Olive Oil Cake

This is a perfect “anytime” cake. I’ve served it at backyard barbecues, holiday gatherings, brunches, and family dinners and it always fits right in. In fact, this cake has become a bit of a crutch for me because it’s one of the easiest desserts I know and everyone always loves it.

It comes together in a single bowl, and you’ll find most of the ingredients in your pantry, but anything you don’t have on hand is easy to find at any grocery store. I always serve this cake with lightly sweetened whipped cream and fruit, jam, or compote. 

You can’t go wrong with seasonal fruit: stewed rhubarb in the spring, fresh berries or stone fruit in summer, sautéed apples or fresh figs in the fall. Even in winter, I’ve served this cake with citrus segments or whatever preserves I have knocking around in the fridge.

Olive oil cake stays moist for days, and I enjoy leftover slices gently toasted in a nonstick skillet for breakfast (no need to add oil—the cake itself contains enough to toast nicely on its own).

Some Tips:

• Use “nice” olive oil for this cake—anything other than extra-virgin need not apply. Because some EVOOs can be rather peppery (delicious for salad dressings, less so for cake), choose an oil with a fruity or buttery flavor, such as Arbequina.
• You can replace the citrus juice with orange liqueur for a boozy olive oil cake.
• If you don’t have a springform pan, a deep 9-inch cake pan will work, though it will be harder to unmold the baked cake.