Home · Recipes · Desserts & Baking · Cake Recipes · Single Layer/Easy Cakes Olive Oil Cake Author: Maryanne CabreraPublished: Apr 1, 2021Updated: Apr 7, 2023 View RecipeRead ReviewsThis post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy. An easy to make moist and flavorful cake. This olive oil cake is topped with strawberries, blueberries, and mango tossed in white wine vinegar. This post was sponsored by Filippo Berio. Thank you supporting my brand partners. As always, all opinions stated here are entirely my own. Extra Virgin Olive Oil Cake Using oil for cake batters is nothing new. Plenty of cake recipes use oil in place of butter. Subbing oil in the right cake recipe makes for a super moist crumb! This is my first dairy free olive oil cake. My previous olive oil cakes (strawberry lemon cake, mixed berry layer cake, and blood orange olive oil cake) all contain milk. This new recipe is completely dairy-free! No butter, milk, or cream used! This easy to make recipe features Filippo Berio Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Filippo Berio White Wine Vinegar. Spring is the perfect time to add vibrant citrus flavors to baked goods. It’s also a great time to take advantage of the first strawberries of the season! Key Ingredients Cake Flour: Cake flour is a finely milled, low protein content flour. It produces a softer cake. All-purpose flour will create a denser textured cake. Corn Meal: There are several varieties of corn meal available. Use fine or medium grind cornmeal for this recipe. Stay away from stone-ground or coarse cornmeal. Citrus Zest: The combination of lemon and orange zest infuses bright, springlike notes. Use all lemon zest or all orange zest, if desired. Orange Liqueur: I used Grand Marnier, a cognac brandy and bitter orange liqueur. The alcohol will be baked off. Other options: amaretto (almond flavor), limoncello (lemon) or cointreau (orange, citrus). Olive Oil: This cake benefits greatly from high quality olive oil. Filippo Berio Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil has a fresh aroma and an intensely fruity flavor. It pairs wonderfully with the citrus notes and the corn meal in the batter. It is important to use olive oil that tastes good on it’s own. The olive oil provides a huge portion of flavor and aroma to this cake. Throw out olive oil that smells stale, sour, or rancid. Why use a Springform Pan? Springform pan ensures the easy removal of the baked olive oil cake. The cake has a delicious sugar crust all over the top and the edges of the cake. Use of a springform pan keeps that crust intact. If you don’t have a springform pan, the batter may also be baked in a 9-inch round cake pan at least 3-inch in depth. (More details in recipe card.) Use a pastry brush to coat the bottom and sides of the springform pan with olive oil. Line the bottom of the pan with a parchment paper round. Brush parchment liberally with olive oil. Sprinkle sugar inside pan. Tilt and swirl pan around to distribute sugar all over. Ensure the sides of the pan are coated with sugar. Tap out any excess. *This step is important! It creates that desired sugar crust during baking! Cake Batter Requires Mixer A stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment or an electric hand mixer is needed to mix together this cake batter. Unfortunately, the cake batter cannot be stirred together by hand. Without use of butter, the batter requires leavening from whipped eggs. Sugar and eggs are beat on high speed for several minutes until airy, thick, and pale. This would take forever to mix by hand. Pour the thick cake batter into prepared springform pan. Spread batter into an even layer. Generously sprinkle granulated sugar all over the surface of cake batter. Bake for about 50 minutes until the top of the cake is golden brown and a skewer inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Dock the warm cake all over using a toothpick or skewer. Pour two tablespoons of Filippo Berio Extra Virgin Olive Oil all over warm cake. Allow cake to absorb the olive oil, about 10 minutes or so. Unmold cake from springform pan. Cool to room temperature on wire rack. The cake is ready to eat at this point. However, the cake will greatly benefit from resting overnight. Fresh Fruit Salad in White Wine Vinegar Dressing Use whatever fruits are in season, or whatever fresh fruits you happen to have on hand. Strawberries, blueberries, and mango make for a great combination. Toss the fresh fruits in agave syrup and Filippo Berio White Wine Vinegar until thoroughly coated. The mixture of lightly sweetened fruits with the pop of bright and tangy notes from the white wine vinegar is so refreshing and delicious! *NOTE: The cake top is rather crunchy due to the caramelized sugar that formed during baking. Serve the fruit salad alongside the sliced cake to preserve that nice cake texture. Olive Oil Cake topped with Fruit Salad 5 from 1 vote An easy to make moist and flavorful cake. This dairy-free olive oil cake is topped with strawberries, blueberries, and mango tossed in white wine vinegar. Prep Time: 20 minutes minutesCook Time: 45 minutes minutesTotal Time: 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes Servings: 10 slices Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe Equipment9-inch springform