Cherry and apricot olive oil cake

A golden tender sponge made with ground almonds and the aromatic flavours of vanilla and olive oil, studded with ripe apricots and cherries before baking, and brushed liberally with olive oil as soon as it was pulled from the oven.

A good olive oil cake is a wonderful thing to have in your recipe repertoire. I sometimes struggle with olive oil cake–I love the flavour, but find that the texture is sometimes lacking due to the fact there is no butter to add the slight density and bite that I seek in a cake. This olive oil is beautifully tender due to the fact it incorporates some butter and is made with ground almonds, both of which help to enhance the texture and add a richness of flavour. You can really use any fruit that you like (though I suggest sticking to stone fruits, berries, pears or apples), but I had a bountiful supply of plump scarlet cherries and juicy ripe apricots wafting sweet aromas in my kitchen, and the pair worked beautifully together.

The cake is absolutely wonderful on its own, with its outside a rich golden brown to provide a wonderful bite, and the inner crumb so deliciously tender and moist, but a dollop of whipped crème fraîche alongside adds a touch more decadence and a slight tang to balance the sweetness in the cake.

Serves 10

For the cake
butter 140g, room temperature
caster sugar 200g
eggs 3, large
olive oil 65ml, plus 2 tbsp to brush over the baked cake
sour cream 40ml, room temperature–you could also use greek yogurt or buttermilk
vanilla extract 1 tsp
plain flour 190g
ground almonds 50g
baking powder 1 tsp
baking soda 1/4 tsp
fine sea salt 1/2 tsp
apricots 3, medium-sized, ripe
cherries 10, medium/large
powdered sugar 1 tbsp, to dust on top of the baked cake

For the topping (optional, makes enough for 10)
crème fraîche 150g, room temperature
double cream 90ml
powdered sugar 2 tsp
vanilla extract 1/2 tsp


To make the cake
Preheat the oven to 160C fan and grease and line an 8” cake tin–I recommend using one at least 5cm deep.

In a stand mixer or large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes.
butter 140g, room temperature, caster sugar 200g

In a separate bowl or jug, whisk together the eggs, olive oil, sour cream and vanilla extract until well combined and smooth, then gradually add this to the butter/sugar mixture, mixing well between each addition and scraping down the bowl as required.
eggs 3, large, olive oil 65ml, sour cream 40ml, room temperature, vanilla extract 1 tsp

In a separate bowl, add the plain flour, ground almonds, baking powder, baking soda and salt and whisk until well combined, then add all at once to the rest of the mixture and mix until just combined and no streaks of the dry mixture remain. Scrape the mixture into your prepared cake tin and smooth the top with the back of a tablespoon or spatula.
plain flour 190g, ground almonds 50g, baking powder 1 tsp, baking soda 1/4 tsp, fine sea salt 1/2 tsp

To prepare the fruit, cut the apricots into quarters and then into pieces no bigger than 2cm, and cut the cherries into quarters. Sprinkle the chopped fruit over the top of the cake batter, pressing down gently to submerge them slightly.
apricots 3, medium-sized, ripe, cherries 10, medium/large

Bake for 50-55 minutes, until the cake is risen and golden and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the middle of the cake. As soon as the cake is removed from the oven, use a pastry brush to brush the additional 2 tbsp of olive oil over the hot cake. Allow to cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then remove and transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. To finish, dust the top of the cooled cake with powdered sugar.
olive oil 2 tbsp, powdered sugar 1 tbsp, to dust on top of the baked cake

To make the topping (optional, makes enough for 10)
Add the crème fraîche, double cream, powdered sugar and vanilla to a stand mixer or medium-sized mixing bowl and whisk to soft peaks–it may take longer than if you were whipping regular cream due to the crème fraîche. Serve slices of the cake with a tablespoon of the whipped crème fraîche/cream on top.
crème fraîche 150g, room temperature, double cream 90ml, powdered sugar 2 tsp, vanilla extract 1/2 tsp

The cake keeps well for 2-3 days, covered and stored in the fridge. Allow to sit at room temperature for 30-60 minutes before serving. Any leftover whipped crème fraîche/cream can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for the same duration of time.