You can indeed substitute extra virgin olive oil for butter and, actually, not hate the result. Olive oil cakes are significantly healthier with a delightful fruity aroma. The oil has a distinct flavor that will probably overpower that of other ingredients in your cake if that’s what you’re looking for.
Alternatively, you could have olive oil flavor subordinate to your cake’s primary flavor profile by using mild extra virgin oil. Let’s explore what olive oil does to a cake, and maybe you can decide to take a plunge –look up olive oil cake recipes and give it a try. We promise that if can get the ratios right, you won’t be disappointed with your extra virgin olive oil cake.
Olive oil makes cakes more moist than usual
Every baker wants their cake moist at room temperature. Achieving this simple objective is no mean feat because the fat you’re using could be working against you. Unlike butter, extra virgin olive oil remains liquid at room temperature. As such, virgin olive oil tends to lend your cake moisture far more reliably than butter and other vegetable oils.Aside from its antioxidant properties, the Vitamin E in extra virgin oil is a hydrating molecule that keeps your cake fresh and succulent longer. Traditional cakes baked with butter dry faster when exposed. Olive oil helps your cake stay soft, moist, and deliciously spongy for long.
Olive oil gives cakes a fruitier flavor
Olive oil has a variety of distinct flavors and aromas. Several factors determine the way olive oil smell and tastes. They include:- The type of olive fruit used. There are over 150 varieties of olives grown all over the world and hundreds of wild olives. Every olive variety tastes different because of its growing conditions, weather, etc.
- Ripeness. Olive oil ripeness contributes to fruitiness, bitterness, and pungency
- Growing conditions
- Storage conditions, etc.
Olive oil is healthier
Extra virgin olive oil is arguably the healthiest of all cooking oils. Its health benefits are largely attributed to the oil’s anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Olive oil has modest amounts of Vitamin E and K responsible for multiple health functions. Keep in mind that Vitamin E is great for your skins. And that just makes it more attractive.Extra virgin olive oil is loaded with antioxidants that inhibit cell damage caused when free radicals and unstable molecules produced in the body react with oxygen. There’s evidence from observational studies that olive oil reduces the risk of chronic conditions like heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, among others.