panstand mixer with whisk attachment IngredientsOlive Oil Cake: ▢ 2 cup cake flour (260 g)▢ ⅓ cup corn meal *▢ 2 teaspoon baking powder▢ ½ teaspoon baking soda▢ ½ teaspoon kosher salt▢ 3 Tbsp Grand Mariner or other orange liqueur*▢ 3 Tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice▢ 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract▢ 1 cup granulated sugar (200 g), plus more for pan and sprinkling▢ 1 ½ teaspoon finely grated orange zest▢ 1 ½ teaspoon finely grated lemon zest▢ 3 large eggs▢ 1 ¼ cup + 2 Tbsp Filippo Berio Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil , dividedFruit Salad▢ 2 cups sliced stawberries▢ 1 cup blueberries▢ 1 cup sliced mango chunks▢ 2 teaspoon agave syrup or honey (add more to taste depending on sweetness of fruits used)▢ 1 Tbsp Filippo Berio White Wine Vinegar Instructions Olive Oil Cake:Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat bottom and sides of 9-inch springform pan with olive oil. Use a pastry brush or your fingers to evenly coat pan. Line bottom of pan with round parchment paper. Coat parchment paper with olive oil. Add one to two tablespoons sugar to pan. Tilt and swirl pan to coat evenly with sugar. Tap out any excess sugar. Set aside.Whisk together cake flour, corn meal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Sir together Grand Mariner, lemon juice, and vanilla in a small bowl. Set both bowls aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat together eggs, orange zest, lemon zest, and 1 cup sugar on high speed until mixture is thick and pale, about 3 minutes. With the mixer still running, slowly pour in 1 ¼ cup olive oil. Beat for about 2 minutes. Mixture should very thick.Reduce to low speed. Add dry mixture in three additions, alternating with liquid mixture in 2 additions. Begin and end with the dry mixture. Mix until just combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula to ensure thorough mixing.Pour batter into prepared springform pan. Spread into an even layer. Sprinkle top of batter with additional granulated sugar, about 2 tablespoons.Place cake in the center rack of oven. Immediately reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Bake for about 45-50 minutes, until the top of the cake is golden brown and a tester inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Place springform pan on a wire rack and cool cake in pan for 15 minutes.Use a toothpick or skewer to poke holes all over the top of the cake. Drizzle remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil over cake. Let sit for 10 minutes to allow cake to absorb liquid. Run a mini offset spatula or a thin knife around the edges of the cake to loosen. Unlock springform lock and remove ring from pan. Place cake on a wire rack and cool to room temperature, about 1 hour. *For best flavor, wrap cooled cake in plastic wrap or place in an airtight container. Keep at room temperature overnight. Enjoy the following day. Fruit Salad:Place strawberries, blueberries, and mango in a large bowl. Drizzle agave syrup and white wine vinegar all over. Toss to combine. Garnish top of cake, or serve alongside cake slices.*Garnishing the top of cake will softened cake. For best texture, spoon fruit salad alongside the cake slices. NotesEquipment Notes: Springform pan ensures easy removal of cake. It keeps the sugar crust on the top and edges intact. 9-inch round cake pan at least 3-inches deep may use in place. Line bottom with parchment paper. Oil and coat in sugar. Be careful unmolding cake. Much of the sugar crust topping and crust along the sides of the cake may fall off. Turn cake right side up and cool to room temperature. Ingredient Notes: Corn Meal: Use fine or medium grind cornmeal. Do not use stone-ground or coarse cornmeal. The coarse cornmeal will produce a gritty, sand-like texture. Grand Marnier is a cognac brandy and bitter orange liqueur. Other options: Cointreau, Dry Curacao, Amaretto (almond flavor), or Limoncello (lemon) Citrus Zest: use equal parts orange zest and lemon zest. Or, choose one. Extra Virgin Olive Oil: This cake benefits greatly from high quality olive oil. I recommend Filippo Berio Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil. It has a fresh aroma and an intensely fruity flavor that pairs wonderfully with the citrus, vanilla, and cornmeal. Cake recipe adapted from Bon Appetit November 2017 issue NutritionCalories: 501kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 20g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 56mg | Sodium: 280mg | Potassium: 156mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 28g | Vitamin A: 273IU | Vitamin C: 27mg | Calcium: 69mg | Iron: 1mg Author: Maryanne Cabrera Course: DessertCuisine: American Did you make this recipe?Show us on Instagram! Tag @littleepicurean and hashtag #littleepicurean. Storage and Leftovers For best flavor, serve the cake the day after baking. Wrap cooled cake in plastic wrap or place in an airtight container. Keep at room temperature overnight. Slice into desired portions the following morning. Serve with fruit salad. Ungarnished cake slices will keep in an airtight container for 5 days. Thanks to the olive oil, the cake will remain soft and moist for several days. Store fruit salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.