Delicious, Healthy Olive Oil Cake: A Kid-Friendly Baking Adventure

One of our favorite cakes to make at our café, Hello, You’re Welcome in Pasadena, and eatery, EAT Marketplace in Temecula, is also fun to bake with your kids. The bright citrus flavor, combined with the nutty almond texture and fragrant olive oil, make it a delicious and healthy treat. I love doing this with littles in small cake shapes (cupcake size) as well, so they can decorate and make them their own. With endless ways to decorate or eat, as is, with a little powdered sugar or jam smeared on top, as a breakfast cake or after school treat, this healthy olive oil cake is sure to please the whole family.

Healthy Olive Oil Cake

Ingredients

Wet ingredients:

Organic spray or coconut oil (room temp) for the pan
½ cup olive oil*
½ cup and ¼ cup organic granulated sugar (divided use)
Finely zest 1 small-medium organic lemon or orange
¼ cup strained fresh lemon or orange juice
4 large organic egg yolks

* We use Temecula Olive Oil Company’s Fresh Blood Orange or Lemon Olive oil. If this isn’t available, no worries, there are so many good alternatives local to you!

Dry ingredients

2 cups blanched almond flour
¼ cup tapioca flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon cream of tartar
½ teaspoon good salt (if flakes, break them up before adding)
4 large organic egg whites

Instructions

1. Prepare the pan: Preheat your oven to 325°F. Rub the bottom and sides of a 9-inch cake pan or cast-iron pan with (non-stick spray) or oil. Line the bottom with parchment paper, and rub the parchment with oil as well.
2. Mix the dry ingredients: In a large bowl, combine the almond flour, tapioca flour, baking powder and salt. Mix well, then sift before combing with wet ingredients.
3. Whisk the wet ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the olive oil, ½ cup sugar, lemon zest and juice, and egg yolks.
4. Combine the wet and dry ingredients: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined and ending with dry.
5. Whip the egg whites: In a clean bowl, whip the egg whites and cream of tartar until stiff peaks form. Gradually add the remaining ¼ cup sugar and continue to whip until the egg whites are shiny and hold their peaks.
6. Fold in the egg whites: Fold the whipped egg whites into the batter until just combined and no streaks remain.
7. Pour the batter into the pan: Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
8. Bake the cake: Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing and serving.

Tips for kids:

• Let kids measure the ingredients and crack the eggs.
• Have them help with the mixing and folding.
• Decorate the cake with lemon zest, powdered sugar or fresh berries.

Enjoy this delicious and fun-to-make healthy olive oil cake with your family!

Nutrition

Calories: 411kcal Carbohydrates: 29g Protein: 9g Fat: 31gSaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 98mgSodium: 176mg Potassium: 124mg Fiber: 3g Sugar: 20g Vitamin A: 130IU Vitamin C: 3mg Calcium: 92mg Iron: 1mg

Visit EAT Marketplace at 28410 Old Town Front St. in Temecula, and Hello, You’re Welcome at 445 East Colorado Blvd. Pasadena. Open daily.