Cooks all over the Mediterranean bake sweets with olive oil. When baking sweet treats you want to have an olive oil with a buttery taste. Oils with a strong “olivey” taste might not work as well for sweets, but are great for breads and savory treats. This almond cake makes a great dessert served with tea or coffee after a light meal. Cinnamon, walnuts and raisins give this cake incredible flavor and is packed so nutrient packed you can have it even as a Mediterranean Diet breakfast. Enjoy!
Almond Cake Baked with Olive Oil, Cinnamon and Raisins (Crete)
Ingredients
- 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
- 5 eggs
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cup raisins
- 1 cup almonds, mashed
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground cloves
- 5 cups all purpose flour
- 5 tsp baking soda
- Confectioner's sugar and cinnamon to sprinkle on top of cake
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Beat olive oil and sugar in a bowl with a hand mixer for 10 minutes. Add eggs and mix for 5 more minutes.
- Add milk, raisins, almonds, cinnamon, and cloves. Mix well.
- In a separate bowl, mix flour and baking soda.
- Add flour mixture to wet mixture. Mix with a rubber spatula until well incorporated.
- Pour into an oiled bundt pan. You can use a regular 9” cake pan, but it cooks better in a bundt pan.
- Bake for 1 hour or until inserted knife comes out clean.
Nutrition
Calories: 458kcalCarbohydrates: 61gProtein: 9gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 54mgSodium: 384mgPotassium: 269mgFiber: 3gSugar: 22gVitamin A: 125IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 95mgIron: 3mg
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About the Author: Koula Barydakis
Koula Barydakis was born into a long tradition of eating and living Mediterranean on the Greek island of Crete. She is a chef who has worked in many of the top restaurants in Crete and in Greek Town in Toronto, Canada. Koula is the co-author of “Foods of Crete, Traditional Recipes of the Healthiest People in the World” and is currently completing her second cookbook. Koula teaches cooking classes to tourists in Crete and has been hired to teach classes in other countries as well.
This is such a simple recipe with great results and no butter. I added a teaspoon of vanilla essence with great results.
In your description you say, “When baking sweet treats you want to have an olive oil with a buttery taste. Oils with a strong “olivey” taste might not work as well for sweets, but are great for breads and savory treats.”
Which olive oil has a “buttery taste”? I had purchased California EVOO upon your recommendation. Would this brand be too “olivey”? More specifics are needed.
Thank you, I’m trying to learn as much about the Mediterranean way of eating from you in hopes of improving quality of life.