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CHOW: Recipes: Olive Oil Cake

Olive Oil Cake Recipe

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Olive Oil Cake
Difficulty: Easy | Total Time: 50 mins | Active Time: | Makes: 12 servings

This delicious cake has a hint of orange and a slightly crunchy texture from cornmeal, is moist without being greasy, and is strongly flavored with olive oil. Try it with this tasty fruit compote, made with spiced Rioja wine.

This recipe was featured as part of our Baked Sweets photo gallery.

INGREDIENTS
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups whole milk
  • 1 cup good-quality extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for coating the pan
  • 1/4 cup amaretto liqueur, such as Disaronno
  • 1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the pan
  • 1/2 cup coarse-ground cornmeal
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • Pinch of salt
  • Powdered sugar, for garnish
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Heat the oven to 350°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Coat a 9-inch round cake pan with olive oil and flour; tap out the excess.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and granulated sugar until well blended and light in color. Add milk, olive oil, amaretto, and orange zest and mix well.
  3. In another bowl, stir together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add egg mixture to the dry ingredients, stirring until just blended (the batter will be slightly lumpy; do not overmix).
  4. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out with only a few crumbs, about 40 to 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely.
  5. When the cake has cooled, run a knife around the perimeter of the pan and invert the cake onto a serving plate. Dust with powdered sugar, cut into 12 pieces, and serve.

Beverage pairing: La Caudrina Moscato d’Asti, Italy. The touch of rose and pear in this sweet wine from northern Italy will pleasantly match the hints of orange and pollen in the cake, while the gentle stream of bubbles will be a nice dance partner for the crunchiness of the cornmeal.

    Write a review | 29 Reviews
POST A COMMENT |29 Comments

COMMENT

  • I made this using meyer lemon infused olive oil and Cointreau instead of amaretto. Made for a great, light ending to a heavy Easter dinner.

  • I liked the moistness of this cake........I couldn't quite get past the taste of olive oil. My husband liked it but I don't think I'll be making it again.

  • We really liked this cake. As another reviewer said, it has a moist but firm eggy center and outwardly very crusty. Very different from anything I've ever eaten before or prepared. Unlike some reviewers, I didn't have any problems with prep or baking. It came out beautifully. I did add a heaping tablespoon of lemon zest in addition to the orange zest it called for.

    However, because I read all...+READ

    We really liked this cake. As another reviewer said, it has a moist but firm eggy center and outwardly very crusty. Very different from anything I've ever eaten before or prepared. Unlike some reviewers, I didn't have any problems with prep or baking. It came out beautifully. I did add a heaping tablespoon of lemon zest in addition to the orange zest it called for.

    However, because I read all reviews before deciding to make it, I will say that it is understandable there was confusion in the beginning. I was a little put off by the uncertainty the person who posted this recipe seemed to have about this recipe. Either you know your recipe or you don't.

    Ok, besides the added lemon zest, here are some very minor changes I made. I had all ingredients on hand so no changes were made regarding this. Where the recipe warns that you should beat everything by hand lest you overbeat the batter when combining the flour and egg mixture, I found it very difficult to even mix it to the point that it had even little lumps. I tired of this quickly and used the hand mixer and beat it to a smooth texture. However,I did previously follow the instructions to beat the egg mixture by hand and found this to be doable. I also only had a 8 inch cake pan, but in the end it all turned out beautifully.-COLLAPSE

  • I substituted Marsala for the Amaretto...nice and savory-tasting! Didn't have any powdered sugar so I mixed sugar, half n half, allspice, fennel and cinnamon for a glaze that I heated on the stove and strained onto the out-of-oven cake that I poked holes in.
    would be really good with sauteed pears and/or apples....

  • Could't get past the cornmeal in this recipe, so looked around for a different version. If any of you are fond of lemon and rosemary, don't mind leaving out the cornmeal, you might want to check out this recipe for olive oil cake. Lovely!

    http://patentandthepantry.wordpress.com/2009/06/21/lemon-rosemary-olive-oil-cake/

  • I have substituted a blend of half maple syrup (or honey) and half water, for liqueur; it seems to be the right consistency and sweetness. For "Amaretto", I also add almond extract. For "Kahlua", I use coffee extract. Etc. One of my sons doesn't like the taste of alcohol, and I like the substitutions because they're a lot cheaper!

  • Liked the flavour of the cake but found the texture a bit odd. The bottom was kind of eggy and dense while the top was nice and light and crunchy. Wondering if it's because I poured the liquids in too quickly and didn't mix it enough? I think a mixture of lemon and orange zest would be nice.

