Last May my husband and I went to Italy. It was a magical two weeks spent sightseeing the most beautiful cities, touring countryside and taking fabulous cooking classes. I was in heaven. I honestly think if I didn’t have children and grandchildren here in the states, I could pack in all in and move to Italy, spending the rest of my days eating fresh vegetables, pizza, pasta and of course…Traditional Olive Oil Cake!
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Traditional Olive Oil Cake:

There are hundreds of recipes for olive oil cake online and most are very similar. Extremely similar in fact. My theory is, why mess with perfection? Olive oil cake is made with the usual cake ingredients but also includes olive oil, used in place of butter. This cake is naturally flavored with orange zest and freshly squeezed orange juice. 

That Crispy Sliced Almond Topping:

Before baking, the batter is topped with almond slices so the cake has a crispy, nutty top.

 
You can serve as is, or top the cake with assorted berries, peaches, grapes, whatever is in season!

 
A light dusting of powdered sugar makes this cake look delicate and elegant.

 
Just beautiful! The flavors of sweet fruit and rich olive oil are an exquisite pair.

Love Cake Topped with Berries? 

Try my Lemon Cake with Blackberries!

The Recipe: Traditional Olive Oil Cake

You will need: a 9 inch non stick cake pan and a microplane for zesting the orange. (affiliate links).

5 from 1 vote

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Traditional Olive Oil Cake

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

30 mins

Total Time

40 mins

 

This is an Old Italian cake recipe that was passed down from my great, great, great Grandma…. oh wait I am Danish. Okay it was passed down thru some Italians I don’t know, but it is good! It’s a moist, yellow cake and tastes great dusted with just a little powdered sugar and berries.

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: classic recipe, easy dessert recipe, holiday recipe

Servings: 10 servings

Author: Linda Spiker

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon butter (to grease pan)
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
• 1 1/4 cup sugar
• 3 teaspoons orange zest
• 1 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil
• 3 large eggs
• 2 tablespoon s freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
• 3/4 cup full fat buttermilk
• ½ cup sliced almonds
• confectioners sugar, for dusting
• assorted berries or peaches or whatever fruit you prefer to top cake

Instructions

1. Place oven rack in center position. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Use a paper towel to wipe sides of cake pan with butter. Cut a circle of parchment paper to fit in the bottom of pan, set aside.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together: flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

3. Place granulated sugar and orange zest in a large bowl, whisk. Add olive oil, buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla, whisk until combined. Add orange juice and whisk. Add dry ingredients, whisking until well incorporated and batter is smooth. Pour batter into parchment lined pan. Sprinkle with almonds. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

4. Remove from oven and immediately use a knife to separate cake from the edges of pan. Allow cake to cool. Flip pan, remove cake, peel parchment off bottom of cake and place on cake plate. Use a screen colander of sifter to sprinkle cake with powdered sugar. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

If desired decorate with fresh berries or sliced peaches. 

Such a simple and lovely dessert! If you would like to receive beautiful FREE recipes like this one weekly, please sign up for my recipe newsletter (just under my picture in the right sidebar.) ~ Linda Spiker

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