Olive Oil Cake (Torta all’Olio d’Oliva)

January 27, 2021

“Can’t you come up with another name?”

That was my husband’s response when I said I was going to post a recipe for olive oil cake.

I suggested the Italian, Torta all’Olio d’Oliva.  He wasn’t amused.

I guess he thinks the idea of olive oil in cake isn’t appetizing.

Nonetheless, the cake is a staple in regions surrounding the Mediterranean Sea.  And a delicious one, at that!

Oranges at a biodynamic citrus grove in Calabria near the Italian Culinary Institute

There are endless variations.  Some are thin, barely an inch tall.  Some are savory-sweet.  Some barely reveal the presence of olive oil.  Others proclaim the flavor of olive oil loudly.  Some are good for snacking (with tea or coffee).  And a few are actually good enough to serve for dessert with no embellishment.


Join our mailing list and you’ll never miss a recipe again!


Then there’s the olive oil to consider.  Even among really good extra-virgin olive oils, and I do suggest you use really good extra-virgin olive oil, there is a range of flavor profiles.  Words like grassy, bitter, peppery, fruity, and buttery come to mind.

Which you use will influence the flavor of the cake.  All will be good but some may be more to your liking than others.

Freshly grated orange zest is key to the flavor of this olive oil cake

Honestly, though, does the world need another recipe for Torta all’Olio d’Oliva?

That’s a rhetorical question, right?

I mean, really, we wouldn’t ask if the world needed another recipe for chocolate cake.  We’d just lean into it and make it happen.

If you’ve never had olive oil cake, and if you like to bake, I suggest giving this version a try.  It has a moist crumb, crunchy top (from brown sugar), and a hint of orange from orange zest and orange liqueur.


Follow us on your social media platform of choice

           


This cake is suitable as dessert, not just snacking.  It’s not going to be a spectacle of a dessert, like the Maraschino Cherry Cake I made from the first edition Betty Crocker Picture Cookbook, but I believe it will surprise many of your guests with just how good it is.

Large crystals of brown sugar, such as Turbinado or Zucchero di Canna add crunch to the top of the cake

Now for the apology:  I prefer to cook, and I DEFINITELY prefer to bake, using the metric system.  It’s just so much easier to scale recipes up and down.  Also, among professional bakers, most ingredients are weighed, even liquids.  Without a scale that measures in fractions of a gram, however, it is not practical to weigh small amounts of ingredients like baking powder and salt.  For these, I stick to teaspoons and tablespoons when I publish recipes though I often weigh these ingredients, too.  Remember, though, that a standard teaspoon is now treated as if it were 5 ml, and a tablespoon 15 ml, even though both are just a smidge less, at least in America.

We picked a few oranges for a course on preserves at the Italian Culinary Institute

Although the recipe app will convert metric measures to non-metric, I’ll be happy to supply anyone with ingredient quantities in the typical volume-based American system upon request.

Print Recipe
Olive Oil Cake (Torta all’Olio d’Oliva)
This is a cake which definitely benefits from sitting, tightly covered, at room temperature for two days before serving. The flavors mellow and the olive oil diffuses throughout the cake. For the topping, use a brown sugar that is not soft and moist but rather granular. Use a good quality orange liqueur such as Arancello (sometimes called orangecello in the United States) or Grand Marnier.
Votes: 0
Rating: 0
You:
Rate this recipe!
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 60 minutes
Passive Time 2 hours
Servings
people
Ingredients
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 60 minutes
Passive Time 2 hours
Servings
people
Ingredients
Votes: 0
Rating: 0
You:
Rate this recipe!
Instructions
  1. Oil a 9” springform pan with olive oil.
  2. Cover the bottom with parchment and oil the parchment.
  3. Sprinkle the pan with sugar and dump out the excess. Even if you spread out the oil precisely it will tend to bead up, unlike butter, so there will be some sugar clumps. Don't be concerned.
  4. Combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix well and reserve.
  5. Combine the liqueur, lemon juice and vanilla. Reserve.
  6. In a planetary mixer, using the whisk, beat the sugar, eggs and orange zest on high speed until thick and ribbon-like, approximately 3-4 minutes.
  7. Still on high speed, slowly drizzle in the olive oil and beat until fully incorporated.
  8. The batter should get thicker.
  9. On low speed, add the flour mixture, in three additions, alternating with the liquid mixture, in two additions, starting and ending with flour. Scrape the bowl once or twice to ensure an even mix.
  10. Pour into the prepared springform pan.
  11. Sprinkle the top with brown sugar.
  12. Bake at 350°F until brown, firm on top, and a cake tester comes out clean; approximately 60 minutes. Do not underbake the cake or it will fall as it cools.
  13. Cool the cake for 15 minutes in the pan then poke the top all over with a skewer.
  14. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil on the cake and allow it to absorb.
  15. Remove the side of the pan and cool completely.
  16. When the cake is cool, remove it from the base of the springform pan. Wrap it in plastic and allow to rest at room temperature for at least one day, preferably two, before serving.
Recipe Notes

Copyright © 2021 by Villa Sentieri, LLC. All rights reserved.

Share this Recipe