This eggless and vegan Olive Oil Cake is brushed with a cardamom infused vegan honey that makes it really special. And its quick to whip together!
A good olive oil cake is a great recipe to have in your pack pocket. Its quick to whip together and bake. And it requires no decorating, just a couple of garnishes. Its the perfect dessert to serve if you're in a time crunch or want to serve something impressive, but aren't confident in your cake frosting skills. And this olive oil cake is vegan and eggless making it perfect for just about anyone!
What is Olive Oil Cake?
Olive oil cake is a traditional mediterranean cake that uses olive oil instead of butter. Olives, and thus their oil, are abundant in the mediterranean making it a cheap and easily accessible ingredient.
Ingredients for Making Vegan Olive Oil Cake
Flour: Regular all purpose for this recipe. As always, I recommend King Arthur Flour. The quality is unmatched.
Leaveners: I use a combination of baking powder and baking soda in this recipe.
Salt: For balance.
Sugar: regular granulated sugar here. This cake is a little less sweet than a typical cake but we will make up for it with the cardamom honey.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil: As my idol Ina Garten would say, be sure to use good olive oil, okay? Promise?
Milk: I used Oat Milk. Any plain non dairy milk will work.
Lemon Juice: You wont be able to taste the lemon juice, but it reacts with the baking soda to give the rise an extra boost.
Lemon Zest: You WILL be able to taste the lemon zest. I use the zest of half a lemon to give this Vegan Olive Oil Cake just a hint of lemon flavor.
How to Make Cardamom Honey
The cardamom honey adds a delicious flavor and sweetness to the Vegan Olive Oil Cake. And its super easy to make!
In a small sauce pan combine ½ cup of agave and a teaspoon of whole cardamom seeds. NOT the pods.
Next, place the sauce pan over low heat and bring to a simmer.
Then, simmer for 5 minutes stirring occasionally.
Now, remove the pan from heat and allow to cool for about 20 minutes.
Finally, pour the mixture through a strainer to remove the cardamom seeds.
And thats it!
Looking for More Easy Cake Recipes?
Lemon Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Vegan Carrot Cake by: Loving It Vegan
Vegan Olive Oil Cake with Cardamom "Honey"
Equipment
- 1 8" Round Cake Pan
- 1 Large Mixing Bowl
- 1 Medium Bowl
- 1 Whisk
- 1 Rubber Spatula
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Parchment
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 1 ½ Cups All Purpose Flour
- 2 teaspoon Baking Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Baking Soda
- ½ teaspoon Kosher Salt
- ¾ Cup Sugar
- ½ Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- ¾ Cup Plain Non-Dairy Milk I used Oat
- 2 teaspoon Lemon Juice
- Zest of ½ a lemon
Cardamom Honey
- ½ Cup Light Agave
- 1 teaspoon Whole Cardamom (not pods)
- ½ teaspoon Lemon Juice
Instructions
To Make the Cardamom Honey
- In a small saucepan over low heat, combine agave and cardamom seeds.½ Cup Light Agave, 1 teaspoon Whole Cardamom (not pods)
- Bring to a simmer. Then allow to simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove from heat and set aside for the cardamom to steep and the mixture to cool for 20 minutes.
- Add the lemon juice and stir.½ teaspoon Lemon Juice
- Strain into a container through a fine mesh strainer and set aside.
Make the Cake
- Preheat oven to 375* F. Prepare a 8" round cake pan by greasing it and placing a parchment circle into the bottom of the pan.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.1 ½ Cups All Purpose Flour, 2 teaspoon Baking Powder, ¼ teaspoon Baking Soda, ½ teaspoon Kosher Salt
- In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, olive oil, milk, lemon juice and lemon zest.¾ Cup Sugar, ½ Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil, ¾ Cup Plain Non-Dairy Milk, 2 teaspoon Lemon Juice, Zest of ½ a lemon
- Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and whisk until combined.
- Scrape the batter into the prepared cake pan and spread evenly.
- Bake at 375* F for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Remove the cake from the oven and immediately brush with about 2 tablespoons of the cardamom honey.
- Allow to cool completely, then flip upside down onto a wire rack, then right side up onto a serving platter.
- Drizzle with 2 more table spoons of cardamom honey and garnish with fruit or slivered almonds.
- Slice and serve with the remaining cardamom honey for drizzling.
Katie
Would regular honey work instead of the cardamom vegan honey? I’d love to try that sometime but I’m not vegan and if regular honey is a go, I have all of these ingredients already on hand! 🙂
Megan Calipari
yes, it definitely would!
Katie
Thanks for responding, I wasn't sure if there was going to be a texture issue or something! Will have to try this over the weekend!