low speed. Whisk in the lemon zest and vanilla.
5. Whisk in the dry ingredients at medium speed until evenly combined, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl as needed. Do not over beat.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin. Bake in the preheated oven for about 35 minutes, until the top of the cake has achieved a slight dome and is golden brown in color. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean.
7. Leave to cool in the pan for 15 minutes before removing to cool on a wire rack until ready to serve.
8. Dust with icing sugar (optional) and serve cut into wedges, along with some macerated berries. (also optional) This cake will keep covered at room temperature for up to 4 days.
9. This cake can be served slightly warm or at room temperature.

Notes

To Macerate Berries:

Wash and hull one pound of strawberries. Dry and then halve or cut into quarters, depending on size. Stir together in a bowl along with 2 TBS of sugar. Leave to sit at room temperature for about half an hour, giving them a stir every now and then. Store any leftovers, covered in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. They will not keep well much longer than that.

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