Olive Oil Berry Cake

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This Olive Oil Berry Cake is moist, flavorful and studded with fresh blueberries. The cake itself is tender and light with a hint of olive oil flavor. Taking 30 minutes to bake, it’s the best summer dessert topped with fresh strawberries, blackberries and dollop of whipped cream. Serve with Baja Fish Tacos and a Summer Rosรฉ Sangria for the perfect meal.

Olive Oil Berry Cake on a counter with berries and a cup of coffee all around.

Whether it’s this Lemon Berry Meringue Trifle, Gluten-Free Strawberry Tart, or these Olive Oil Cake Cookies with Blackberry Frosting, there is nothing better than a dessert made with ripe, juicy summer berries!

Side view of an Olive Oil Berry cake on a plate topped with berries and whipped cream.

Ingredients You’ll Need for Olive Oil Berry Cake

Berries and flour ingredients on a counter for a cake.
  1. Berries – Lightens this cake making it perfect for summer. Fresh blueberries are used in the cake itself and it’s served with sliced strawberries and blackberries.
  2. Olive oil – Lends moisture to the cake that butter can’t. Use a really good quality olive oil- you want to be able to taste its flavor.
  3. Sugar and honey – Adds sweetness and a light floral honey flavor that pairs so well with this rich olive oil cake.
  4. Corn starch – Tossed with fresh blueberries so they will suspend in the cake batter rather than sinking to the bottom. Substitute with tapioca starch if needed.

For the rest of the ingredients, please refer to the recipe index card below!

How to Make an Olive Oil Berry Cake

  1. Mix the dry ingredients together in a medium bowl.
  2. Beat the sugar, eggs and lemon zest together. Then add the olive oil and honey.
  3. Incorporate the dry ingredients and milk by alternating between the two.
  4. Add half the batter to the pan then top with half the berries. Pour over the remaining batter and the rest of the berries.
  5. Bake for 15 minutes, then turn the oven down and bake for another 15-20 minutes. Use a skewer to ensure that the cake has cooked all the way through.
  6. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes then invert onto a wire rack.
  7. Garnish with whipped cream, strawberries and blackberries.

Tips and Tricks

  • Berries – Avoid adding strawberries or blackberries to the cake batter because it will make the cake too wet. Blueberries work perfectly for this recipe.
  • Use cornstarch to stop the berries from sinking – Toss the blueberries with cornstarch or tapioca starch to keep them from sinking to the bottom of the cake as it bakes.
  • Beat the eggs and sugar until it’s pale and fluffy – This helps to create a lighter cake since olive oil can make it dense and heavy.
Side view of an Olive Oil Berry Cake topped with fruit and whipped cream.

Recipe FAQs

What is an olive oil cake?

Olive oil cake is an extremely moist cake that is fine-textured, light and fragrant. Olive oil can be better than butter for cakes because it lends superior moisture over time. They have a tendency to be quite rich so I pair it here with berries to cut through some of that fattiness.

What does it taste like?

It definitely tastes like olive oil but it isn’t heavy, dense or greasy tasting. Think pound cake or sponge cake but with a hint of olive oil flavor.

Cake on a plate.

More Summer Dessert Recipes

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5 from 12 votes

Olive Oil Berry Cake Recipe

Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Total: 45 minutes
Servings: 6 slices
This Olive Oil Berry Cakeย is moist, flavorful and studded with fresh blueberries. The cake itself is tender and light with a hint of olive oil flavor. Taking 30 minutes to bake, itโ€™s the best summer dessert topped with fresh strawberries, blackberries and dollop of whipped cream. Serve withย Baja Fish Tacosย and aย Summer Rosรฉ Sangriaย for the perfect meal.

