Prep Time : 15 Minutes | Cook Time : 60 Minutes | Total Time : 2 hours | Difficulty : Easy
Sometimes you just want to pretend that it’s summer. And the way to do that is to go straight to the frozen section and grab some frozen berries to whip up this cake! I was totally winging it when I created this cake last week – I really wanted something with summer flavour and then remembered I had berries floating around in the freezer. The rest is tasty tasty history!
The base for this cake comes from the Honey & Co Baking Book and is one of my favourites. It uses olive oil rather than butter, so has a soft texture and an amazing complex taste. I recommend using the best olive oil you have – a bland vegetable oil will make a much less interesting result. This cake is amazingly easy to put together as well – just remember to use a light hand when adding the dry ingredients.
Line a 9 inch springform pan with baking paper. I usually line the base with a larger piece and snapping the springform closed over it. I then grease the sides with butter or vegetable oil. We are using a springform pan because the top of the cake will be all gooey berries and it will be very difficult to turn out. A pan with a loose base will also work well.
Heat the oven to 180C (350F). In a bowl measure out the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices.
In a larger bowl, whisk together the eggs and olive oil until well mixed.
Add the sugar and whisk fairly hard for about a minute. It’s ok you can whisk slightly more sedately for two minutes. You want to see the eggs, oil and sugar come together and get a bit pale, but we aren’t going for fluffy super pale foam.
Whisk in the vanilla, lemon zest and greek yoghurt.
Add the dry ingredients and fold gently until combined.
The mixture will be quite thick, try not to over-work it. Scoop it all into the prepared pan and smooth it down so it’s level.
Scatter the berries over the top so its fully covered. Sprinkle a couple of tablespoons of large crystal sugar over the top as well. This will form a lovely crust on any exposed bits of cake that peek through.
Bake for 60 to 75 minutes until risen and a cake tester inserted in the centre comes out clean. Check it often from around 50 minutes so you can catch it when it’s just done.
Remove the springform ring and transfer the cake to a wire rack to cool. When almost cold dust with a little icing sugar and serve.
I have it on good authority that this cake is excellent the next day. After that I don’t know – it didn’t last that long. Feel free to test it at your house…
Berry + Olive Oil Cake
Prep Time : 15 mins | Cook Time : 60 mins | Total Time : 2 hours | Difficulty : Easy | Makes : 1 x 9 inch cake
Soft, lightly spiced cake topped with juicy berries – the perfect antidote to winter.
Ingredients:
- 2 and 1/2 cups (350 grams) all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 cup (200 grams) caster sugar
- 1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons (160 mls) extra virgin olive oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest (about 1 lemon’s worth)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (130 grams) greek yoghurt
- 2 and 1/2 cups frozen mixed berries – enough to fully cover the top
- 2 tablespoons large grain sugar
- icing sugar, for dusting
– If using metric cups, reduce volume measures by 1 tablespoon for every cup of dry or liquid ingredients –
Equipment:
- 9 inch springform or loose-bottomed round cake pan lined with baking paper
Directions:
Line a 9 inch springform pan with baking paper. I usually line the base with a larger piece and snapping the springform closed over it. I then grease the sides with butter or vegetable oil. We are using a springform pan because the top of the cake will be all gooey berries and it will be very difficult to turn out. A pan with a loose base will also work well.
Heat the oven to 180C (350F). In a bowl measure out the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices.
In a larger bowl, whisk together the eggs and olive oil until well mixed. Add the sugar and whisk fairly hard for about a minute. It’s ok you can whisk slightly more sedately for two minutes. You want to see the eggs, oil and sugar come together and get a bit pale, but we aren’t going for fluffy super pale foam.
Whisk in the vanilla, lemon zest and greek yoghurt.
Add the dry ingredients and fold gently until combined.
The mixture will be quite thick, try not to over-work it. Scoop it all into the prepared pan and smooth it down so it’s level.
Scatter the berries over the top so its fully covered.
Sprinkle a couple of tablespoons of large crystal sugar over the top as well. This will form a lovely crust on any exposed bits of cake that peek through.
Bake for 60 to 75 minutes until risen and a cake tester inserted in the centre comes out clean. Check it often from around 50 minutes so you can catch it when it’s just done.
Remove the springform ring and transfer the cake to a wire rack to cool. When almost cold dust with a little icing sugar and serve.
Cook’s Notes:
- This recipe was designed for frozen berries. If you wish to make it up with fresh berries the cooking time will probably be shorter, and you may find you need to add a little extra yoghurt as frozen berries give up a lot of moisture as they thaw and cook.
– This cake should keep well at room temperature for three days –
Adapted from the Honey and Co Baking Book.
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