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Olive oil cake is a popular dessert in Italy that replaces butter or vegetable oil with olive oil. It can be made in any flavor, but often includes citrus and simple ingredients. The cakes are usually made with all-purpose flour, baking soda, eggs, sugar, and salt. Lemon or other fruit zest and juice are often added, along with a citrus liqueur in Italy. The cakes can be made without butter or milk, and plain yogurt can be used instead. The extra virgin variety of olive oil is suggested for its stronger and sweeter taste. The wet and dry ingredients are mixed separately, and the batter is poured into a cake pan and baked for nearly an hour. The cake can be eaten on its own or topped with whipped cream or a fruit compote.
A signature dessert in parts of Italy, olive oil cake is any cake that uses olive oil to replace all or part of a cake’s butter or vegetable oil requirements. These cakes are often citrus cakes, such as lemon, but can come in any flavor, including chocolate. Generally, olive oil cakes have simple ingredients because the oil adds a distinctive citrus flavor to the cake. They can be made in any type of cake pan and are generally not frozen.
Usually made with all-purpose flour, some cakes may be made with cake flour. Baking soda, and sometimes baking powder, is also added, as well as eggs, sugar and salt. Often one egg white less than the yolk is included.
Often lemon or other fruit, zest and juice are also added. In Italy, a citrus liqueur is often included. Recipes that use fruits other than lemon, such as oranges, may include pieces of the fruit in the pie batter, as well as zest and juice. Rosemary is a popular herb to include if not making a citrus cake.
Butter or milk can be completely eliminated in this type of cake or, more often, it can simply be reduced. Plain yogurt can replace any remaining milk requirements in some recipes. The pans are usually greased with butter, but olive oil can also be used for this purpose.
The ingredient that makes this type of cake an olive oil cake, however, is obviously the olive oil. Regular cooking olive oil can be used, but the extra virgin variety is usually suggested due to its stronger and sweeter taste. Although only a few tablespoons of oil may be added to the cake, an olive oil cake usually has nearly a cup of oil included. Substituting vegetable oil for olive oil in a pre-made cake mix recipe is also a quick way to create an olive oil cake. In Italy, a locally produced olive oil is often used.
As with most cakes, the wet ingredients are mixed separately from the dry ingredients before combining the two mixes. If pieces of fruit are included, they are folded into the mixture after the rest of the ingredients have been mixed. Then, the batter is poured into a cake pan and baked, on average, for nearly an hour. This cake can be eaten on its own or topped with whipped cream or a fruit compote. Sugar can also be sprinkled on top of the cake before or after baking.
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