June 12, 2013

Olive Oil for Dessert? A Recipe for Olive Oil Cake with Cherry Topping

Click for Reciep for Olive Oil Cake with Cherry Topping
Gluten Free Olive Oil Cake with Cherry Topping



 Growing up my mother used a lot of olive oil. Pesto was one of her favorite dishes and I loved the smell and taste of the basil and olive oil together. She did use vegetable oil for some of her baking and recipes, but olive oil was always her favorite. As I got older I thought it was funny that suddenly olive oil became all the rage with foodies. I never realized that it wasn't popular since my mother loved shopping the Italian grocery stores back home and it was always a staple on our table. Now that I bake and cook for my family I have come to realize that not everyone buys the giant size of olive oil at the big box stores and uses it quicker than I am willing to admit. There are few things that compare to a simple dish with the right amount of extra virgin olive oil. Especially in the summer, it just seems natural. While many people know about cooking with olive oil, my mother introduced me to the idea of baking with it as well. It is a great substitute for butter or vegetable oil in many recipes and adds a nice buttery taste to cakes. Today I tried a new recipe for Olive Oil Cake from the July 2013 issue of Food and Wine magazine.

This recipe has 9 ingredients. It takes 50 minutes of total time, 20 minutes of which is active and makes 12 servings. I did make a number of significant changes to the original recipe. First since I eat gluten free I used a combination of almond meal (flour) and potato starch. I used 3/4 of a cup of potato starch and 1 cup of almond flour. I didn't have whole milk, so I substituted half and half. For the zest I used 1 lemon since I wasn't sure if my kids would be fans of a strong lemon flavor. Finally, I made a topping that the original recipe did not include. I have had frozen cherries in my freezer for a couple of months and I figured that they would be a great accompaniment to the cake. Instead of adding vanilla like the recipe I followed stated I substituted almond extract. There is something about cherries that screams almond extract to me.

Baking gluten free can oftentimes be very hit or miss, so I wasn't sure what to expect with this recipe. I was happy when it came out and it had actually risen like a regular wheat flour cake and the crust was nicely browned. My two boys really loved the cake and have already eaten half of it by the time I am writing this. This cake would be great either as written or gluten free and is a nice way to bake with olive oil.

For the recipes go to Olive Oil Cake and Cherry Topping.

48 comments:

  1. I think this sounds delicious! Last summer, my husband and I stayed in a B&B where they served an olive-oil muffin with the breakfast; I think it was more savory, maybe made with thyme or another herb. But I loved the flavor of the olive oil, and the texture was beautiful.

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    1. My mom made olive oil muffins, they are yummy I agree. The olive oil gives baked goods a nice buttery taste. The muffins at the B&B sound great!

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  2. This sounds yummy! I plan on making it, sans the almond extract (am allergic. Thanks for sharing!!

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    1. One of my cousins couldn't eat almonds or anything with almond extract. His mom was always making substitutions. The sauce would work fine as the original recipe made it (with vanilla extract). I am always having to make modifications to everything since gluten and I don't get along :)

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  3. This cake sounds delicious! I have never used olive oil in baking before, but think I'll try this recipe and give it a try~ Lynn

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    1. Olive oil can be really great in baking. It sounds a little different, but it really just tastes like butter :)

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  4. I've heard of substituting olive oil for butter, but I've never actually tried it. I bet it's really good, though.

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    1. This has both butter and olive oil. My guess is for texture, since butter tends to be a little more binding than olive oil. It really was delicious!

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  5. This sounds delicious! The texture of the cake looks so velvety. I have pinned this one!

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    1. Thanks for the pin :) The texture really was great!

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  6. We love Olive Oil in our house too! And when it's on sale we load up! Great recipe. Will absolutely be trying this one.

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  7. Funny I just made a loaf today that was olive oil and I used gluten free flour and it worked really well. I grew up with a big tin container of olive oil in our pantry. When I bought one when I got married my husband was shocked at how much olive oil I used in my cooking.. it's all good. Great looking cake.

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    1. My husband was a little surprised by the amount of olive oil I use too! Olive oil works really well in bread, I bet your loaf was delicious!

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  8. Olive Oil is very healthy! I am trying to avoid sugar, so I can't make this for me anytime soon. I do have to make a dessert for the baseball banquet this week. It looks really fantastic! I love all your recipes!

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    1. Thanks for the sweet comments :) You could probably use a sugar substitute instead. My mother had diabetes growing up, so I understand about avoiding sugar!

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  9. I love and use olive oil but have never had an olive oil cake before. This is definitely a recipe that I'm willing to try. My kids LOVE cakes and if they love this then this will definitely be a keeper.

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  10. OMG that look so good. Never had olive oil in cake, and since I am dieting and training for a Warrior dash I need to behave!

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    1. Thanks :) Maybe when you are done with your training you can treat yourself to a yummy dessert!

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    1. It did come out really moist, the texture was terrific!

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  12. OOH, this looks yummy...course, I will have to do some Vegan-odifications. Almond milk and applesauce in place of cow's milk and eggs. But I can't wait to try it out. Thanks for sharing. ;)

    www.WhatVeganKidsEat.com

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    1. It would work fine with modifications. It's a pretty forgiving recipe, I had no problems making it gluten free.

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  13. That picture looks perfect. We've always had Olive Oil in our house too, way before it was trendy. ;)

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    1. Thanks :) It's funny what food trends come in when they have been used by many people for many generations!

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  14. OK, this looks amazing. I think I could eat just about anything with olive oil in it!

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    1. I think I could eat just about anything with olive oil in it too!

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  15. I never would have thought to make an Olive Oil cake! It looks really yummy!

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  16. Hi this looks amazing and must try it. I have just had dessert but the picture makes me wish I had that instead of my yoghurt, strawberries and a little bit of dark chocolate.

    It is always a good sign when the kids finish the food. You know it is a winner then. :)

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    1. Your dessert sounds yummy to me, I love dark chocolate :)

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  17. This sounds absolutely delicious....gotta say, though, your picture is much more inviting than the one on their site. Yours makes me want a piece NOW! :)



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    1. You're sweet :) Some of my photos turn out better than others. Plus some dishes naturally photograph better!

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  18. Nice Gluten Free cake option. I love that your mom cooked with olive oil-she was so ahead of her time. One smart mama!

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  19. Well, thanks for educating me. It has never occurred to me to bake with olive oil. I use it a lot for meal preparation but never baking. Would I just substitute it in place of any oil or butter in any recipe? Oh and you cake looks delicious - I'm definitely going to make it.
    Lori @ A Bright and Beautiful Life
    www.abrightandbeautifullife.com

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    1. It really depends on the recipe. I don't normally substitute straight if the recipe has butter. I cut down on the amount of oil so if there as a cup of butter I would only add 3/4 cup of olive oil. Thanks for the sweet comment :)

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  20. This sounds so yummy!! You're right about cherries and almond extract, they go together!
    Thanks for sharing on Foodie Friday

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    1. They do go so well together! Thanks for hosting :)

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  21. Your recipe is being featured on foodie friday today. Stop by and get your featured button. I will be pinning and tweeting it this week too.

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  22. I always thought olive oil was a no-no in baking, but my sister accidentally used it in a batch of brownies once and I didn't think they were bad at all!

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    1. It can work really well in baking and it's heart healthy which is always nice!

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