Norecipes - Elevating Everyday Meals

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Start Here
  • Recipes
  • Ingredients
  • About
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Start Here
  • Recipes
  • Ingredients
  • About
×
Home ► Recipes ► American

Blueberry Olive Oil Cake

Updated: 05.25.25 | Marc Matsumoto | 2 Comments

4.80 from 5 votes
With a crisp caramelized crust and tender interior that's redolent of citrus and fruity olive oil, this delicious Blueberry Olive Oil Cake makes for a delightfully summery dessert or a satisfying quick breakfast.
Recipe Video
Mouthwatering blueberry olive oil cake recipe with juicy berries in an olive oil and orange infused cake.

I know it may sound a bit weird at first as we usually associate olive oil with savory foods, but trust me, this Blueberry Olive Oil Cake is no weirder than sea salt caramels. It's also a lot easier to make than cakes using butter as it integrates more readily into the batter. The finished cake is marvelously crisp around the edges and ultra-moist and tender on the inside.

Jump to:
  • Why olive oil?
  • Flavorings and Fruit
  • Texture of the cake
  • How to Mix Olive Oil Cake
  • Variations of Olive Oil Cake
  • 📖 Recipe
  • Comments

Why olive oil?

Baking a cake is a delicate interplay of leavening, starch, sugar, and fat. The fat plays many important roles, and for a lighter cake that still has plenty of flavor, the golden-green oil pressed from olives makes for the perfect fat. Here's just some of what it does for the cake:

  • Moisture - since fat does not evaporate in the oven, it gives a sense of moistness in the cake even after it's been baked. Most cakes use some form of fat, such as butter, egg yolks, or plain vegetable oil for this reason. In this cake, the olive oil helps ensure the cake doesn't get dry, even after it sits for a few days.
  • Texture - Fat is also important in giving cakes their delicate texture. When you add flour and water to a mixture and agitate it, you form an elastic network of gluten. This is what gives doughs their chewy texture. While chewiness is a desirable trait in bread and pasta, it's not a great mouthfeel for cakes, which is where the fat comes in. Fat coats these proteins and impedes the formation of gluten, which is why you can mix this olive oil cake batter without having it turn out like a hockey puck.
  • Flavor - Butter is the usual goto when you want to add a rich, creamy flavor to your cake, but olive oil can also have a smooth buttery flavor, which makes it perfect for some cakes. Just be sure to use a mild fruity extra virgin olive oil that you enjoy the taste of. Bitter, astringent or spicy olive oils can make your cake taste unpleasant. I'm using one called Ardoino Fructus, which comes from the Imperia region of Italy. It gives this Blueberry Olive Oil Cake the perfect buttery flavor.
Ingredients for the best blueberry olive oil cake.

Flavorings and Fruit

Because the olive oil contributes such a wonderful flavor to this cake, you don't need to do too much in the flavor department. The oil I used has a mild fruity flavor that's round and buttery with just a hint of citrus, which is why I decided to go with a bit of orange zest for the flavoring. Lemon zest, vanilla beans, and cinnamon would all be delightful additions to olive oil cake, and you can add them in with the eggs and sugar. A dollop of Meyer Lemon Curd added to a slice of finished cake would add a pop of bright acid and compliment the buttery olive oil.

Texture of the cake

We already touched on the important role that olive oil plays for the texture of the inside of the cake, but what about the outside? I like to give undecorated cakes a nice crust on the outside, so you have something crispy to juxtapose the soft fluffy interior. To do this, I like to line the cake pan with some olive oil and sugar. The oil helps the sugar stick to the side of the pan, while the combination of the two not only prevent the cake from sticking to the pan, they create a sort of caramelized crust that gives your cake a wonderful texture around the edges.

For even more texture, I also sprinkled some very coarse sugar on the bottom of the cake tin. This sugar will not melt completely and gives the bottom of your cake a pleasant crunch as the sugar crystals burst in your mouth.

With just a handful of ingredients, this delectable blueberry olive oil cake is tender and moist on the inside with a crisp sugar crust on the outside.

How to Mix Olive Oil Cake

There aren't a whole lot of ingredients in this cake, but how you combine them will make a big difference in the texture of your finished cake. I borrowed a page from making a French genoise to make this.

First, the eggs and sugar are heated to about 100 degrees F. You don't have to be exact on the temperature; it should be warm, but not hot. Then you whip the mixture into a dense marshmallowy foam that's much more stable than a meringue made with egg whites. The key here is to whip the mix longer than you think it needs to be whipped: 5 minutes is a safe bet.

The foam retains its structure even after incorporating the olive oil and flour, which together with the baking powder gives you some great lift. The resulting batter is viscous enough to hold the blueberries aloft while giving you a beautiful dense crumb that reminds me of a great pound cake.

Once the batter is done, it's just a matter of folding in the berries and popping the cake in the oven until it's cooked through.

Variations of Olive Oil Cake

A blueberry patch near home kept my kitchen stocked with plump, juicy berries this summer, but this olive oil cake is delicious without any berries at all. You can also add other fruit such as chopped up apples, fresh cranberries, blackberries or bananas. Dried fruit such as raisins, currants or blueberries also work well, but I'd recommend rehydrating them in your favorite liquor first.

📖 Recipe

With a crisp sugar crust and tender interior that's redolent of citrus and fruity olive oil, this delicious Blueberry Olive Oil Cake makes for a mouthwatering snack or light breakfast.

