I love an olive oil cake for the texture and flavor. Olive oil lends an earthy, sophisticated flair to a very simple cake. Add the savory note of rosemary and you’re practically transported to a Tuscan vineyard. A big pile of softly whipped cream and berries or supremed orange segments makes for a cake worthy of brunch, dessert, or even a decadent breakfast.
This recipe is by Lidey Hueck from her delightful new book, Cooking in Real Life. No wonder Ina Garten and Erin French took her into their kitchens, where she learned from the best.
Her career is one we dream about in culinary school, to work beside the greats. It was not the stove that brought her on this path, she was originally hired to sit behind a desk, but as is true for so many of us, food became her obsession.
There are many roads to a career; hers is both charmed and full of treasures. I find her recipes have that vibe as well. The title of her debut book says it all, Cooking in Real Life, which to me means we can pull off the recipes and keep going with our busy days. This olive oil cake is so quick and easy to make, as well as being super delicious.
Giveaway
[GIVEAWAY CLOSED! Congratulations to our three winners: Sheila, Steph, and Nancy!]
I’m thrilled to give away 3 copies of Cooking in Real Life! To enter, comment below and tell me about your go-to recipe (savory or sweet!). Must be 18 years of age to enter with a US address. Contest ends Sunday, April 28 at 11:59 p.m. central time. We’ll contact the winner via email shortly thereafter. You must respond to claim your prize within 48 hours or we’ll select a new winner.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (230g) extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 4-inch fresh rosemary sprigs
- Nonstick cooking spray with flour, for the pan
- 1 1/2 cups (300g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup (160g) sour cream
- Grated zest of 2 lemons
- 1/3 cup (80g) freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
- 2 cups (260g) all-purpose flour, plus more for greasing the pan
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- Lightly sweetened whipped cream or confectioners’ sugar, for serving
- 3 small oranges for serving (optional)
Instructions
- In a small skillet or saucepan, combine the oil and rosemary sprigs. Bring to a simmer over medium heat until the rosemary begins to sizzle, then turn the heat to its lowest setting and cook for 5 minutes. Set aside to cool for 20 minutes, then discard the rosemary sprigs and pour the oil into a large bowl.
- Meanwhile, position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9-inch round cake pan at least 2 inches deep with cooking spray, and line the bottom with parchment paper, then flour the sides.
- Add the sugar to the bowl with the rosemary oil and whisk until combined. Add the eggs and whisk vigorously until thick and glossy. Add the vanilla, sour cream, lemon zest, and lemon juice and whisk until smooth.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and whisk gently until only small lumps remain. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake until the edges of the cake are golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean, 55 minutes to 1 hour. Let cool for 30 minutes in the pan before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- Serve the cake at room temperature, with lightly sweetened whipped cream or a sprinkle of confectioners’ sugar and the orange segments, if using. Store covered at room temperature for up to 3 days.
My go to bake recently is a Kansas sunflower bread recipe from King Arthur Flour. But I love, love it he Zoe Bakes Cakes cookbook!
This looks simple but elegant and the flavor sounds delicious. My go to recipe is a Browned Butter Sourdough Discard Chocolate Chip Cookie with Walnuts. Everyone I’ve made them for absolutely loves them and can’t stop at one.
My go to for all around savory
(and comfort) is:
Baking from scratch,
a Rosmary and Green Olive Bread. Aroma, playing with dough, and savory thoughts of eating it at a long wooden table in the shade in Tuscany!
I savor the thought!
☀️
My go-to family favorite recipe is my mom’s homemade spaghetti. My adult children still request it for their birthday dinner.
O I can wait to make this! Love a good olive oil cake ☺️✨ My favorite go to recipe is a Thai papaya salad! Love the crispy crunchy texture, the yummy flavor and the excited surprise on my friends faces when they come over for dinner and that’s the star of the night!
This looks like a yummy spring treat! Can’t wait to try it!
