Campari Olive Oil Cake

Name: Campari Olive Oil Cake
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients: 1/4 cup/55 grams unsalted butter (1/2 stick), melted, plus more for greasing the pan; 2 cups/255 grams all-purpose flour; 1 2/3 cups/330 grams granulated sugar; 1 teaspoon fine sea salt; 1 teaspoon baking powder; 1/2 teaspoon baking soda; 2/3 cup/160 milliliters whole milk; 2/3 cup/160 milliliters mild olive oil; 3 large eggs; 1/3 cup/80 milliliters Campari; 1 tablespoon grated grapefruit zest; 1 tablespoon grated orange zest; 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest; 1/4 cup/60 milliliters fresh grapefruit juice; 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice; 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice; Whipped crème fraîche or whipped cream, sweetened or not as you like, for serving

By Melissa Clark

Published March 11, 2020

Campari Olive Oil Cake — Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Total Time: 1½ hours
Rating: 4(2,159)
Comments: Read comments

When I posted a photo of this very modest-looking cake on Instagram, I was blown away by the response. Honestly, it didn’t look like much — a generic yellow cake with a golden top. I think just the very notion of putting Campari and olive oil in a cake is what made people stop and “like” it. And it is a pretty terrific flavor combination: The citrusy bittersweet character of the Campari goes really well with the fragrant oil, to which I also add melted butter for richness, as well as lots of fresh citrus juice and zest. On its own, the cake is a pretty plain-looking thing, but you can dress it up for a party, adding orange segments, berries and dollops of whipped cream or crème fraîche to the top. If you want to go one step further, simmer some Campari and a bit of sugar down to a syrup, and drizzle that all over the cake. It turns the cake more pink and accentuates its boozy flavor.

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Ingredients

Yield:8 servings

¼cup/55 grams unsalted butter (½ stick), melted, plus more for greasing the pan
2cups/255 grams all-purpose flour
1⅔cups/330 grams granulated sugar
1teaspoon fine sea salt
1teaspoon baking powder
½teaspoon baking soda
⅔cup/160 milliliters whole milk
⅔cup/160 milliliters mild olive oil
3large eggs
⅓cup/80 milliliters Campari
1tablespoon grated grapefruit zest
1tablespoon grated orange zest
1teaspoon grated lemon zest
¼cup/60 milliliters fresh grapefruit juice
2tablespoons fresh orange juice
1tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Whipped crème fraîche or whipped cream, sweetened or not as you like, for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch springform pan, and line the bottom with parchment paper. (You can use a regular 9-inch cake pan that is at least 2 inches deep, but the cake will be harder to unmold.)
Step 2
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda. In a large bowl, whisk together butter, milk, oil, eggs, Campari, citrus zests, and citrus juices. Fold in the dry ingredients, then scrape the batter into the prepared pan.
Step 3
Bake until the top is golden and springs back when lightly pressed in the center, 45 minutes to 1 hour. (A cake tester might emerge with a few crumbs, which is OK.)
Step 4
Let the cake cool completely in the pan. Then run a butter knife around the edges and release the sides. Serve with dollops of whipped crème fraîche. This cake is best served on the same day that it’s baked.

Ratings

4 out of 5

2,159 user ratings

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Comments

AnneZell5 years ago

I’ll try. Living in Brescia, Italy we have a lot of time to spend home. By the way: this could be for many a virtual journey to Northern Italy. And yes, I suggest Aperol for who doesn’t like bitterness. Greetings from locked Brescia (lake Garda, Italy)

Nadz5 years ago

Sooo! This turned out to be a great apocalypse baking item. It is moist heaven. I made lots of modifications according to people’s feedback, my flavor profile and what needed to go in the fridge. - I reduced the amount of Compari - I used equal parts blood orange juice and grape fruit juice - I added some sour cream because why not - I used more butter (salted) and lowered the amount of oil by a little - I put blood orange slices at the bottom and then turned the cake over!

Robert Wemischner5 years ago

Made it; like it but be forewarned that the cake does have a bitter edge due to the Campari in it, which will be balanced by serving it with fresh citrus fruits and perhaps some slightly sweetened yogurt edged with freshly zest citrus.

PNWSwiss1 month ago

Made it according to recipe, served with creme fraiche (sweetened with some sugar), and it was a big success. Definitely a bitter note, but with a creme fraiche on the side, it is a fabulous balance.

Ndancer1 month ago

I love this cake! It is so summery and surprisingly light. I personally like the Campari flavor and didn’t find it too bitter. Be warned if you do not have a springform pan, it was too much batter for my 9” cake pan and spilled over a tiny bit. Next time I’d split it into 2 pans (or finally get myself a springform)

Gwen2 months ago

this cake is a new favourite, we used Select instead of Campari because we hade it at home, more orange and lemon instead of grapefruit and only 225g of sugar and it turned out so good.

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