Olive Oil Cake
This Mediterranean inspired olive oil cake is light and fluffy, with a moist crumb and crunchy top.
Simply whisk all of the ingredients together in one bowl and before you know it you’ll have the perfect cake to enjoy all week – serve it with my salted maple yoghurt and devour!
Why you’ll love this olive oil cake recipe
- the perfect one bowl cake – this is pretty much a dump and mix sort of cake, everything is added to the one bowl before baking in a round cake tin. It’s so easy to make – a great baking project for little hands and toddlers! Plus, if you don’t want to make it by hand, you can also just as easily use a stand mixer.
- stores well – the perfect cake to make at the beginning of the week to enjoy with an afternoon cup of tea or coffee. Stores incredibly well at room temperature or in the fridge.
- not too sweet – this is a wonderfully balanced and not too sweet cake, with just 175g sugar in the entire cake mix.
- Subtle but present olive oil flavour – unlike some other recipes, you actually get the flavour of olive oil through this cake (this is also why I prefer it without citrus as I find it can overpower the olive oil!)
- soft and moist crumb and amazing texture – you’ll be amazed at how light, fluffy and moist this cake is! And the Demerara sugar crust on top provides the perfect textural contrast.
Ingredients you’ll need to make it
- Olive oil – a good quality extra virgin olive oil, preferably one with a medium-bodied taste profile that comes through in the final baked cake. I really like this brand as it’s affordable and has a fantastic flavour profile as a cold-pressed olive oil.
- Greek yoghurt (Greek yogurt) – full fat Greek yoghurt adds tang and moisture to the cake. Also used to make an accompanying salted maple yoghurt to serve on the side.
- Vanilla bean paste – 1 teaspoon (or measure with your heart!). You can also substitute for vanilla bean extract, or the seeds from one vanilla bean pod.
- Whole eggs – you’ll need 2 large eggs at room temperature.
- Sugar – we use caster sugar in the cake mix and a sprinkling of Demerara sugar on top right before baking.
- All purpose flour (plain flour) – 225g of flour creates the perfect ratio for a light and fluffy cake.
- Bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) – used for lift (Greek yoghurt is our acid to make that possible!)
- Baking powder – adds additional lift to support the bicarbonate of soda, and ensures we don’t lose the flavour of the yoghurt.
- Salt – 1/4 teaspoon is mixed in with the dry ingredients.
- Maple syrup – used to sweeten the Greek yoghurt for serving.
How to make this olive oil cake recipe (step-by-step)
1. Add wet ingredients to a bowl
Add olive oil, yoghurt, vanilla bean paste and eggs to a large bowl and whisk to combine until smooth and incorporated.
2. whisk in the sugar
Add the sugar and whisk well to combine with the wet ingredients.
3. Incorporate the dry ingredients
Add the flour, leavening agents and salt and whisk until combined with no visible lumps of flour.
4. Add the sugar topping
Pour into a 20cm round cake pan, smooth the top of the batter and sprinkle with 1-2 tbsp of Demerara sugar.
5. Bake
Bake in the centre of an oven preheated to 170c (150c fan-forced / 340f) for 40 minutes or until the top is golden and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the centre of the cake.
Optional additions for this olive oil cake recipe
This is a really versatile base cake recipe that I think you’ll enjoy for years to come! Here are some extra additions that I think you’ll like:
- Add the zest of your favourite citrus to the cake with when you add the sugar – orange zest, lemon zest, bergamot or even grapefruit would work really well here if you want to add a citrus note to this cake.
- Add some berries – once the cake mixture is in the tin, sprinkle over a handful of your favourite berries with the Demerara sugar – blueberries, blackberries or mulberries would be a delicious addition.
- Add a dash of almond extract – this adds a lovely sweet and nutty note to the cake.
- Substitute the salted maple yoghurt for a Chantilly cream – simply whisk together 200ml heavy cream / thickened cream with a tablespoon of sugar and a drizzle of vanilla bean paste. Or simply serve with a dollop of unsweetened plain Greek yoghurt for more of a tangy contrast.
How to store this cake
This cake stores really well in an airtight container, plastic wrap or covered cake stand on the kitchen bench, and will keep for up to 3 days (if you can make it last that long!). Just ensure you have a cooled cake before covering so it doesn’t sweat.
The crunchy sugar top will become sticky over time, keeping the cake incredibly moist.
You can also store this cake in the fridge for up to 5 days, though I would recommend allowing it to come back to room temperature before serving for best results.
That’s about it for this olive oil cake recipe! If you make it, please leave a comment below and let me know how you enjoyed it 🙂 or tag me on Instagram so I can see your creation! And if you’re looking for more desserts, why not check out some of my other dessert and cake recipes below!
Olive Oil Cake Recipe
Equipment
- 20cm round cake tin
Ingredients
Salted maple yoghurt
- 200 g full fat Greek yoghurt
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- Pinch of flaky sea salt
Olive oil cake
- 150 g good quality extra virgin olive oil
- 150 g full fat Greek yoghurt
- 2 large eggs room temperature (approx 55g in weight per egg)
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 175 g caster sugar
- 225 g all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp Demerara sugar
Instructions
Salted maple yoghurt
- Place all of the ingredients into a bowl and whisk to combine. Store in the fridge until ready to use.
Olive oil cake
- Preheat the oven to 170c (150c fan-forced / 340f) and prepare your cake tin by brushing with olive oil and lining the base with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl combine the olive oil, Greek yoghurt, eggs and vanilla and whisk well to combine until you have a smooth mixture.
- Add the caster sugar and whisk again until well incorporated.
- Add the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda and powder and salt), and again, whisk until just combined and there are no visible pockets of flour.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin, smooth the top of the cake mix with an offset spatula, then sprinkle the Demerara sugar.
- Bake in the centre of the oven for 40 minutes or until the top is golden and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the centre of the cake.
- Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 10-15 minutes before removing from the pan, then allow it to cool on a wire rack before serving with a spoonful of the salted maple yoghurt and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
