Ottolenghi Apple and Olive Oil Cake With Maple Icing

Quick Summary: This is Yotam Ottolenghi's apple and olive oil cake, a moist two-layer cake made with fresh apples, extra-virgin olive oil, cinnamon, and sultana raisins, then filled and topped with a maple cream cheese icing. It bakes in an 8-inch pan at 375°F (190°C) for about 90 minutes and is a standout fall dessert.

What is Ottolenghi apple and olive oil cake?

The cake recipe was created by the British-Israeli chef Yotam Ottolenghi and appeared in the famous "Ottolenghi: The Cookbook."

It is an apple olive oil cake made with fresh apples, extra-virgin olive oil, a hint of cinnamon, and a delicious maple frosting. Customers at the Ottolenghi shop rave about it, with many admitting to ordering the cake just for the maple icing.

Why you'll love this recipe

Here is why this apple and olive oil cake is worth making:

• Easy and straightforward: Ottolenghi's apple and olive oil cake recipe comes together without any fussy steps.
• Moist and full of fall flavor: tart apples and sultana raisins add texture, while cinnamon, vanilla, and olive oil keep it moist and warmly spiced.
• That famous maple icing: made with maple syrup and cream cheese, it is a frosting you can also use on other layer cakes and cupcakes.

Equipment

Here are the tools you need to make this apple olive oil cake:

• 8-inch (20 cm) springform cake pan
• Electric hand mixer or stand mixer
• Flour sifter
• Large mixing bowls
• Rubber spatula
• Serrated knife (for splitting the layers)
• Wire cooling rack

Ingredients

For ingredients and detailed instructions, refer to the recipe card below.

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

• Flour: the recipe calls for all-purpose flour. But you can switch some parts of all-purpose flour for whole wheat flour or even buckwheat flour, and the flavor of buckwheat pairs well with apples.

• Ground cinnamon: the original recipe calls for ½ teaspoon, but you can increase it to 1 teaspoon.

• Salt enhances the cake's flavors.

• Leavening agents: baking powder and baking soda help raise the cake.

• Olive oil: Ottolenghi's recipe calls for a good extra-virgin olive oil to add moisture to the cake. Feel free to replace it with flavorless grapeseed or vegetable oil if preferred. Read more about how to make a cake moist.

• Sugar: use granulated white or caster sugar interchangeably.

• Vanilla: Mr. Ottolenghi uses scraped seeds from ½ vanilla bean. Use ½ teaspoon of pure vanilla extract or alcohol-free vanilla flavor instead if desired.

• Eggs: the recipe calls for whole large eggs and large egg whites. Use chilled eggs and an egg separator to separate egg whites from the yolks.

• Lemon zest: Use 1 untreated lemon to get 1 teaspoon of lemon zest with a zester.

• Apples: Ottolenghi's recipe calls for Bramley apples, but you can easily substitute Granny Smiths. Please, always use medium-sized apples: you will need about 1 lb 12 oz. (800 g). Indeed, you can experiment with Pink Lady apples, Honey Crisp, Gala apples, or other types of apples.

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

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

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

• Cream cheese is an essential ingredient. Make sure to bring it to room temperature before you start.

Recipe variations

The original Ottolenghi apple cake is a layered cake sandwiched with delicious maple icing.

• Feel free to make a single-layer cake and use half of the icing on top.

• Add a fancy touch by decorating the top of the cake with caramelized apples and a couple of cinnamon sticks. Or simply dust the cake with icing sugar.

How to make apple olive oil cake

Step 1. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Butter an 8-inch (20 cm) Le Creuset springform pan and line its bottom and sides with parchment paper.

Step 2. Using a flour sifter, sift dry ingredients (flour, ground cinnamon, salt, baking powder, and baking soda) in a large bowl.

Step 3. Place sultana raisins and water in a saucepan and simmer over low heat until the dry fruit completely absorbs the water. Set aside.

Step 4. Peel fresh apples with a vegetable peeler, remove the cores and seeds, and cut them into ⅓-inch (1 cm) cubes.

Pro tip: Use shredded apples instead of apple chunks for a tender cake texture.

Step 5. To make the cake, place olive oil, sugar, and vanilla extract in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat.

