Rustic Grape Olive Oil Cake is an easy yet elegant dessert made with fresh grapes, lemon zest, butter, and extra-virgin olive oil. It’s also the perfect way to rescue a bunch of sour grapes and turn them into something much sweeter!
File this recipe under ‘What To Do with Sour Grapes’. Inevitably, at some point we all bring home a bunch of grapes that look beautiful, but will be so mouth-puckering that tasting one will cause facial tics. I recently found myself in this very predicament. In an effort to save them, I searched for a recipe that might coax out a better flavor.
It didn’t take long for me to arrive at this Rustic Grape Olive Oil Cake. It’s easy, but just a little bit fancy. It originates from a lovely 1990 cookbook, Patricia Wells at Home in Provence. In the book it’s called Winemaker’s Grape Cake, and the author goes into her own experience with grape harvesting at her farmhouse, Chanteduc, in Provence. She offers wine pairing suggestions, too. My adaptation of the recipe simplifies a few steps, and my grocery store grape selection is.. well. Slightly less sophisticated (ha!). But gosh! The way the grapes roast in the oven while the cake bakes turns them into the sweetest little pockets of jammy goodness. It’s an almost magical change, like turning a frog into a prince.
Make the Cake Batter
The combination of olive oil and butter in the batter makes this cake so tender, moist, and flavorful. It’s an easy fix – just one layer that gets baked in a 9-inch springform.
First, beat the eggs and sugar until thick and lightened in color, about 3-5 minutes. Next, add in extra-virgin olive oil, room temperature butter, and vanilla extract. Mix this together until combined and dispersed (you will see little chunks of butter floating throughout, this is normal).
Next, sift together the dry ingredients and toss with fine lemon zest. You’ll need about 1 tablespoon of zest, which one large lemon should provide. Mix the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients. Next, you’ll add grapes.
Types of Grapes to Use in This Cake
Almost any grape will work here, but I use and recommend red seedless grapes. Wells writes of the original recipe “I love the rustic crunch that seeded grapes impart…” So you couldddd, use grapes with seeds if you have them. However, my family isn’t too keen on eating the seeds, and I prefer seedless. Flame, Ruby, and Crimson Seedless are among just a few varieties to choose from.
Add the Grapes and Bake the Cake Twice
You’ll need 10 oz. total fresh grapes for this cake. First, add about three-quarters of the grapes to the cake batter and fold together. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 15 minutes. This sets the top and edges of the cake, but it’s not yet baked through.
Next, scatter the remaining grapes over the top. Then, return the pan to the oven to bake about 20-25 more minutes. As the cake bakes, the grapes will sink down slightly. Some will puff, some will wrinkle, a few may burst. It’s all part of the cake’s rustic beauty.
Garnishes for Rustic Grape Olive Oil Cake
The sliced toasted almonds are my addition to this lightly sweet cake. It’s an optional garnish, but offers so much flavor and gives it a nice texture. I also opted for a dusting of powdered sugar, but you could also add honey, maple syrup, or a quick red wine glaze (red wine + powdered sugar).
A few sprigs of fresh rosemary or sage also make a pretty garnish. You can also top slices very simply with a drizzle of really good extra-virgin olive oil – the fruity kind you’d use on a salad or for bread-dipping.
How and When to Serve
With its clean style, light sweetness, and unfussy prep, this cake very much reflects its Provençal roots. It’s not showy or dramatic, but rather refined in its simplicity. You can serve it as the ending to a fancy dinner party, but it’s easy enough to make on a weeknight when you want something simple and homemade. It will also be right at home next to a charcuterie board. I served slices with slim wedges of Dansk Blue cheese, which together, remind me of the European tradition of a last course of fruit and cheese.
This cake lends itself to a rustic presentation on a wooden cutting board or right on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cut it into wedges and surround it with cheeses, fresh fruit, and herbs.
So, if a bunch of sour grapes is what brought you here, this recipe could be their rescue. A little time in the oven transforms them into soft, sweet, jammy pockets tucked throughout a tender lemon and fruity olive oil-scented cake. I’d call that a very good reason to give sour grapes a second chance.
Related recipe: Artisan Red Wine Soft Caramels
Rustic Grape and Olive Oil Cake
This rustic grape cake has a tender crumb enriched with butter and extra-virgin olive oil, with bright lemon zest and juicy grapes baked throughout. The grapes soften and sweeten in the oven, making this an especially delicious way to use a bunch that’s too tart for snacking. Finish with toasted almonds and confectioners’ sugar for an easy, elegant dessert.
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup buttermilk at room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon sea salt fine grain
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest from one large lemon
- 10 ounces small seedless grapes red, purple, or black
- 1/4 cup sliced almonds toasted
- Confectioners’ sugar for garnish
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Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-inch springform pan with flour-based baking spray, or grease and flour the pan. Set aside.
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In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the eggs and sugar on medium-high speed until thick and lemon-colored (3-5 minutes). Add the room temperature butter, olive oil, milk, and vanilla extract. Beat on low speed until combined.
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In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the lemon zest and blend together with your fingertips. Add the flour mixture to the beaten egg mixture. Mix together on low speed until just combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula and mix by hand to make sure no pockets of flour remain. Set aside for 10 minutes to rest the batter.
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Add 3/4 of the grapes to the batter and gently fold in with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and smooth evenly.
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Bake on the middle oven rack for 15 minutes. Sprinkle the top of the cake with remaining grapes and continue to bake until the top is well-browned and the center is firm and set, about 25 minutes more. When done, the cake should feel quite firm when pressed in the center. Remove to a wire rack to cool slightly, about 10 minutes
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Run a knife around the inside edge of the pan to release the cake, and remove the springform collar. Cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack. Sprinkle with the toasted almond slices and sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar just before serving.
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Serve the slices of cake slightly warm or at room temperature.
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Store this cake covered at room temperature for 1 day, or covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Bring to room temperature before enjoying.
How to Toast Almond Slices: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Scatter sliced almonds over a baking sheet in a single layer and bake for 3-5 minutes, or until lightly golden and fragrant. Let cool before using in this recipe.
Adapted from Patricia Wells’ book, Patricia Wells at Home in Provence. © 1999 Scribner