For savory, my go-to recipe is a simple miso salmon that only needs two hours of marinating then you pop it under the broiler and serve it with jasmine rice and a steamed veggie like bok choy. So good! For sweet, I like an ancient lemon bar recipe that I think came from the LA Times, or a rhubarb crisp (when I can find rhubarb in Southern California!) Thank you for the recipe…I love olive oil cake!
Looks delicious – lately I have been craving Aaron Sanchez’s Mexican Brownies – that bit of chili or cayenne just puts them over the top.
My go-to recipe is the No Fuss Focaccia from King Arthur Flour Company. I top it with Everything Bagel Seasoning. I am always welcome at get together when I come bearing this.
I always have World Peace cookies close by. They are a deep, dark chocolate cookie, somewhat like a sable. From Dorie and David.
Coffeecake is hands down my go-to recipe for a dinner that has snuck up on me! It’s easy to mix together, you can bake it while you do other things, and it always turns out yummy.
My go-to recipe is chicken stir fry. You can add whatever veggies are in the fridge.
My go to recipe is a chocolate chip bread pudding. It was a recipe given to me by my cousin and my husbands family would be so upset if I didn’t make it for our annual holiday party.
Hi Nancy! You are one of our three winners. We just sent you an email. Please respond back within 48 hours to claim your prize!
Chewy Bard!
My go to dessert is pistachio cake! It’s delicious and versatile – breakfast, book club, dessert – it does it all. For the chocolate lover, it’s gotta be Zoe’s lava cake!
Dorrie Greenspan’s Breakfast Banana Bread (for anytime really). I make it GF, and it is delicious everytime.
This is lovely. My go-to recipe is a Swedish almond cake in the fluted pan. So simple and lovely, hoes with lemon curd, betties or just powdered sugar
Apricot brownies are my go-to in a pinch!
Browsing a dusty bookstore in the Moroccan city of Rabat in the year 2000, I found a well-loved copy of Tassajara Cooking by Edward Epse Brown. The real deal paperback 1970s edition. So many recipes had been cooked from it over and over – some so annotated they were fully different from the original. I bought it and cooked from it often the year I lived in Morocco. The granola recipe has always been my go-to. Ten cups dry ingredients, half cup oil, half cup honey. Add dried fruit after. Bake it low for an hour. That’s all. I made this as a take-home gift for my 100 wedding guests in 2009. I see other granola recipes – it’s trendy to make now – promising clumps, using three times the fat and baking in one third of the time. They’re fine, but I love my recipe. It’s all I need.
A triple layer, 9 inch cake of any flavor, with fluffy American or cream cheese buttercream frosting is always a hit – both delicious and impressive. I have a yummy recipe for cherry- walnut cake and also one for a cake with three different layers – spiced chocolate, almond, and vanilla. Of course, a good chocolate or white cake is always a crowd pleaser too. Thanks Zoe for sharing your baking knowledge and inspiration!!!
My go to dessert is a thick crunchy on the outside but softer on the inside full of chocolate chips – chocolate chip cookie. My aunt makes them and passed the recipe on to me. They have 4 cups of chocolate chips which gives you a lot of chocolate taste in every bite!
This cake looks delicious – may be my next go to recipe! My current one is an Apple Sharlotka from Food & Wine or my Mom’s fruit crisp.
This cake looks delicious and beautiful! I can’t wait to make it!
Thanks for the wonderful recipe! One of the recipes that gets the most accolades from my guests is a plum tart. I’ve found the recipe all over the internet, but I think Ina Garten is where it originated. It is unbelievably delicious, way simple, and can be made with either fresh or frozen plums. Lucky for us we have friends with tons of fruit trees and they give us plums by the bucketful. I use them fresh, but prep and freeze what I can’t use immediately so we have plum tarts all year long!
My favorite go-to dessert recipe is for puff pastry apple turnovers. One box will make 8 good size turnovers and I precook the chopped apples a bit to soften, adding brown sugar and spices. Great warm with vanilla ice cream or warmed the next morning with coffee.