| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 1 hr 40 min |
| Prep: | 20 min |
| Inactive: | 35 min |
| Cook: | 45 min |
| Yield: | 8 to 10 servings |
Ingredients
- 1/2 stick unsalted butter, plus extra for pan, softened
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 1 lemon, zested
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus 1 tablespoon, sifted, divided
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup whole milk, room temperature
- 1/3 cup golden raisins
- 1 1/2 cups fresh seedless grapes, stemmed, washed, dried and halved, divided
- 1 cup heavy cream, cold
- 1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 3 tablespoons to 1/4 cup honey
- 1 small ginger knob, peeled and grated, about 1 heaping tablespoon
Instructions
- This cake is very simple to put together but you have to respect 1 rule: temperature. It is critical that the butter, eggs, milk and olive oil all be at room temperature when you begin making this batter.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Using an electric hand mixer, beat together the butter and sugar in a large bowl until they lighten in color, about 5 to 8 minutes. Slowly beat in the eggs and lemon zest. Sift 1 1/2 cups flour over the bowl and add the baking powder and salt, gently folding to combine. Add in the olive oil and milk, stirring to combine. In a separate bowl, toss the raisins and about 1 cup of the grapes with the remaining 1 tablespoon of sifted flour. Add the fruit to the cake batter and stir only enough to blend.
- Thoroughly grease the bottom and sides of the cake pan with some extra softened butter. Pour the batter into the pan and slide it into the center of the oven. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 40 to 45 minutes. Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool. Detach the outside of the springform pan, using the bottom as a plate for the cake to finish cooling.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the cream, confectioners’ sugar and almond extract until soft peaks form. Set the topping aside.
- Add the honey to a small saute pan and bring it to a light simmer over low heat. Once it bubbles, thickens and turns light brown after about 2 to 3 minutes, add in the grated ginger and remaining grapes. Switch off the heat and allow the glaze to cool. Serve slices of the cake with some of the grape-ginger mixture spooned over and a dollop of the whipped cream.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 10 servings |
| Calories | 422 |
| Total Fat | 26 g |
| Saturated Fat | 10 g |
| Carbohydrates | 46 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Sugar | 29 g |
| Protein | 4 g |
| Cholesterol | 78 mg |
| Sodium | 104 mg |
Reviews
Warm grapes make me uncomfortable but boy did the boys love this
Alex, great recipe. The combined flavors were a work of art. My family loved the cake.
AI
Alex, your dishes ate simply fantastic. You, Anne Burrell & Alton Brown have started a culinary fire in me, I love your recipes so much I purchased your book. Your stories paint a beautiful picture and allows my mind to feast while at the same time my body gets to feast on your magnificent dishes, tasting powerful, amazing dishes with subtle nuances that whisper on the back of your tongue. Thankyou
Pretty good. Interesting alternative to the typical desserts I make. Didn’t love the almond in the whipped cream; too strong and too synthetic tasting-maybe it was the almond extract I was using. Fine, just not my favorite flavors.
Delicious cake. Love the texture. Sauce not needed. Too strong. Whipped cream is nice.
Just because they are celebrities doesn’t mean every recipe they post is good, this was waste of time and money, THE GINGER HONEY GRAPE SAUCE , BBAAADDD idea. Will never try it or her recipes again.
Interesting. Almost reminds me of cornbread, so I’m wondering if you could make this savory with bacon and cheese? I also want to try rhubarb.
Olive oil cake is genius! So delicious. The grapes ended up tasting more like cherries. But my boyfriend and I agreed that the recipe could do without the grapes, white raisins, and ginger syrup. The olive oil cake can stand easily on its own, and would be amazing with a berry sauce on top.
But I thought the grapes and ginger added a great complex of flavors, which made the cake really exciting. If you’re looking for something “more relaxing” so to speak, then feel free to omit all the fruits and ginger. Great recipe!
Cake was good but the ginger syrup was terrible. I cut the ginger back to 1 teaspoon and it was still way too strong. Whipped cream was good but didn’t really like it on the cake. Won’t make this again, I have many cake recipes much better than this one.
I have made this cake countless times, and I can tell you that it is genuinely simple to make. Sometimes I use lemon and grapes, sometimes lemon and blueberries, and sometimes orange and cranberries. This is a delicious, easy recipe!