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Olive oil the cakes you'll ever need

Olive oil is great for splashing in your salad, but even better when chilling in your cake.

Yoghurt and olive oil cake Source: Jono Fleming

Nonnas have known it for centuries: using olive oil in your cake baking makes for a superior crumb. There are many reasons for this, but three important ones are:

1. Good quality olive oil adds a rich, earthy flavour that perfectly balances the cake's general sweetness.

2. Olive oil is full of polyphenols that act as antioxidants and feed the gut microbiome. Adding a distinctly healthy benefit to scoffing through afternoon tea.

Drink a glass of olive oil every day – the Mediterranean way to a long life

3. It keeps in the pantry, ready to roll. No fussing around with melting butter or ghee.

You won't need further convincing of the superiority of olive oil cakes. However, being absolutely certain is always a good idea. Our advice is to start baking at the top of this list and keep on going until there's no doubt in your mind that olive oil cakes are life.

Berry good oil

Yoghurt, blackberry and olive oil loaf cake

Rich and moist don't have to mean heavy and unhealthy. Source: Cook like an Italian

This loaf

is proof that olive oil can make a berry light cake when needed. The acid in the yoghurt helps produce a light crumb cake that is incredibly moreish. Even better, it takes a very light 15 minutes to prepare.

Spice of life

The flavours and texture of these mini loaf cakes will get better over a couple of days, so feel free to make them ahead. Source: Lyndey Milan's Baking Secrets

It's not just the nonnas that mix olive oil into their cakes; Middle Eastern recipes have included it for years. Try these

little olive oil cakes

which are plump with spices and orange blossom syrup.

Strawberry stunner

Don't worry, you won't need a birthday as an excuse to make this cake. Source: Jono Fleming

Top an olive oil and yoghurt cake with a heap of strawberries and a swirl of mascarpone icing. It's a celebration cake that you can whip up in a jiffy and devour quicker than it takes to sing Happy Birthday.

A whole ricotta good

A lemon and ricotta ring cake worth pausing your morning for. Source: Made in Italy

Another lovely cake

that takes only 15 minutes to bake (are you noticing a theme here?). This one is like a sponge and Madeira love fest and it's perfect for dunking into your morning coffee.

Marbled Marvel

The clever marbled effect is actually very simple to achieve. Source: Jono Fleming

ciambella

is an Italian ring-shaped cake that looks like it's a bother but actually takes (you guessed it) 15 minutes to prep. You simply divide the batter into two bowls and add cocoa to one of them. Swirl the two gently in the ring tin and you're ready to pop the cake into the oven.

Moroccan take

The recipe asks you to pour a truckload of syrup over your cake... don't worry, it can take it. Source: Shane Delia's Moorish Spice Journey

An olive oil cake is generally a little denser than most, so it pairs well with a syrup for dessert. In

this recipe

, Shane Delia makes a date syrup that soaks beautifully into the spiced cake that's made with panko crumbs instead of flour. Somehow, it all works like a charm.

Softly does it

Herbes de Provence and rose olive oil cake

This rosewater cake suggests adding Herbs de Provence, but you can experiment to find your favourite herb or spice blend. Source: Beth Kirby

The beauty of using olive oil in your baking is that it's the perfect bridge between sweet and savoury. As in

this recipe

, adding traditionally 'savoury' herbs to a sweet batter suddenly seems like a good idea. Because it is.

Yes, olive oil also has a sweet side

Balance it out

If mandarins are out of season, this cake works perfectly well with oranges, blood oranges or meyer lemons. Source: Chris Middleton

This

mandarin and bay leaf loaf

has a hearty slug of olive oil added. The bay leaf brings out the grassy notes of the oil, which balances the fresh tartness of at least five mandarins. It's easily as good to eat as that sounds.

Drunk on oil

Lemon and apricots go really well together, especially with added sambuca. Source: Made in Italy with Silvia Colloca

The only thing that's better in a cake than olive oil is booze. Silvia Colloca mixes a good slug of sambuca to

this apricot cake

, but you can also substitute milk if you're making it for morning tea, or, you know, children.

Dense goodness

A cake like this is almost a pudding, and there's everything right with that. Source: Peter Kuruvita's Coastal Kitchen

Making cakes with olive oil instead of butter means you can bake a more robust cake. Think cakes that stand up to rich ice cream, gooey coulis and sticky syrup. Try

this lemon version

that's served with a caramel ice cream and poached blackberry syrup and you'll soon get the idea.

Goodbye gluten

Gluten-free carrot and zucchini slab cake

Use a fruity extra virgin olive oil for a more distinct flavour in this light and tender cake. Source: Lyndey Milan's Baking Secrets

Another big plus for olive oil baking is that it soaks into nut flours like a dream. The

carrot cake

above is gluten-free, with added vegetables and walnuts. Olive oil binds it all together beautifully, making for a moist, tempting cake.

French win

This cake couldn't be more simple: one pot of yoghurt, two pots of sugar, three pots of flour, then add eggs and oil. Source: Brett Stevens

The French never miss a trick when it comes to good food, so naturally they have their own version of the

yoghurt and olive oil cake

. Of course, being French and fancy, this one takes a mere 10 minutes to prepare, not 15 as for Italian versions. Et voilà!

Well oiled

Olive oil mashed potatoes

Yoghurt and olive oil bread

White wine and olive oil crackers (taralli al vino)

Pizza rustica with olive oil pastry

No-knead bread with olive oil and chorizo

Chocolate and orange mousse with olive oil and salt

Olive oil braised beans with lemon and tomato (zeytinyağli bakla)

Olive oil poached octopus with cayenne pepper

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SBS Food is a 24/7 foodie channel for all Australians, with a focus on simple, authentic and everyday food inspiration from cultures everywhere. NSW stream only.

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4 min read

Published 17 May 2021 10:29am

Updated 2 August 2023 9:27am

By SBS Food bite-sized

Source: SBS