The Best Type Of Olive Oil To Use For Cake

Olive oil is one of the most popular types of oil that we love to drizzle over pizza, transform into vinaigrettes, and use for the foundation of pasta sauces and stews. While its flavor is unmistakably savory, olive oil's applications extend to sweet cakes. Of course, there are many types of olive oil, so we consulted Jennifer Boggiss, CEO of Heilala Vanilla, for her expert opinion on the best type of olive oil to use for cake. "Extra-virgin olive oil is my pick. Its fruity, slightly peppery notes complement flavors like citrus or nuts beautifully, and it brings a moist, tender texture to cakes."

In contrast to regular olive oil, extra-virgin olive oil is extracted solely from cold pressed olives, giving it a rich and pure flavor. Extra-virgin olive oil can be substituted for canola oil or a neutral vegetable oil in a one-to-one ratio for any cake recipe you have in mind to add more depth to a wide range of cake flavors and prevent the cake from drying out both in the oven and for days after you bake it. Furthermore, cake baking temperatures are generally below the extra-virgin olive oil's low smoke point, providing just enough heat to bloom its tasting notes.

When it comes to choosing the best extra-virgin olive oil for your cake recipe, you don't have to go for the ultra pricy bottles, but you also shouldn't skimp on quality. We ranked California Olive Ranch Extra Virgin Olive Oil as our favorite olive oil brand in our test taste.

A high-quality extra virgin olive oil will offer unfettered notes of fruit, herbs, and even flowers to complement aromatic dessert flavors from lemon and orange to this 1-bowl dark chocolate olive oil cake. Adding the zest and juice of citrus will brighten up an olive oil cake and balance its savory, peppery notes. You can also use infused extra virgin olive oils to complement the main flavor of the cake. Add this Mantova chili infused olive oil to pair with a chocolate cake or this Partanna Sicilian moro orange-infused olive oil to amp up the citrus in a lemon olive oil cake like this recipe for olive oil polenta bundt cakes with orange juice and lemon zest.

Since we think rosemary is the herbal upgrade your olive oil cake needs, you can look for a rosemary-infused oil. Another way to bring rosemary into an olive oil cake is by incorporating it into a garnish as we do in this recipe for olive oil cake with poached pears and rosemary cream. While extra-virgin olive oil will certainly make for a super-moist cake, it also might result in a denser crumb. To offset the density of an olive oil cake, you could add egg yolks and whites separately — first, beat the yolks in with your olive oil and sugar, add your dry ingredients, and finally, fold beaten egg whites into the batter before baking.