Chestnut Olive Oil Cake

Name: Chestnut Olive Oil Cake
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 1 cup of sweetened chestnut cream or spread; 1/2 cup of olive oil; 2 large eggs; 1/2 cup of granulated sugar; 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract; 200 ml of whole milk; 1 cup of all purpose flour; 1 teaspoon of baking powder; 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon; 1/2 teaspoon of salt; confectioners sugar (optional garnish)

December 12, 2023

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Olive oil cakes are simply glorious. The olive oil does not impart its flavor, but adds a beautifully tender and moist crumb that is unique to this very special dessert.

Although traditionally olive oil cakes are lightly flavored with citrus, they are a wonderful base to add a wide variety of flavor profiles into. This dark chocolate olive oil cake is one of my most popular recipes and todays chestnut olive oil cake will soon be as well.

This cake comes together in one bowl and bakes up beautifully with no special instructions required. It is dense and very moist with the earthy, subtly sweet flavor of roasted chestnuts in every bite.

This beautiful cake is the perfect way to use up any extra chestnuts you may have on hand and a wonderful way to wake up on Christmas morning.

Let’s get started…

Begin by gathering 1/2 cup of olive oil (use a good quality, but not super intensely flavored live oil for this cake), 2 large eggs, 1/2 cup of granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, 200ml of milk, 1 cup of all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.

You will also need a cup of sweetened chestnut spread. You can buy this online or at grocery stores that carry higher end ingredients. You can also make it yourself at home using my simple recipe for sweet chestnut cream.

In a large bowl, whisk 1 cup of chestnut spread with 1/2 cup of olive oil, 2 large eggs and 1/2 cup of granulated sugar until combined and then add add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and 200ml of whole milk and whisk until smooth.

Now whisk 1 cup of all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon of salt into the batter and as soon as it is just combined, transfer the batter into a greased and parchment lined 9″ cake pan or oven safe skillet.

Bake your chestnut olive oil cake for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick will com out of the center of the cake clean. Do not let this cake over bake or it can dry out.

I am so in love with the color of this cake. That beautiful chestnut brown is sheer perfection in my most humble of opinions and the color is even better inside…

The crumb in this chestnut olive oil cake is quite unique. It is dense, but also super tender and moist. I just love the texture of this cake.

If you are unfamiliar with the flavors of roasted chestnut then you are in for a wonderful surprise…

Chestnuts are nuts, so it should not come as a surprise that this cake has a beautifully nutty flavor, but what may surprise you is that chestnuts have a subtly sweet flavor when they are roasted that reminds me a little bit of a sweet potato or pumpkin. Its delicious.

If you are looking for a uniquely delicious cake that is full of warm, nutty flavors with just the right amount of sweetness then I would love for you to try this chestnut olive oil cake. It is so perfect with a cup of coffee or tea and due to the chestnuts popularity around the holidays, it is a wonderful choice for anything from breakfast to dessert when your home is full of family and friends.

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