Italian Yogurt Cake with Olive Oil and Grapes Recipe
A simple yogurt cake with olive oil and grapes is a typical Italian bake made “with what you have at home”. Soft, moist, lightly lemony, with sweet fruit sunk into the batter – perfect with afternoon coffee or as a dessert after a light lunch.
Similar yogurt and olive oil cakes are baked in Italian homes in simple loaf or ring tins, often with seasonal fruit from the garden. It’s a typical “yogurt cup” bake, where all the proportions are measured with the yogurt cup itself.
This yogurt cake with olive oil and grapes is a very homely Italian bake in which olive oil replaces butter, giving a moist, soft crumb and a delicate aroma. The grapes bake into little pockets of juice inside, and the lemon note keeps the cake from being overly sweet. It’s a classic “dolce da forno” you can make from basic pantry ingredients without any complicated techniques.
Why this version works
- Olive oil and thick yogurt give a moist yet springy crumb that stays fresh for longer.
- Coating part of the grapes in flour helps keep them from sinking to the bottom.
- Lemon balances the sweetness and brings out the delicate flavor of the olive oil.
- Keeping the mixing brief after adding the flour prevents a dense, heavy center.
Chef's tips
Use a mild olive oil, not a very intense one, so it doesn’t overpower the flavor of the cake – if you only have a robust oil, mix it half-and-half with a neutral vegetable oil. Dry the grapes well after washing and lightly toss them in flour before adding to the batter so they don’t all sink to the bottom. Watch the baking time: the cake should spring back when pressed lightly, and the skewer should come out with a few moist crumbs, not completely dry like a sponge cake.
How to serve
Serve the cake at room temperature, preferably on the same day, with a cup of cappuccino or tea with lemon. It’s perfect as a dessert after a light vegetable lunch or as something sweet for a Saturday afternoon coffee get-together. You can dust it lightly with icing sugar just before serving or add a spoonful of thick plain yogurt instead of whipped cream.
Watch out for
- Do not mix for long after adding the flour – once the batter clearly thickens and looks more matte, stop.
- Do not cut the cake while it’s hot; the warm center is fragile and can collapse or crumble.
- If the skewer comes out completely dry and very hot, shorten the baking time by a few minutes next time.
Substitutions
- You can replace the grapes with quartered plums or blueberries in the same quantity.
- Use a neutral-tasting oil for half of the olive oil if your olive oil has a very intense flavor.
- You can substitute natural yogurt with kefir or buttermilk of a similar thickness – not very thin ones.
Ingredients
- yogurt (about 3/4 cup, at room temperature) - 180 g
- flour (type 450–550) - 250 g
- sugar (about 3/4 cup) - 150 g
- mild olive oil (about 1/3 cup) - 80 ml
- eggs (at room temperature) - 3 pieces
- baking powder - 2 teaspoons
- salt - 0.25 teaspoons
- unwaxed lemon (grated zest and 1 tablespoon juice) - 1 piece
- seedless grapes (halved) - 200 g
- sugar (for sprinkling after baking, optional) - 1 tablespoon
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (top and bottom heat). Lightly grease a 22–24 cm round cake tin with olive oil, line the bottom with baking paper, dust the sides with flour and tap out the excess so the cake rises evenly.
- Wash the grapes, dry them thoroughly and cut them in half. If they release a lot of juice, spread them out on a paper towel until the surface feels dry to the touch.
- In a bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and salt, rubbing out any lumps with your fingers so the baking powder is evenly distributed in the flour.
- In a large bowl, beat the eggs with the sugar for 3–4 minutes, until the mixture becomes noticeably paler and thicker and runs off the beaters in a wide, continuous ribbon.
- Add the yogurt, olive oil, grated lemon zest and 1 tablespoon of juice. Briefly whisk or mix on low speed just until combined; the mixture should stay airy.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ones. Gently fold with a spatula from the bottom just until no streaks of flour remain; the batter should be smooth, fairly thick, but still slowly flow off the spoon in a wide ribbon.
- Toss half of the grapes with 1 teaspoon of flour (taken from the measured amount) and gently mix so they are lightly coated. Fold them carefully into the batter so they don’t sink to the bottom.
- Pour the batter into the tin and smooth the top. Arrange the remaining grapes on top, cut side up, pressing them lightly into the batter but leaving them visible.
- Bake for 35–40 minutes, until the cake has risen, is evenly golden and the edges have slightly pulled away from the tin. A skewer inserted into the center should come out dry or with a few moist crumbs.
- Leave the cake in the tin for 10 minutes, then remove it onto a wire rack and let it cool completely until the center feels set to the touch. Dust the top with a thin layer of icing sugar before serving.
Storage
Store leftover cake wrapped or in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the fridge for up to 4 days. If refrigerated, let it come to room temperature before serving so the texture softens.
I most often bake this cake when I find a promotion on sweet dark grapes at the greengrocer downstairs – I immediately grab a bigger bunch “for the cake and for snacking”. I’ve also baked it in the morning before a family lunch when I needed a dessert that could be safely carried on the tram in a box.
