Olive oil the cakes you'll ever need

Olive oil is great for splashing in your salad, but even better when chilling in your cake.

Yoghurt and olive oil cake Source: Jono Fleming

Nonnas have known it for centuries: using olive oil in your cake baking makes for a superior crumb. There are many reasons for this, but three important ones are:

1. Good quality olive oil adds a rich, earthy flavour that perfectly balances the cake's general sweetness.

2. Olive oil is full of polyphenols that act as antioxidants and feed the gut microbiome. Adding a distinctly healthy benefit to scoffing through afternoon tea.

3. It keeps in the pantry, ready to roll. No fussing around with melting butter or ghee.

You won't need further convincing of the superiority of olive oil cakes. However, being absolutely certain is always a good idea. Our advice is to start baking at the top of this list and keep on going until there's no doubt in your mind that olive oil cakes are life.

Berry good oil

Rich and moist don't have to mean heavy and unhealthy. Source: Cook like an Italian

This loaf is proof that olive oil can make a berry light cake when needed. The acid in the yoghurt helps produce a light crumb cake that is incredibly moreish. Even better, it takes a very light 15 minutes to prepare.

Spice of life

The flavours and texture of these mini loaf cakes will get better over a couple of days, so feel free to make them ahead. Source: Lyndey Milan's Baking Secrets

It's not just the nonnas that mix olive oil into their cakes; Middle Eastern recipes have included it for years. Try these little olive oil cakes which are plump with spices and orange blossom syrup.

Strawberry stunner

Don't worry, you won't need a birthday as an excuse to make this cake. Source: Jono Fleming

Top an olive oil and yoghurt cake with a heap of strawberries and a swirl of mascarpone icing. It's a celebration cake that you can whip up in a jiffy and devour quicker than it takes to sing Happy Birthday.

A whole ricotta good

A lemon and ricotta ring cake worth pausing your morning for. Source: Made in Italy

Another lovely cake that takes only 15 minutes to bake (are you noticing a theme here?). This one is like a sponge and Madeira love fest and it's perfect for dunking into your morning coffee.

Marbled Marvel

The clever marbled effect is actually very simple to achieve. Source: Jono Fleming

A ciambella is an Italian ring-shaped cake that looks like it's a bother but actually takes (you guessed it) 15 minutes to prep. You simply divide the batter into two bowls and add cocoa to one of them. Swirl the two gently in the ring tin and you're ready to pop the cake into the oven.

Moroccan take

The recipe asks you to pour a truckload of syrup over your cake... don't worry, it can take it. Source: Shane Delia's Moorish Spice Journey

An olive oil cake is generally a little denser than most, so it pairs well with a syrup for dessert. In this recipe, Shane Delia makes a date syrup that soaks beautifully into the spiced cake that's made with panko crumbs instead of flour. Somehow, it all works like a charm.

Softly does it

This rosewater cake suggests adding Herbs de Provence, but you can experiment to find your favourite herb or spice blend. Source: Beth Kirby

The beauty of using olive oil in your baking is that it's the perfect bridge between sweet and savoury. As in this recipe, adding traditionally 'savoury' herbs to a sweet batter suddenly seems like a good idea. Because it is.

Balance it out

If mandarins are out of season, this cake works perfectly well with oranges, blood oranges or meyer lemons. Source: Chris Middleton

This mandarin and bay leaf loaf has a hearty slug of olive oil added. The bay leaf brings out the grassy notes of the oil, which balances the fresh tartness of at least five mandarins. It's easily as good to eat as that sounds.

Drunk on oil

Lemon and apricots go really well together, especially with added sambuca. Source: Made in Italy with Silvia Colloca

The only thing that's better in a cake than olive oil is booze. Silvia Colloca mixes a good slug of sambuca to this apricot cake, but you can also substitute milk if you're making it for morning tea, or, you know, children.

Dense goodness

A cake like this is almost a pudding, and there's everything right with that. Source: Peter Kuruvita's Coastal Kitchen

Making cakes with olive oil instead of butter means you can bake a more robust cake. Think cakes that stand up to rich ice cream, gooey coulis and sticky syrup. Try this lemon version that's served with a caramel ice cream and poached blackberry syrup and you'll soon get the idea.

Goodbye gluten

Use a fruity extra virgin olive oil for a more distinct flavour in this light and tender cake. Source: Lyndey Milan's Baking Secrets

Another big plus for olive oil baking is that it soaks into nut flours like a dream. The carrot cake above is gluten-free, with added vegetables and walnuts. Olive oil binds it all together beautifully, making for a moist, tempting cake.

French win

This cake couldn't be more simple: one pot of yoghurt, two pots of sugar, three pots of flour, then add eggs and oil. Source: Brett Stevens

The French never miss a trick when it comes to good food, so naturally they have their own version of the yoghurt and olive oil cake. Of course, being French and fancy, this one takes a mere 10 minutes to prepare, not 15 as for Italian versions. Et voilà!