Strawberry-Almond Olive Oil Cake
A throw-it-all-in-the-bowl cake never tasted so good. Customize it with your favorite seasonal fruit.
I have several bags of clothes and shoes sitting by my front door waiting to be donated, and counting. Still a few more drawers wait to be inspected and edited. Then I will be done with spring cleaning…and with not much more of spring left to spare. I’ve been cleaning out cabinets all over my house since February but have put off the big job of cleaning out the closet until the last minute. Now it feels good to open the closet door and see my color-coded handiwork.
And because I was on a roll, I got my monthly refrigerator clean-out out of the way, too. It feels so good to have everything in order. Of course, I wasted no time in filling the fridge again with all my favorite things. Strawberries, blueberries, cherries and melons are summertime staples around here and I try to sneak them in as many meals as possible. Dessert, especially.
One of my go-to desserts is olive-oil cake. I’ve shared a few versions here already but I must say that this time I’ve made an already easy recipe even easier. This one needs no equipment other than a bowl and a couple of utensils. Throw-it-all-in-the-bowl cake recipes are great for putting something easy together for your family and come in handy should guests unexpectedly knock on your door. I used strawberries here but I can think of other summer fruits that would work well, too.
The only thing I’d do differently is add more fruit next time. I used two cups of strawberries total, adding one cup in the batter and topping the cake with the remainder but even with my use of spelt flour, there was a lot of lift in this cake. A slice (or two) is a tasty reward for getting my spring cleaning out of the way for the year, finally!
Note: The whole spelt flour is not heavy in this cake but rather, as a bonus, gave this a banana-bread like flavor which we really liked but feel free to use all-purpose flour in your version.
Here are more olive oil cake recipes in the archives:
1. Olive Oil Cake with Sautéed Apples and Pears
2. Citrus Almond Olive Oil Cake
3. Fresh Fig and Olive Oil Cake
4. Ligurian Lemon Cake with Meringue Topping
This one is not an olive oil cake but one of my favorites using summer fruit:
Strawberry-Almond Olive Oil Cake
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups spelt flour or all-purpose or whole wheat (See Note)
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup almond meal
- 1 cup granulated or superfine sugar See Note
- 2 eggs beaten lightly with a fork
- 3/4 cup milk
- 2/3 cup olive oil See Note
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 cups fresh strawberries sliced, divided
Instructions
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Preheat your oven to 350℉. Spray a cast iron skillet or 10-inch round cake pan with cooking spray.
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In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, almond meal, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda.
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Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and add the eggs, olive oil and milk. Stir until combined.
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Stir in half the fruit.
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Pour the batter into the prepared skillet or baking pan and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the top of the cake has set enough to hold the remaining fruit. Arrange the remaining fruit slices in a single layer on top of the cake and bake for an additional 30-35 minutes, rotating halfway through cooking time.
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Cool before serving. This cake will keep for a few days.
Recipe Notes
1. Flour: The whole spelt flour is not heavy in this cake but rather, as a bonus, gave this a banana-bread like flavor which we really liked but feel free to use all-purpose flour in your version.
2. Sugar: This recipe is lighter on sugar. Feel free to add up to another half cup if you like cakes on the sweeter side.
3. Olive Oil: If you use all-purpose or whole wheat flour, you could use up to 3/4 cup olive oil. Spelt flour doesn't absorb as much liquid so I cut back a little.
Mmmm….this looks so delicious! I’ve never had an olive oil cake and that needs to change immediately! I seen your fig one, but strawberries, they are my weakness. Pinning and printing this recipe!
Debra, olive oil cakes are so good. Definitely give one a try. Since you like strawberries, I would recommend this recipe first. 🙂
Gorgeous!! I love how beautiful the berries look in it too. I did a cornmeal cake with blackberries and when it came out of the oven my oldest poked all the blackberries and said “oooh.” I love these pictures so much I want to poke the strawberries and say Oooohh!
Aw, thanks, Sabrina! Glad you like this cake. 🙂
This cake is gorgeous, I love this flavor combination you’ve got going on! I’ve never had spelt flour before, I’ll keep an eye out for it at my store.
Sara, spelt flour is my favorite whole grain flour to bake with. It has a great nutritional profile and works well in many recipes. It gives cakes a pleasantly nutty flavor (but not overpowering). It’s available in health food stores and the bulk food section at both Safeway and Whole Foods. 🙂
I just love the use of strawberries in this and this cake is absolutely gorgeous. I’ve never tried to make an olive oil cake but I should definitely get on that!
Olive oil cake has been on my to-make list for quite some time, but now after seeing yours, it’s moved up to the top of the list.
A tempting cake! So fluffy and delicious looking.
cheers,
Rosa
Your cake is a beauty, love that you used spelt flour. Looks delicious!
I love olive oil cakes – they always come out moist and delicious! Strawberry and almonds are always a great pair, too so this cake totally rocks!
This is so delicious looking and I love the olive oil in cakes. I have to try using fusion oil for it.
Such a pretty cake, Jean! I’m craving a slice now :).
I love olive oil cakes.. they are always so moist and delicious.. and not to sweet too. This skillet cake looks divine and I bet tastes even better!