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)
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- Prep Time
- Minutes
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- Cook Time
- Minutes
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- Yield
- 1 cake
- Difficulty Level Easy
Ingredients
- 1 cup olive oil
- 1 ½ cups brown sugar
- 5 eggs
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cup raisins
- 1 cup almonds, mashed
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 5 cups all purpose flour
- 5 teaspoons 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.
- Servings : 16
- Ready in : 80 Minutes
- Course : Dessert
- Recipe Type : Peasant Baker, Tiny Sweets, Vegetarian
- Ingredient : Almonds, Flour, Olive Oil
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2 Responses to Almond Cake Baked with Olive Oil, Cinnamon and Raisins (Crete)
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About Chef
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 ...
Read more about this chef..Related Recipes
Foods of Crete Cookbook
"The scientifically acclaimed “Mediterranean Diet” is presented at its best here, with the liberal use of olive oil and plenty of vegetable and fish dishes in addition to mezedes (appetizers), meat dishes, desserts, and pretty much every Cretan dish you can think of."
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.