Pumpkin Olive Oil Cake
Apparently, baking is my newest side quest, and the olive oil experiments are continuing.
After the banana bread, pumpkin olive oil cake felt like the obvious fall addition. I love having something homemade to slice up with coffee, share with someone, or enjoy when I finally sit down after a busy day.
This is a simple cake with pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg, plus olive oil and a little Greek yogurt or sour cream. There’s no mixer required, no layers to assemble, and no frosting necessary. An optional cinnamon-sugar topping keeps it easy.
And yes, this is a cake recipe on a fitness blog. Baking and enjoying food have a place here, too.
Pumpkin Olive Oil Cake
Pan: One 9-inch round cake pan or 8 × 8-inch square pan
Oven: 350°F / 175°C
Bake time: Approximately 35–43 minutes
Yield: Approximately 9–12 slices
Ingredients
Dry ingredients
220 g all-purpose flour
5 g baking soda
2 g baking powder
3 g fine salt
5 g ground cinnamon
1 g ground ginger
0.5 g ground nutmeg
Wet ingredients
100 g eggs, weighed without shells—approximately 2 large eggs
150 g brown sugar
50 g granulated sugar
108 g olive oil
245 g pumpkin purée—not pumpkin pie filling
60 g plain Greek yogurt or sour cream
5 g vanilla extract
Optional cinnamon-sugar topping
12 g granulated sugar
1 g ground cinnamon
Instructions
Prepare the pan. Heat your oven to 350°F / 175°C. Lightly grease your cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
Mix the dry ingredients. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg.
Mix the wet ingredients. In a separate, larger bowl, whisk the eggs and both sugars until combined. Add the olive oil, pumpkin purée, yogurt or sour cream, and vanilla. Whisk until smooth.
Combine. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Gently fold with a spatula just until no dry flour remains. Avoid overmixing.
Fill the pan. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan. If using the topping, mix the sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle over the batter.
Bake. Bake for approximately 35–43 minutes, checking from 35 minutes onward. The center should be set, and a toothpick inserted into the middle should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs, rather than wet batter.
Cool. Let the cake cool in the pan for about 15 minutes. Carefully remove it, if desired, and allow it to cool further before slicing.
A Few Notes
Use an olive oil you enjoy the taste of; a milder oil will let the pumpkin and spices stand out more. Baking time can vary with your oven and pan, so use the center of the cake as your guide.
The cinnamon-sugar topping is optional. Keep it simple, make a coffee, and enjoy a slice.
