Why do Italians bake cakes with olive oil?

In plenty of Italian kitchens olive oil is simply the everyday fat, so baking with it is less a trend than common sense. A torta all'olio is the kind of cake that sits under a cloth on the kitchen table and gets sliced for breakfast, an afternoon coffee or after dinner, and somehow tastes better on day two.

Why oil cakes stay moist

Butter is solid at room temperature; oil is liquid. That difference shows up in the crumb. ATK explains in its olive oil cake article that oil-based cakes can taste moist for several days, while butter cakes tend to seem dry about a day after baking, because the liquid fat slows the hardening of starch that makes cake taste stale.

In practice that means an olive oil cake:

• Keeps well, wrapped, at room temperature.
• Has a tender, slightly dense, moist crumb.
• Does not need a syrup soak or icing to stay soft.

The flavour

Butter tastes of dairy. Extra virgin olive oil tastes of fruit and greenery, and ATK notes that it can be noticeably grassy, peppery and even a little bitter. In a cake, that comes through as a gentle, savoury-leaning depth with a slight peppery finish. It is subtle with mild oils and assertive with intense ones.

That flavour pairs naturally with:

• Citrus. Lemon or orange zest is the classic partner and brings out the oil's fruitiness. ATK's recipe uses lemon zest for exactly that reason.
• Almonds, ground into the batter or sliced on top.
• Fruit: apples, pears, plums, figs, apricots, berries.
• Herbs: a little rosemary or thyme in a fruit cake.
• Wine: some versions use a splash of sweet or white wine in the batter.
• Chocolate, for a darker, richer cake.

Which oil to use

• For a clear olive oil taste: a good everyday extra virgin with a fruity, not too bitter, profile. ATK suggests a decent supermarket extra virgin works well, while very cheap ones may not bring enough character.
• For a milder cake: a delicate extra virgin, or a mix of olive oil with a neutral oil.
• Avoid: oil that has gone stale. Rancid oil, which smells of crayons or old nuts, will taste unpleasant in a cake. The storing olive oil guide covers the signs.

Save your best, most intense estate oil for pouring raw. In a cake it can tip into bitterness, and most of its nuance is lost in the oven.

Why it is an easy cake

Butter cakes often start with creaming butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, which takes time and soft butter. Olive oil cakes skip that. Most methods look like this: whisk eggs and sugar until thick and pale, stream in the oil while whisking, add liquid (milk, yoghurt, juice or wine) and zest, then fold in the dry ingredients gently. No stand mixer necessary, and no waiting for butter to soften.

Bake it until the top is golden, the edges pull slightly from the tin, and a skewer comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Let it cool before slicing; oil cakes are tender when warm.

How to serve it

Simply, which is the Italian way. A slice on its own with coffee. With a spoonful of yoghurt or mascarpone and some fruit. Toasted the next day with a little butter or jam. Dusted with icing sugar and some citrus zest for guests. It also travels well, wrapped, for a picnic or a day out.