Can I use extra virgin olive oil for cake? (2024)

FAQs

Can I use extra virgin olive oil for cake? ›

Yes, it's true! Extra virgin olive oil is a great substitute for butter or other fats when baking cakes. It gives cakes a wonderfully moist texture and a light, subtle flavor that pairs perfectly with other ingredients like fresh fruit and nuts. Plus, it's healthy and packed with antioxidants and healthy fats.

Any dessert recipe that calls for vegetable oil as an ingredient is a perfect chance to swap it for olive oil. In these recipes, the swap would be a one-to-one ratio. In other words, if the recipe calls for one cup of vegetable oil, you would simply use one cup of extra virgin olive oil.

Every day extra-virgin olive oil works great in olive oil cake. I use the Kirkland brand from Costco. It's not refined, pure or organic, although you can play around with any of those varieties of olive oil.

The debate over olive oil's smoke point has caused many cooks to become concerned about cooking with it. But as we discussed, research shows that extra virgin olive oil can withstand temperatures beyond 400°F, making it suitable for many types of cooking.

When subbing in liquid oil for butter, use a 3:4 ratio, so you will need six tablespoons of oil for every eight tablespoons of butter the recipe calls for. Add too much oil and the batter will get too runny, so keep this ratio in mind when substituting olive oil for butter.

Yes, you can use extra virgin olive oil in the oven. We have to keep in mind some smoke points when we bake something, for example to use olive oil in oven with more than 450 degree Fahrenheit will burn the oil, taste bad and makes the food unhealthy so care should be taking is choosing the recipes with olive oil.

Extra virgin olive oil is a great substitute for butter or other fats when baking cakes. It gives cakes a wonderfully moist texture and a light, subtle flavor that pairs perfectly with other ingredients like fresh fruit and nuts. Plus, it's healthy and packed with antioxidants and healthy fats.

Several things could contribute to a dense olive oil cake, including overmixing the batter, using too much flour, or not incorporating enough air into the batter during mixing.

Oils like soybean oil (often labeled as vegetable oil) and canola oil do an amazing job of keeping baked goods moist without imparting a lot of flavors. Unlike butter, these oils tend to make baked goods lighter in texture and moister, as well. (Butter has a beautiful flavor, though.)

Melted, unsalted butter is the perfect substitute for oil, and can even add a richer flavor to baked recipes. Swap in butter for oil in a 1:1 ratio, melting butter in the microwave or on the stovetop. Vegan butter or ghee can also work in this instance.

Can you bake extra virgin olive oil at 350? ›

The smoke point for extra virgin olive oil, then, can range from 350 - 430°F. So, the question is, can I cook with extra virgin olive oil? The absolute answer is yes! And you should!

The difference between extra virgin and olive oil is that regular olive oil is heated to extract the oil and refined while extra virgin olive oil is cold-pressed and left unrefined. Extra virgin olive oil is usually stronger in flavor and darker in color than regular olive oil.

Contrary to popular belief, olive oil can very well be used for cooking and baking. It has a sufficiently high smoke point (around 400°F for virgin oil) and it is high in monounsaturated fatty acids which are more stable than polyunsaturated fats.

Any olive oil is fine, but we find the best olive oil for baking is made with Aberquina olives ($19, Target). This type of olive oil will come labeled as "mild" olive oil, which allows for a light, mild flavor rather than the more aromatic extra virgin olive oil on the shelves.

Extra virgin oil also must have a free acidity percentage of less than 0.8 and conform to all the standards listed in its category. This is the highest quality rating for an olive oil. Extra virgin olive oil should have clear flavor characteristics that reflect the fruit from which it was made.

Olive oil has a lower smoke point than some other oils. The smoke point is the point at which an oil literally begins to smoke. Olive oil's smoke point is between 365° and 420°F. When you heat olive oil to its smoke point, the beneficial compounds in oil start to degrade, and potentially form health-harming compounds.

Yes, it's a great substitute for both because it not only lends more flavor, it has a better texture, and is healthier. To substitute for vegetable oil in brownies, use a 1:1 ratio. There is no need to change or adjust the measurements.

Because the amount of oil in a cake mix is small in proportion to all of the combined ingredients, there is very little flavor difference in cakes made with different types of vegetable oils. Go ahead and use oil labeled vegetable, corn, canola, all types of olive, peanut and sunflower oil or oil blends.

Best Oils for Baking

Choosing vegetable oil is the best option for baking moist, delicious baked goods. Canola oil, the most common vegetable oil used in baking, doesn't add a strong flavor. It allows your cake's flavor will shine through while still achieving a moist texture.

Melted butter also works as a 1:1 swap for vegetable oil in baked goods — try browning the butter for even more flavor! If you are cutting calories or fat from your diet, here's another great sub for vegetable oil: In baked goods, replace up to half of the vegetable oil with plain unsweetened applesauce.