Olive Oil Citrus Cake With Macerated Strawberries
This olive-oil citrus cake is everything a modern dessert should be: bright, moist and effortlessly elevated. Extra-virgin olive oil creates a tender crumb that stays soft for days, while fresh orange and lemon zest add a fragrant lift. Macerated strawberries add juicy sweetness, and an optional silky Mascarpone Cream adds decadence.
Ingredients
Cake
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour spooned and levelled
- ½ cup finely ground almonds or all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- 1⅓ cups granulated sugar
- 2 tsp orange zest
- 2 tsp lemon zest
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ⅔ cup whole or 2% milk
- ⅓ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
- 1½ tsp vanilla or ½ tsp almond extract
Glaze
- 3½ tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice
Macerated Strawberries
- 2 cups sliced or quartered strawberries
- 3 tsp granulated sugar
- 2 tsp orange liqueur or 1 tsp vanilla optional
Mascarpone Cream
- ½ cup mascarpone
- 1 cup 35% whipping cream
- 3 tbsp icing sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- Pinch kosher salt optional
Instructions
Olive Oil Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Mist 9-in (23-cm) springform pan with cooking spray; line bottom with parchment paper. Dust with flour, tapping out excess.
- In bowl, whisk together flour, almonds, baking powder, salt and baking soda.
- In large bowl, rub sugar with orange zest and lemon zest until fragrant. Add eggs; whisk until light in colour, about 30 seconds. Whisk in oil, milk, orange juice and vanilla. Add flour mixture, whisking until smooth. Scrape into prepared pan.
- Bake until golden brown and cake tester inserted in centre comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Run paring knife around edge; let cool in pan on rack for 15 minutes.
Orange Glaze
- Meanwhile, in small saucepan, bring sugar and orange juice to a boil over medium heat; cook until thickened, 1 minute.
- Remove collar from cake; transfer cake to rack. Brush glaze over side and top of warm cake.
Macerated Strawberries
- Meanwhile, in bowl, combine strawberries, sugar and orange liqueur (if using); let stand at room temperature, stirring a few times.
Mascarpone Cream
- Meanwhile, in bowl, using an electric mixer, beat mascarpone with whipping cream and icing sugar on medium until light, smooth and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in vanilla and salt (if using).
- Serve cake with mascarpone cream, a drizzle of olive oil and prepared strawberries.
Notes
Tips:
One of the keys to making this dreamy olive oil cake is using a high-quality extra-virgin olive oil with fruity notes to highlight the citrus.
Plan ahead if you’re serving this cake at a gathering: It will magically improve when kept at room temperature for up to five days.