Pro tip: Alternatively, you can use a stand, hand mixer, or balloon whisk.

Step 6. Gradually add lightly beaten whole eggs, continuing to mix until the mixture becomes smooth (photo 1).

Step 7. Then add apple cubes, sultana raisins, and lemon zest, grated with a zester, and combine with a large spatula (photo 2).

Step 8. Add the sifted flour mixture and mix (photo 3). In a clean bowl, beat egg whites with a stand mixer or an electric mixer until soft peaks form.

Step 9. Add the beaten egg whites to the main preparation in two additions, gently combining them with the spatula (photo 4).

Step 10. Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin, smooth the surface with a rubber spatula or a spoon (photo 5), and bake for 90 minutes, until golden brown.

Pro tip: Check doneness with a skewer: if it comes out dry from the center of the cake, the bake is ready.

Step 11. Remove it from the oven, place it on a wire rack, and let the cake cool in the pan (photo 6).

Step 12. To make the maple icing, place softened butter, brown sugar, and maple syrup in a bowl and beat until smooth and creamy (photo 7).

Step 13. Add cream cheese at room temperature and beat till the cream becomes thick and homogeneous.

Step 14. To assemble the cake, remove the well-cooled cake from the pan and cut it horizontally using a serrated knife. Cut the top to even the surface if the cake is domed after baking.

Step 15. Place the bottom of the cake on a serving platter and spread half of the maple icing (photo 8).

Step 16. Place the top half of the cake on the cream layer and cover it with the remaining icing. Even the cake's surface can be smoothed with a bent spatula or by creating waves.

Expert Tips

1. Bring butter and cream cheese to room temperature about an hour before you start.
2. Use an 8-inch (20 cm) round cake pan, buttered and lined with parchment, and precut circle cake pan liners. A springform pan makes cake removal easier, but a regular cake pan works as well.
3. Every oven is different: adjust your oven settings to 375°F, 190°C, 170°C fan, or gas mark 5.
4. Use this simple cake pan converter to recalculate ingredient amounts for different cake pan sizes. Modify the baking time accordingly: for a 7-inch (18 cm) cake, decrease the baking time by 10 minutes; for a 6-inch (15 cm) cake, reduce the baking time by 15 to 20 minutes.
5. Make-ahead option: Bake the cake in advance, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate it for up to 1 week. Slice and assemble the cake with maple icing the next day or on the day of serving.

Storing & freezing

Store this olive oil apple cake under a glass dome in the refrigerator for up to three days. To freeze, wrap the unfrosted cake tightly in plastic wrap and store for up to 1 month; thaw, then add the maple icing before serving.

Recipe FAQ

What is Ottolenghi's apple and olive oil cake?
It is a moist apple cake from Yotam Ottolenghi, made with fresh apples, extra-virgin olive oil, cinnamon, and sultana raisins, then filled and topped with a maple cream cheese icing. It first appeared in Ottolenghi: The Cookbook.

What apples are best for this olive oil cake?
Ottolenghi's recipe calls for Bramley apples, but Granny Smith apples work just as well. Any firm, tart, medium-sized apple, such as Pink Lady, Honeycrisp, or Gala, also works.

What is special about olive oil cake?
Olive oil brings moisture and a subtle fruity flavor that complements the other cake flavors. It also keeps the cake soft and tender, whether served at room temperature or from the refrigerator.

Can I make a cake with olive oil instead of butter?
You can substitute olive oil for about 80% of the butter. Keep in mind that olive oil has a stronger taste, so use a mild grapeseed oil instead if you want a neutral flavor.

Does oil make a cake more moist than butter?
Both add moisture, but oil stays liquid at room temperature while butter solidifies, so oil-based cakes have a noticeably moist texture compared to butter cakes.

Can I make it as a single-layer cake?
Yes. Bake the cake as directed, leave it whole instead of splitting it, and use about half of the maple icing on top. It is an easy way to simplify the recipe.

Love apple recipes? Try these next!

Try out some other apple desserts from the website if you liked this apple cake recipe.

• Apple Crumble Bread
• Apple Mousse Cake
• Apple Tarte Tatin
• French Apple Fritters
• Apple And Blueberry Crumble

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Recipe card

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.