Olive Oil Cake Recipe | The Mediterranean Dish (2024)

FAQs

Why is my olive oil cake so dense? ›

Olive oil tends to make the cake a bit more dense, so adding whipped egg whites will lighten things up to create a beautiful texture. The resulting cake is still dense (not as dense as a pound cake), but it melts in your mouth.

If you want the benefits of an olive oil cake but don't want any noticeable flavor added from the olive oil, use olive oils that have a mild intensity like a Spanish Arbequina or Greek Koroneiki.

Olive oil will change the flavor of your cake. It may even make it more dense. It is a stronger tasting heavy oil. So depending on what flavor cake you are making, it may overpower that flavor.

Storage: The cake will keep for 4 days in an airtight container. Freezing: You can freeze the cake for up to 3 months. Substitutions: Use cake flour rather than all purpose flour for an extra fluffy cake.

This is because too much batter in one cake tin may result in the weight of the batter being too much for the cake to support, causing the cake to collapse and sink in the middle as it bakes. This is especially true for cake recipes which have a more softer, delicate structure to them, which many of my cake recipes do.

Why does oil give cake superior texture? Butter is 18% water, so when the batter is baked, some of its liquid evaporates. Replacing the water from the butter with oil means there's more fat left in the cakes to ensure tenderness.

Serve and store.

Serve warm, or at room temperature. Garnish with confectioners' sugar and orange slices before serving. The orange olive oil cake can be stored at room temperature, tightly covered in plastic wrap, for up to 3 days. After that, refrigerate for up to 2 more days.

Because this cake is so simple, it's important to use high-quality ingredients–typically, extra virgin olive oil is used for the stronger flavor. Here, Stella explains why using a high-quality olive oil is worth it in olive oil cake.

Generally, people enjoy the fruity flavor that olive oil cake usually offers, while others might love the fact that unlike regular cake, olive oil cake bakes up to be loftier and stays moist longer.

Using low-quality olive oil is akin to cooking with a wine that you wouldn't want to drink. As chefs know, low-quality oils can bring an overpowering taste that can noticeably change the flavor of your baked goods.

Will olive oil make a cake taste different? ›

Yes, it's true! Extra virgin olive oil is a great substitute for butter or other fats when baking cakes. It gives cakes a wonderfully moist texture and a light, subtle flavor that pairs perfectly with other ingredients like fresh fruit and nuts. Plus, it's healthy and packed with antioxidants and healthy fats.

Olive oil is perfect for strongly flavored desserts like olive oil cake, but vegetable oil's neutral flavor makes it ideal for providing baked goods with the fat they need without affecting the recipe's flavor. That said, if you're in a pinch, olive oil will work in baked goods.

When an extra virgin olive oil is bottled, its best-before date is decided, which is usually between one and two years from that moment. In the case of extra virgin olive oils protected by the Protected Designation of Origin Estepa, this date is shown on the back of the bottle.

Olive oil contributes a distinct richness and depth, creating a moist and tender crumb while infusing the cake with a subtle fruity and peppery undertone. The use of olive oil instead of butter not only imparts a distinctive taste but also results in a dessert that is often considered lighter and more nuanced.

The history of using olive oil in cakes and baked goods is deeply rooted in the Mediterranean region, where olive trees have flourished for thousands of years.

If the oven temperature is too low, it will take longer for your cake to set which may cause the centre to collapse as it cools, leading to a dense final product.

When a cake is too dense, one might think that adding extra flour will soak up more moisture and lighten up the crumb. However, that's not usually the case. The cake likely needs more leavening support from baking powder or baking soda.

Your cake is too dense A cake that is overly dense typically has too much liquid, too much sugar or too little leavening (not excess flour, as is commonly thought).

My cake is very dense.

This could be because a/ the cake mixture hasn't had enough air beaten into it, b/ the eggs were added too quickly and curdled or c/ there's not enough raising agent.