Equipment

  • 1 (8-inch or 9-inch) cake pan
  • 1 Small mixing bowl
  • 1 Medium-mixing bowl
  • 1 Stand-up Mixer fitted with the paddle attachment

Ingredients 

Olive Oil Berry Cake:

For Serving:

Instructions 

To Make the Berry Olive Oil Cake:

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Rub about a teaspoon of olive oil in a 8-inch or 9-inch cake pan. Line the bottom with a round or parchment and set aside. In a small bowl, toss together the blueberries and corn starch; set aside. 
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. In the bowl of a stand-up mixer with the paddle attachment, (alternatively you could use a medium bowl and an electric hand mixer), add the eggs, sugar and lemon zest. Beat for about 5 minutes, until light, fluffy, and pale yellow.  
  • Pour in the olive oil, honey and mix until combined. Alternating between the milk and dry ingredient mixture, add to the egg mixture until combined.  
  • Add about 1/2 cup of batter to the bottom of the pan (you can eyeball this measurement), and then place a handful of blueberries to the top of the batter. Add the remaining batter and then the rest of the blueberries.  
  • Transfer to the oven and bake for 15 minutes. At the 15-minute mark, turn the oven temperature down to 350 degrees F and bake for a remaining 15 to 20 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.  
  • Allow to cool in the pan for 5 to 10 minutes, before inverting onto a cooling rack and allowing to cool to room temperature.  

To Serve:

  • When youโ€™re ready to serve the cake, add the heavy cream and powdered sugar to the bowl of a stand-up mixer with the whisk attachment. Alternatively, you could use a medium bowl with an electric hand mixer. Whip until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  
  • Add a few dollops of whipped cream to the top of the cake. Place a few berries on top and dust the entire thing with powdered sugar.  

Notes

To Make Ahead:ย 
You can make this cake, allow it to cool to room temperature and then freeze it tightly in plastic wrap. It will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.ย 

Tips and Tricks

  • Berries โ€“ย Avoid adding strawberries or blackberries to the cake batter because it will make the cake too wet. Blueberries work perfectly for this recipe.
  • Use cornstarch to stop the berries from sinking โ€“ย Toss the blueberries with cornstarch or tapioca starch to keep them from sinking to the bottom of the cake as it bakes.
  • Beat the eggs and sugar until itโ€™s pale and fluffy โ€“ย This helps to create a lighter cake since olive oil can make it dense and heavy.
Equipment:ย 
9-inch round cake pan | Olive Oil Dispenser | KitchenAid Stand-Up Mixer |

Nutrition

Serving: 8g | Calories: 627kcal | Carbohydrates: 67g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 38g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 23g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 118mg | Sodium: 343mg | Potassium: 282mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 40g | Vitamin A: 500IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 109mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Cake, Dessert
Cuisine: American
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Cozy Latin-Inspired Comfort Food Recipes

Hi! I'm Adrianna and this is my cozy space on the internet that is super-charged by butter, flour and copious amounts of pasta. Stay awhile, will you!

5 from 12 votes (6 ratings without comment)

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24 Comments

  1. This cake looks so delicious and so beautiful! I wonder if it could be made using different types of berries?

  2. 5 stars
    This cake was so easy to make, delicious and perfect for our Fourth of July celebration. Thanks for sharing this gem.

  3. 5 stars
    Cake was delicious and super simple to make, I made mine in a bundt style pan, and baked it following the instructions, 400F for 15 minutes, and then 350F for 30 minutes, which turned out great but an extra 5-10 minutes would work too. Instead of using the heavy cream for the whip cream I used canned coconut milk instead and just added a splash of vanilla and some icing sugar. Another substitution I made was almond milk instead of whole milk.

  4. 5 stars
    Hello! While cruising along in your website, your Olive Oil Berry Cake caught my attention. Olive Oil Cake??? That sounded a little scary, but then I checked it out further. Here is Hawaii we are so lucky to have fresh fruit year around and I always have strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries on hand. And .. also always have extra heavy whipping cream on hand. So .. I was good to go. Reporting in ~~~ the cake was delicious. Had friends over for dessert and they smacked their lips as they ate every little morsel. Thanks for sharing.

    Aloha … Nancy On Maui