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[1] Olive oil cake. Here’s the recipe from Lucero Olive Oil.
[2] This charming polenta (cornmeal) olive oil cake is packed with grapes. Here’s the recipe from Cake Keeper Cakes | Amazon.
[3] How about a chocolate cake? Here’s the recipe from Smitten Kitchen.
[4] Banana Chocolate Chunk Muffins with olive oil. Here’s the recipe from How Sweet Eats.
[5] Check your olive oil for freshness. Uncap the bottle and give the oil a sniff test. If you’re still not sure, taste a tiny bit (photo © North American Olive Oil Association).
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It’s still the month for resolutions: our annual plan to make one change to improve our eating patterns.
Adding more extra virgin olive oil to your life is one way, switching out less healthy fats.
EVOO is a heart-healthy fat, high in polyphenols. It can lends extra flavor and textures to your favorite dishes.
We’ve long been substituting EVOO for butter in cooking, but not in baking. Until now.
One way to make cakes, muffins and quick breads more guilt-free is to switch out the butter for olive oil.
Using olive oil in baked goods may seem strange to Americans, but it’s the fat used for baking in Greece, Italy, southern France and the other olive oil-rich lands around the Mediterranean.
EVOO adds a nuanced flavor to baked goods, keeps cakes moist, and adds a luscious crumbly texture to crumbles.
HOW TO SUBSTITUTE OLIVE OIL FOR BUTTER
To substitute butter, as a general rule of thumb, use 3/4 the amount of butter. If a baking recipe calls for a stick (8 tablespoons) of butter, use 6 tablespoons of olive oil.
You can also substitute olive oil 1:1 in recipes that call for less expensive, less nutritious oils, such as canola and vegetable oils.
Some baking recipes will call specifically for extra virgin olive oil, but you can also use regular supermarket olive oil, called “olive oil” or “pure olive oil.” (The difference is in the acidity.)
If you have a fine palate, you’ll notice the difference in flavor; but you don’t need to buy EVOO if you don’t already have it.
Use a mild olive oil. If you’d like to impart more of an olive oil flavor into your baked goods, you can move up the flavor scale to a more flavorful oil.
An olive oil with buttery notes can mimic the flavor of the butter that it is replacing.
A chocolate cake can stand up to the bitterness and pungency of a medium or robust EVOO.
You can use flavored olive oil, too. There are recipes below that use lemon, and rosemary olive oils.
The only time olive oil is not an acceptable substitute for solid fats like butter is in recipes that require a lot of creaming of the butter and sugar, e.g., for super light and fluffy cakes, or when the fat needs to stay solid, as in a frosting [source].
WHERE TO BEGIN
It’s easy to find recipes for olive oil cakes.
It’s not only about the sweet. Here are savory recipes for quick breads and skillet cornbread.
Banana Muffins With Chocolate Chunks
Chocolate Olive Oil Cake
Dark Chunk Loaf With Olive Oil
Dense Olive Oil Cake With Orange & Mint
Maialino’s Olive Oil Cake
Olive Oil Polenta (Cornmeal) Cake With Grapes
Lemon Olive Oil Poppyseed Muffins
Olive Oil Cornmeal Cake With Lemon Olive Oil
Olive Oil Marmalade Cake With Orange Olive Oil
Olive Oil Citrus Cake
Orange Olive Oil Cake With Greek Yogurt & Grand Marnier
Pistachio Olive Oil Cake With Rosemary Olive Oil
MORE ABOUT OLIVE OIL
Check Your Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Glossary Of Olive Oil Terms
How To Taste & Evaluate Olive Oil
More Uses For EVOO
Overview Of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Sensory Wheel: The Different Flavors & Aromas Of Olive Oil
Why You Should Switch To Olive Oil
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