Blueberry Olive Oil Cake

4.80 from 5 votes
Print Pin
Prep Time 15 minutes mins
Cook Time 50 minutes mins
Total Time 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins
Yield 12 slices
YouTube video

Units

Ingredients 

  • 24 grams coarse sugar (such as demerara or turbinado)
  • 250 grams all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 4 large eggs
  • 200 grams granulated sugar (+ 1 tablespoon for dusting)
  • ½ orange (zested)
  • 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil (fruity)
  • 320 grams blueberries (fresh or frozen)

Instructions

  • Move your oven rack to the middle position and preheat to 350 degrees F (175 C). Find a pot that will comfortably fit your mixer bowl and then bring some water to a simmer in it.
  • Drizzle some olive oil into a 9-inch springform pan and then use a paper towel to spread it around the pan evenly. Add about a tablespoon of granulated sugar to the pan and then evenly dust the entire inside surface of the pan, so there are no bare spots. Tap out any excess sugar over the sink. Sprinkle the bottom of the pan evenly with the coarse sugar.
    Coarse raw sugar lines the bottom of a springform pan prepared for blueberry olive oil cake.
  • Add the flour, baking powder and salt together in a bowl and whisk to combine.
  • In a heat-safe bowl of an electric mixer, add the eggs and sugar and then add the zest of half an orange into the bowl using a Microplane.
  • Turn off the simmering water and then set your mixer bowl in it. Use a whisk to keep the eggs moving so they don't cook and heat the mixture to about 100 degrees F (38 C).
    Egg and sugar mixture whisked in a double boiled brought to 100 degrees F for blueberry olive cake.
  • When the egg mixture is up to the right temperature, attach it to your mixer and fit the mixer with the whisk attachment. Whisk this on high for 5 minutes. The mixture should turn pale yellow and glossy.
    Whipping eggs and sugar in a silver Kitchen Aid standmixer for blueberry olive oil cake.
  • Turn the mixer down to medium speed and then slowly pour in the olive oil until it is fully incorporated.
    Adding olive oil to the blueberry olive oil cake in a Kitchen Aid stand mixer.
  • Turn the mixer down to low and slowly add the flour mixture until it's just combined (do not overmix).
    Olive oil cake batter with ribbons of batter falling off the whisk attachment of a stand mixer.
  • Fold in the blueberries by hand with a spatula, and pour the batter into the prepared pan.
    Blueberries in olive oil cake batter in a stainless steel bowl.
  • Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out without any liquid batter on it (a few crumbs are okay), about 50-60 minutes.
    Blueberry olive oil cake after baking.
  • Let the olive oil cake cool on a rack for a few minutes before using a knife to separate the cake from the sides of the pan. Let it cool completely before slicing and serving.
Recipes in your inboxDon't miss out SIGN UP!

Nutrition Facts

Calories • 203kcalCarbohydrates • 39gProtein • 4gFat • 3gCholesterol • 54mgSodium • 118mgPotassium • 106mgFiber • 1gSugar • 21gVitamin A • 105IUVitamin C • 5.5mgCalcium • 30mgIron • 1.3mg

Comments

    4.80 from 5 votes (4 ratings without comment)

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




  1. Kathy Stroup says

    October 29, 2023 at 8:15 am

    5 stars
    Another stunning dessert, Marc! And so easy! I can't remember making a more flavorful, fluffy, satisfying cake ever. I can't believe how quickly it came together! The small amount of time and simple ingredients really belies these superb results. Another sleeper. I'm going to try it with cranberries next time.

    How could you possibly know how long this cake can keep?!? It's not going to last the weekend; it's THAT good!

    Reply
    • Marc Matsumoto says

      October 29, 2023 at 8:55 am

      Thanks Kathy! I love the idea of using cranberries! Perfect for autumn!

      Reply
Marc Matsumoto

Welcome!

I’m Marc Matsumoto, a former chef raising a family in Tokyo, Japan. I believe anyone can become a great cook with the right ingredients and a few techniques, so I created No Recipes to help you unlock your culinary potential!

Start Here

Check out my member site for access to my secret stash of easy original recipes that I cook for my family!

Take a Peak →

Trending Recipes

  • A plate of homemade Japanese yakisoba (stir-fried ramen noodles) with pork cabbage, onions and benishoga (red pickled ginger).
    Yakisoba
  • Closeup of a plate of homemade California rolls filled with crab, avocado and cucumber wrapped in tangy sushi rice and nori.
    California Roll
  • Black Pepper Beef is a classic Chinese stir-fry made with beef, onions, and peppers.
    Black Pepper Beef
  • With spaghetti and spicy cod roe in a creamy sauce, this Mentaiko Pasta is a classic Japanese-Italian mashup that's as easy to make as it is delicous.
    Creamy Mentaiko Pasta
  • Salmon Onigiri split in half showing tender salted salmon flakes wrapped in a fluffy layer of Japanese short grain rice.
    Salmon Onigiri
  • Easy onigiri rice ball recipe stuffed with a delicious mix of canned tuna, mayonnaise and soy sauce.
    Tuna Mayo Onigiri

Trending Categories

  • Easy Japanese Recipes
  • Ramen
  • Summer
  • Japanese (Modern)
  • Japanese (Traditional)
  • Japanese (Chinese)

Footer

About

  • About
  • Help Me
  • Hire Me
  • Photography
  • FAQs

Connect

  • Email Updates
  • Contact

Legal

  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy

Copyright © 2024 Marc Matsumoto. All rights reserved

  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Email
  • Reddit
  • Flipboard

Rate This Recipe

Your vote:




A rating is required
A name is required
An email is required

Recipe Ratings without Comment

Something went wrong. Please try again.