Recipes Desserts Cakes Italian Olive Oil Cake 4.8 (13) 13 Reviews 7 Photos This fragrant olive oil cake is made from scratch with a mild olive oil instead of butter, and trust me, it works really, really well! It's flavored with honey and orange zest. This cake recipe requires very little effort and almost no technique. Serve with fresh berries or a fresh berry sauce. By John Mitzewich John Mitzewich John Mitzewich — aka Chef John — has produced more than 1,500 cooking videos for Allrecipes. He's the actor, director, and screenwriter whose hands and voice confidently walk you through techniques. Allrecipes' editorial guidelines Updated on November 3, 2023 Save Rate Print Share Add Photo 7 7 7 7 Prep Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 1 hr Additional Time: 1 hr Total Time: 2 hrs 15 mins Servings: 10 Jump to Nutrition Facts Jump to recipe If you've never had any luck making a decent cake from scratch and have resigned yourself to being one of those "box cake people," then this simple, easy Italian olive oil cake is for you. Unlike other methods requiring multiple steps and precise techniques, this unusual-sounding cake is made by dumping everything in a bowl and whisking. If you're hesitant to try this because olive oil doesn't sounds like something you make cake with, I can promise you it works amazingly well. The subtle bitterness, and vegetal notes of the olive oil pairs wonderfully with the orange zest, and when balanced with the sweetness in the cake, there's absolutely nothing off-putting about it. Notes From the Chef Of course, if you wanted, this method could be done with melted butter instead. But in that case, we must insist you change the name.For best results, choose a mild, buttery style of olive oil. You can also mix half olive oil and half canola oil as an alternative.As far as enjoying your olive oil cake to its fullest potential, there's nothing like serving it with fresh fruit, in whole, or sauce form, and I really loved this with the blackberries. In fact, I was thinking about doing a version that includes the fruit in the cake batter itself, but that experiment will have to wait until next blackberry season.Cake should be kept in the fridge. In the meantime, I really hope you give this simple, almost foolproof cake a try soon. Enjoy! More recipes: Try the latest and greatest recipes from Chef John! Cook Mode (Keep screen awake) Ingredients 1x 2x 4x Oops! Something went wrong. Our team is working on it. Original recipe (1X) yields 10 servings 3 cups all-purpose flour 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt 1 teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon baking soda 3 large eggs 1 ¾ cups white sugar 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing 1 cup whole milk 1 tablespoon honey 2 tablespoons freshly grated orange zest (2 oranges) 1 tablespoon powdered sugar for dusting (Optional) Directions Gather all ingredients. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). ALLRECIPES / SONIA BOZZO Line the bottom of a springform pan with a round piece of parchment paper and generously grease with olive oil. Grease the sides of the pan with olive oil as well. ALLRECIPES / SONIA BOZZO Combine flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a bowl; whisk together until evenly combined. ALLRECIPES / SONIA BOZZO Combine eggs, sugar, olive oil, milk, honey, and orange zest in a second bowl. Starting slowly at first, whisk together until mixture is smooth. Stir in flour mixture until everything is just mixed together and flour has disappeared. Do not overmix. ALLRECIPES / SONIA BOZZO Pour batter into the prepared pan and tap pan a few times against the work surface to remove any air bubbles. ALLRECIPES / SONIA BOZZO Bake in the preheated oven until the cake is browned on the surface and a wooden skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 60 to 70 minutes. Make sure to not overbake. ALLRECIPES / SONIA BOZZO Transfer cake to a wire rack and allow to cool for 30 minutes. Loosen edge of the cake by running a knife around the sides of the pan. Remove from the pan and allow to cool completely, another 30 minutes. Dust with powdered sugar if desired. ALLRECIPES / SONIA BOZZO Serve and enjoy! ALLRECIPES / SONIA BOZZO I Made It Print Nutrition Facts (per serving) 517 Calories 25g Fat 67g Carbs 7g Protein Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label Nutrition Facts Servings Per Recipe 10 Calories 517 % Daily Value * Total Fat 25g 32% Saturated Fat 4g 21% Cholesterol 58mg 19% Sodium 431mg 19% Total Carbohydrate 67g 24% Dietary Fiber 1g 4% Protein 7g 13% Potassium 100mg 2% * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs. ** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data. (-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.