  • My cake turned out with 2 distinct layers -- a dry bottom layer and a very oily upper layer. Is it because I used an electric hand mixer to blend the liquid ingredients? Also, my batter was VERY lumpy and I tried to break up the lumps with a fork. Was that wrong too? I would really like to get this cake right. But how?

  • ijeny,
    The alcohol evaporates in cooking. If there's a religious objection you can use an almond extract or a flavoring. You may also want to substitute another liquid, to keep the cake moist

  • Is it necessary to use amaretto liqueur in this recipe? how about for ppl how does not touch alcohol?? Any substitute for the liqueur??

  • Hey Kate, I wonder about the origins of this cake, and if it's close to the recipe I've been keeping my eyes peeled for, these last 25 years.
    Is it Greek?
    I worked in a teeny little 11 table bistro in Sedona in the '80's and Dimitri Fourno served a honey cake with that cornmeal crunch.
    I have had dreams about that cake!
    I am on a fr*ggin' diet right now, so I can't make it for at least a...+READ

    Hey Kate, I wonder about the origins of this cake, and if it's close to the recipe I've been keeping my eyes peeled for, these last 25 years.
    Is it Greek?
    I worked in a teeny little 11 table bistro in Sedona in the '80's and Dimitri Fourno served a honey cake with that cornmeal crunch.
    I have had dreams about that cake!
    I am on a fr*ggin' diet right now, so I can't make it for at least a month; but when I do I will modify it, using honey. I'll let you know what happens!-COLLAPSE

  • I made this a couple of weeks ago when it was featured in the email tease. We had some trouble finding the coarse ground corn meal, but it did make the texture more interesting. I made the cake in the afternoon with no subs; then served it for just the two of us for desert. We were underwhelmed with the flavor. I thought, oh well, I tried. The "kids" came by the following afternoon so I offered...+READ

    I made this a couple of weeks ago when it was featured in the email tease. We had some trouble finding the coarse ground corn meal, but it did make the texture more interesting. I made the cake in the afternoon with no subs; then served it for just the two of us for desert. We were underwhelmed with the flavor. I thought, oh well, I tried. The "kids" came by the following afternoon so I offered the rest of the cake to them if they liked it enough. My daughter-in-law said, this is GOOD. I tasted it and found it much more flavorful than last evening. It was sweeter and had the orange flavor I had expected. Too late, I had to give it up to the kids to take home. BTW, Grand Marnier and rye don't mix. The first is a liqueur; the second a whisky.-COLLAPSE

  • I made this last night and was worried. It was very wet and was afraid it wouldn't rise (but it did) and didn't have any aroma like I enjoy with all my other baking. Everyone is bragging on it this morning! The Grand Marnier and Orange Zest give it the kick it needs. Very subtle but nice overall flavor. VERY moist!

  • Could vanilla (or something else likely to have on hand) be substituted for the liqueur or liquor?

  • LIke sheechef, made it again! Just as an FYI, more rye wasn't so great (changed it to 1/2c. rye, and 1 1/4c. milk)--too boozy, and texture is too dense. Inclusion of orange zest definitely a must.

  • Great recipe! Moist, great crumb, and gorgeously not too sweet. I didn't have orange zest, and subbed rye for the the amaretto. The cake was still great, but citrus zest would really add alot. Would also add more rye next time (swapping out some of the milk).

    Be warned that the batter is *really* runny, to the point that I thought I'd misread the ingredients.

  • This recipe is spot on! I have made it twice in three days! The end result of the recipe, rather the beginning of an addiction, is sublime! It transports me to a place I would only prefer to return from if there is more cake involved. The aroma that permiates the house plucks me out of reality and carefully deposites me into a quaint bakery in the thick of a Tuscan olive grove. Needless to say,...+READ

    This recipe is spot on! I have made it twice in three days! The end result of the recipe, rather the beginning of an addiction, is sublime! It transports me to a place I would only prefer to return from if there is more cake involved. The aroma that permiates the house plucks me out of reality and carefully deposites me into a quaint bakery in the thick of a Tuscan olive grove. Needless to say, the crumb is perfection! Complete with a dewy, pudding like texture similar to a pound cake straight from the gods!!! It's L-O-V-E! I strongly recommend trying this recipe out. I have done a little fooling around with the recipe. It is flexible enough for a little tinkering. For example: I added slivered almonds, replaced half of the regular milk for buttermilk, and the first time I made it I was out of amaretto so I substituted 1/8 cup fresh orange juice and 1/8 cup Crown Royal. Bring this cake to life! Cheers!!!-COLLAPSE

  • hello, all. we went back and checked and agree that a 9-inch cake is the best option. we'll edit the recipe to only call for that pan size. thanks!

