Ottolenghi's Apple and Olive Oil Cake

This Ottolenghi's apple and olive oil cake is a fabulous fall dessert loaded with chunks of apples, flavored with cinnamon, and covered with maple icing. If you look for the most delicious apple cake, this is the one!

I was looking for a tasty dessert to serve for Thanksgiving. To tell the truth, I have been curious enough about what kind of dessert has to be made for this holiday: a fancy one or a simple one.

I wanted to bake some comfort cake (not a pie) for the family dinner; however, I wanted the cake to have an elegant touch.

Finally, I found the dessert I was looking for. It was an apple and olive oil cake with maple icing created by the British-Israeli chef Yotam Ottolenghi.

There are some tasty desserts, some delicious ones, but this cake is beyond delicious. I rarely repeat desserts, but this one deserves to be repeated!

According to The Happy Foodie,

This is a huge Ottolenghi favourite – many of our customers confess that they order it just for the maple icing!

The best pan to make Ottolenghi’s apple cake

Chef Yotam Ottolenghi uses a springform pan to facilitate the cake's removal, although you can use a regular cake pan lined with precut circle cake pan liners.

It is not necessary to use non-stick pans. In any way, the cake's pan's bottom and sides have to be buttered and lined with parchment.

The original recipe calls for a pan of 8 inches/20 cm in diameter. You can indeed make the cake in smaller pans, calculating ingredients according to your pan.

To bake a 7-inch/18 cm cake, decrease the baking time by 10 minutes; to make a 6-inch/15 cm cake reduce the baking time by 15 to 20 minutes.

Check the readiness of the cake with a toothpick: if it comes out dry, the cake is ready.

How to assemble the cake

The original Ottolenghi’s apple cake is a layered cake sandwiched with delicious maple icing. Feel free to leave the cake unsliced and to use half of the icing just on top.

Spread maple icing, making waves with a rubber spatula, bent spatula, or a spoon.

I firmly believe that this cake is self-sufficient with maple icing, but you can add a fancy touch by decorating the top of the cake with caramelized apples and a couple of cinnamon sticks.

According to the author, Mr. Ottolenghi, you can simply dust the cake with icing (powdered) sugar. That's it.

Why you should try this recipe

1. Ottolenghi's apple and olive oil cake is a must-make fall favorite dessert.
2. Adding ground cinnamon and vanilla brings additional flavors.
3. Apple cubes and sultana raisins add texture to the cake.
4. Olive oil is responsible for the cake's moisture.
5. Maple syrup beautifully paired with cream cheese makes the icing so delicious that you will start using it for your other baking projects.

Ingredients

Here is a quick overview of what ingredients you will need. Follow the full recipe below for exact amounts and instructions. I recommend making the recipe as written for the best results.

Sultana raisins: they are one of the stars of the cake. Replace them with regular raisins if you desire.

Water: it is needed to soak raisins.

Flour: the recipe calls for all-purpose flour, although you can try to switch ⅕ of all-purpose flour for buckwheat flour. According to Megan from A Sweet Spoonful, the flavor of buckwheat beautifully pairs with apples.

Ground cinnamon: the original recipe requires ½ teaspoon, although you can increase it to 1 teaspoon of the spice.

Salt: it enhances the flavors of the cake.

Leavening agents: baking powder and baking soda are used as chemical leavening agents.

Olive oil: it is what Ottolenghi's recipe calls for, but feel free to replace it with flavorless grapeseed oil.

Sugar: use granulated white or caster sugar to make the cake batter.

Vanilla: Mr. Ottolenghi uses scraped seeds from ½ vanilla bean. Use Madagascar Bourbon Pure vanilla extract or alcohol-free vanilla flavor instead if you prefer.

Eggs: use whole large eggs and large egg whites. To separate egg whites from the yolks, use chilled eggs and an egg separator.

Lemon zest: use one untreated lemon to get 1 teaspoon lemon zest using a zester grater.

Granny Smith apples: Ottolenghi's recipe calls for Bramley apples, but you can easily replace it with Granny Smith apples. Please, always use medium-sized apples: you will need about 1 lb 12 oz. (800 g).

Megan from A Sweet Spoonful tried making this cake with Honeycrisps instead, and her cake turned out delicious.

Sarah from The Saucy Rabbit tried making this cake with Pink Ladies and found it perfect as well.

Butter: use unsalted butter. Take it out of the fridge 2 hours before you start making the icing.

Brown sugar: use golden or dark brown sugar. To increase the molasses component, try to use light brown muscovado sugar instead.

Maple syrup: it is the star of maple icing that is so delicious that you will never want to replace this ingredient.

Cream cheese: it is essential to use cream cheese at room temperature. Make sure to take it out of the fridge 2 hours before you start.

How to make apple and olive oil cake

Preheat oven to 375 F/190 C. Butter a springform round cake pan 8-inch/20 cm in diameter and line the bottom and sides with parchment paper.

Place sultana raisins and water in a saucepan and simmer over low heat till the water is completely absorbed by dry fruit. Set aside.

Peel apples with a vegetable peeler, remove the heart and seeds and cut into 1 cm cubes (photo 1).

To make the cake, place olive oil, sugar, and vanilla extract in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat.

Gradually add lightly beaten whole eggs and continue to mix until the mixture becomes smooth (photo 2).

Then add apple cubes, sultana raisins, lemon zest grated with a zester grater (photo 3), and combine with a rubber spatula.

Finally, add the sifted dry ingredients (flour, ground cinnamon, salt, baking powder, and baking soda) and mix (photo 4).

In a clean bowl, beat egg whites with a stand mixer or an electric mixer until soft peaks.

Add it into the main preparation (photo 5) at two separate times and gently combine it with the spatula.

Pour the batter into a cake pan, even the surface with a spoon (photo 6), and bake for 90 minutes.

Check the cake's readiness with a skewer: if it comes out dry, the cake is ready. Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool in the pan (photo 7).

To make the maple icing, place softened butter, brown sugar, and maple syrup in a bowl and beat until the mixture becomes creamy and smooth (photo 8).

Add cream cheese at room temperature and beat till the cream becomes homogeneous (photo 9).

To assemble the cake, remove the cold cake from the pan and cut it horizontally using a serrated knife. If the cake is domed after baking, cut the top to even the surface.

Place the bottom of the cake on a serving platter and spread half of the maple icing. Place the top half of the cake on the cream layer and cover it with the remaining icing.

Even the surface of the cake with a bent spatula or create waves (photo 10).

Expert tips

1. Bring butter and cream cheese to room temperature 2 hours before making the cake: it is essential!
2. Use a round cake pan (8-inch/20 cm in diameter) buttered and lined with parchment and precut circle cake pan liners. A springform form facilities the removal of the cake, but a regular cake pan works as well.

Frequently asked questions

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The nutritional information has been calculated using an online recipe nutrition calculator such as Verywellfit.com and is intended for informational purposes only. These figures should be used as a general guideline and not be construed as a guarantee.

The recipe was adapted from https://thehappyfoodie.co.uk/. It was originally published on November 21, 2018. The recipe has been revised to include improved content and photos. All posted pictures are mine.