Baking Dessert French

Olive oil cake

Name: Olive oil cake recipe
Yield: 8
Cuisine: /french
Ingredients: Softened unsalted butter, to grease; 65g plain flour, plus extra, for the pan; 150g caster sugar; Finely grated zest of 3 lemons; 115g almond flour; 2 tsp baking powder; 5 large eggs; 60ml milk; 250ml olive oil

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by delicious. team

delicious. team

Apr 09, 2025

“This is a simple, everyday cake, one you can whip up by hand with very little effort. You can also top your cake with fruit compote. Start with any fresh red fruits you prefer (or any fruit you’d like, really!), and however much you have on hand. Slice them into bite-size pieces, if they’re larger. Always add lemon and a pinch of salt. Add just a little sugar, because you really don’t need much – just ¼ cup (55g) sugar for about 680g sliced fruit is a good starting point for topping something like this cake. Stir it all together in a beautiful bowl and let it sit until the fruit releases its juices, about 30 minutes. Then sweeten or add more lemon to taste. Serve it next to the cake or piled on top.” – Marjorie Taylor and Kendall Smith Franchini

You'll need a 23cm round cake pan.

This is an edited extract from French at Heart by Marjorie Taylor and Kendall Smith Franchini. Published by Abrams, AUD $59.99. Photography by Anson Smart.

Softened unsalted butter, to grease
65g plain flour, plus extra, for the pan
150g caster sugar
Finely grated zest of 3 lemons
115g almond flour
2 tsp baking powder
5 large eggs
¼ cup (60ml) milk
1 cup (250ml) extra virgin olive oil

Method

1.

Preheat oven to 175°C/155°C fan-forced.
2.

Place a piece of baking paper on a cutting board and set a 23cm round cake pan on top. Holding pan securely with one hand, use a paring knife to trace around pan and cut a round of paper to fit the bottom of pan. Grease base and sides of pan with butter, then place paper round in the base. Butter the baking paper. Dust base and sides of pan with plain flour, tapping out any excess.
3.

Combine the sugar and lemon zest in a large bowl and use your fingers to rub together until mixture is evenly yellow and fragrant. Add plain and almond flours, baking powder and a pinch of salt flakes and whisk until no lumps remain.
4.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk and oil just until well combined. Add egg mixture to flour mixture, whisking constantly until smooth. Pour batter into the prepared cake pan.
5.

Bake until cake is golden and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean, 35-40 minutes, rotating the pan front to back halfway through baking.
6.

Remove cake from pan. Set pan on a wire rack to cool completely. Place a wire rack on top of the pan, invert the rack and the pan together, and remove the pan and the baking paper. Invert the cake again onto a serving platter.
7.

Serve with your choice of topping, such as a fruit compote, preserved cherries or a dusting of icing sugar.