  • oops, I think I made a mistake by using 4 small cake loaf pans. My cake is too oily at the top 3/4. The bottom is nice - I am trying to bake it a little longer in the hopes of saving them. I am so enjoying the Chowhound site, I am braver to experiement but then this happens!

  • I made this using the 9-inch pan - definitely the correct size.

  • We need a final say on the pan size. I'd go with the 9" round especially since it's round in the pic. However, with some expensive ingredients I'd rather not guess at it.

  • jambon, Myself, I wouldn't venture to make 1 cake, let alone 5 cakes, based on this recipe. If the pan size is wrong, who knows what else is off?

    Googling olive oil cake will give you a plethora of options and probably a more reliable recipe. Here are a few that sounded good to me:

    Emeril:
    Cornmeal-Olive Oil Cake with Poached Peaches in Rosemary-Honey Syrup

    Michael Chiarello:
    Olive Oil Cake...+READ

    jambon, Myself, I wouldn't venture to make 1 cake, let alone 5 cakes, based on this recipe. If the pan size is wrong, who knows what else is off?

    Googling olive oil cake will give you a plethora of options and probably a more reliable recipe. Here are a few that sounded good to me:

    Emeril:
    Cornmeal-Olive Oil Cake with Poached Peaches in Rosemary-Honey Syrup

    Michael Chiarello:
    Olive Oil Cake (with orange flavorings and fresh rosemary)

    Aglaia Kremezi in Bon Appetit:
    Ouzo-Scented Almond, Yogurt, and Olive Oil Cake-COLLAPSE

  • also, since i am prone to really screwing things up.
    will someone confirm the final verdict on the pan size issue.
    i'm going to be making about 5 of these suckers and don't want to screw up. thanks for your patience.

  • would it be totally nuts to add a little rosemary or basil to this?
    i would like just a little something extra but i don't know which direction to go. my creative director mentioned he had a rosemary version of this cake and now i can't stop thinking about it.

  • As AndyGT said, the instructions for the pans is way off. Why hasn't this been fixed? It's a much larger "error" than the cornmeal/polenta issue. (And anyway, it was perfectly fine to list polenta and not cornmeal to indicate the grain. Polenta does not necessarily mean a final, cooked product.)

    A 13 x 9-inch baking dish holds 16 cups. A 9-inch round cake pan holds only 6 cups. No way you can...+READ

    As AndyGT said, the instructions for the pans is way off. Why hasn't this been fixed? It's a much larger "error" than the cornmeal/polenta issue. (And anyway, it was perfectly fine to list polenta and not cornmeal to indicate the grain. Polenta does not necessarily mean a final, cooked product.)

    A 13 x 9-inch baking dish holds 16 cups. A 9-inch round cake pan holds only 6 cups. No way you can use these pans interchangeably. Making this cake in the larger pan would probably give you a large cracker. Accurate substitutions for the 9-inch cake pan would be an 8 x 4-inch loaf pan or an 11 x 7-inch baking dish, both of which are 6-cup pans.-COLLAPSE

  • A 13" x 9" pan is nearly twice the size of a 9" round cake pan. How are they interchangeable? An 8" square baking dish would have the same area as a 9" round pan.

  • The olive oil cake is actually somewhat like cornbread. I really liked the crunch in it though.

  • Thanks, Venit. You are correct. We did mean to say "cornmeal" and have changed it accordingly. Thanks for being so observant!

  • The word "polenta" refers to and means only the final product of cooking cornmeal with salt and water, that is "polenta". If what is to be used in this recipe is "cornmeal," as it seems that it should be, then it should specify cornmeal, or to be more specific "cornmeal for polenta." There are some Italian cakes that actually use cooked polenta in the mixture so this recipe could be very...+READ

    The word "polenta" refers to and means only the final product of cooking cornmeal with salt and water, that is "polenta". If what is to be used in this recipe is "cornmeal," as it seems that it should be, then it should specify cornmeal, or to be more specific "cornmeal for polenta." There are some Italian cakes that actually use cooked polenta in the mixture so this recipe could be very confusing for someone trying it for the first time.-COLLAPSE