A beautifully soft Vegan Olive Oil Cake with the addition of flaked almonds and a touch of floral cardamom. This is a warming cake which brings us a bit of summer in these cold winter months.
Vegan Olive Oil Cake Web Story
Other than the birth of son number 2 and snowdrops, quite frankly I can't find much else to endear me to the month of January. I am not a winter person at all, long summery days are definitely my thing, I look forward to saying goodbye to these short, cold days. However, in support of Veganuary, I am presenting this all-new vegan cake which has a summery feel and flavour to it, to help lift the spirits!
Vegan lemon olive oil cake is a very popular alternative, but when considering all my options for olive oil cakes I was drawn back to the flavours used in my Persian Love Cake with Rosewater and wanted to create a similar cake, but in vegan form.
This soft and gentle cake goes down treat with a cuppa.
So I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
There is a reason why these are called
The Very Best Vegan Coffee and Walnut Cupcakes!
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Why make this Vegan Olive Oil Cake?
Soft and moist cake ✔️
Extra virgin olive oil, no bad fats! ✔️
Very easy ✔️
Almonds and cardamon floral tones ✔️
Ingredients and Substitutions
Almond milk and Cider Vinegar: are mixed together and allowed to sit and curdle for five minutes. These two work together as a leavening agent and are often used for this purpose in vegan baking to ensure a cake rises. Soya milk works fine as an alternative.
Plain (all-purpose) flour: to provide structure for our cake.
Fine salt helps to enhance the flavours in our Vegan Olive Oil Cake.
Baking powder: to help our cake rise.
Bicarbonate of soda (baking soda): is activated by the acid from both our cider vinegar and the rest of our wet ingredients which allow it to act as an extra leavening agent to help our cake rise.
Golden caster (superfine) sugar: or you can use white caster sugar if you prefer.
Extra virgin olive oil: is more fruity than olive oil as it is made with pure olives, whereas olive oil is blended. You can, however, substitute with normal olive oil.
Almond essence: tends to be quite strong, therefore we only had a small amount so as not to overpower our cake.
Cardamon pods: we only use the seeds from 6 cardamom pods as the flavour can be quite strong and we want only a subtle undertone. You can use a quarter of a teaspoon of cardamon spice if you prefer.
Icing sugar: to sift love our cake when cooled for decoration.
Instructions
See end of post RECIPE CARD for precise quantities and instructions.
Grease and line your 20cm loose-bottomed cake tin with some olive oil.
Mix your almond milk and cider vinegar together and leave to curdle for a few minutes. This provides leavening for our cake and the milk also gives it a soft texture.
Crack open your cardamom pods using a pestle and mortar (or bash with a rolling pin) and retrieve the little black seeds, discard the husks.
Sift together your flour, salt, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) into your mixing bowl.
Add your sugar, extra virgin olive oil and almond essence into your milk mixture and give it a whisk with a small whisk to combine.
Gradually pour your wet mixture into your dry mixture, leaving your mixer on low. I tend to do this in about 4 lots, leaving each addition to fully mix together before adding another.
Beat for 10 seconds on medium-high then change down to a low setting and mix in your almonds and cardamon seeds until just combined.
Transfer to your cake tin and bake your Vegan Olive Oil Cake for about 45 minutes. It is baked when golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Remove to your cooling rack only once nearly entirely cooled. The cake my break if you remove it whilst too warm.
Allow your cake to cool entirely before sifting over your icing sugar.
Top Tips
- Ensure your baking powder and bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) are fresh and in date. If they are past their use by date they may affect how your Vegan Olive Oil Cake rises.
- Bicarbondate of soda (baking soda) starts working as soon as it is mixed into your batter. Make sure you bake your cake immediately to ensure maximum rise.
- Be careful not to over-mix your cake batter as this will create too much gluten and thus a dense cake.
- The cake will pull away from the edges a little when bakes. Double check by inserting a skewer to see if it comes out clean.
- Leave your cake to cool for at least 20 minutes in the tin, this allows the cake to firm up before inverting onto a cooling rack.
Variations
Olive oil cakes are very popular and a firm favourite is Vegan Lemon Olive Oil Cake.
To create this cake omit the cider vinegar, almonds and cardamom seeds from this Olive Oil cake recipe. Instead, mix 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of lemon zest into your almond milk.
Storage
This Vegan Olive Oil cake does go a bit soft on top when stored. I recommend eating it with 1-2 days.
The cake can be frozen for up to 2 months.
Did you try this recipe?
Please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the Recipe Card below.
FAQ
Extra virgin olive oil is pure and unblended, unlike olive oil. It is darker in colour and has a stronger, more fruity flavour. It is also good for you as it is low in saturated fat.
Linked Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Olive Oil Cake
Here's what you'll need...
- 20cm deep loose bottomed cake tin
- Greaseproof paper (parchment paper)
- Pestle and mortar or rolling pin
- Cooling rack
Ingredients you'll need...
- 200 ml Almond milk or soya milk - at room temperature (US = 13 tablespoons)
- 1 tablespoon Cider vinegar
- 200 g Plain flour (US = 1½ Cups All-Purpose flour)
- 1¼ teaspoon Baking powder
- ½ teaspoon Bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- ¼ teaspoon Fine salt
- 150 g Golden caster sugar or white caster sugar (US = super fine sugar = 10½ tablespoons)
- 70 ml Extra virgin olive oil plus extra to grease your tin (US = 5 tablespoons)
- ¾ teaspoon Almond essence
- 6 Cardamon pods
- 100 g Flaked almonds (US = 8 tablespoons)
- 2 tablespoon Icing sugar
Here's what we do...
- Heat your oven to 150°C Fan/170°C/340°F/Gas Mark 3.
- Cut out a circle of greaseproof (parchment) paper to place on the bottom of your tin. Using olive oil and your pastry brush, grease your whole tin, place the circle on the base and grease it as well.
- Mix together your almond milk and cider vinegar and set aside to curdle.
- Place your cardamon pods into your pestle and mortar and gently press down with the pestle to crack them open, then remove the cardamon seeds and discard the husks.
- Sift together your flour, salt, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda into your mixing bowl.
- Add your sugar, olive oil and almond extract to your milk mixture and give it a good mix to combine.
- Leaving your mixer on a slow setting, gradually pour your wet mixture into your flour mixture. Do this in 4 stages, waiting for the mixture to fully mix in before adding another lot.
- Give the mixture a beat for 10 seconds on medium-high.
- Turn the mixer down low again and mix in half of your almond flakes and all of your cardamom seeds.
- Pour into to your prepared baking tin, using your spatula to scrape out every bit of batter.
- Sprinkle over the rest of your flaked almonds.
- Place into the centre of your oven and bake for 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean and the cake is golden all over.
- Leave to cool in your tin for 20-30 minutes before inverting onto a cooling rack and leaving to cool completely.
- When cool sift over your icing sugar.
Supporting Notes
- Ensure your baking powder and bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) are fresh and in date. If they are past their use by date they may affect how your Vegan Olive Oil Cake rises.
- Bicarbondate of soda (baking soda) starts working as soon as it is mixed into your batter. Make sure you bake your cake immediately to ensure maximum rise.
- Be careful not to over-mix your cake batter as this will create too much gluten and thus a dense cake.
- The cake will pull away from the edges a little when bakes. Double check by inserting a skewer to see if it comes out clean.
- Leave your cake to cool for at least 20 minutes in the tin, this allows the cake to firm up before inverting onto a cooling rack.
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