Strawberry Olive Oil Chantilly Cake

Fluffy and tender olive oil cake, layered with a cream cheese chantilly cream and fresh strawberries. This strawberry olive oil chantilly cake is everything I want in a strawberry shortcake – fresh, creamy, and melt-in-your mouth delicious. Moreover, an oil-based cake means this cake can be enjoyed straight from the fridge while staying soft and moist.

Ingredients:

• For the olive oil cake:
  • 2 large eggs
  • 180 grams granulated white sugar
  • zest of 1 large lemon (optional)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 80 grams extra virgin olive oil
  • 150 grams whole milk
  • 140 grams all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
• For the chantilly cream and filling
  • 370 grams full-fat cream cheese, room temperature
  • 80 grams powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract (optional)
  • 400 grams heavy whipping cream, cold
  • 250 grams fresh strawberries, washed, dried, and diced

Instructions:

1. Bake the cake:
   • Heat your oven to 320 Fahrenheit (160 Celsius).
   • Grease and line the bottom of an 8 inch (20 cm) round cake or springform pan. Don’t line or grease the sides of the pan.
   • In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder. Set aside.
   • In a large bowl or stand mixer, whip the lemon zest, sugar, salt and eggs on high speed for 3-5 minutes, or until pale and thickened. (This can be done by hand, but will take longer).
   • At this point, it’s best to switch to a whisk and do the rest by hand. Add the vanilla and olive oil, and whisk until combined. The olive oil tends to sink to the bottom of the bowl, so be sure to whisk very well and scrape down the sides and bottom.
   • Add half of the dry ingredients and all of the milk. Whisk by hand until partially combined. Add the rest of the dry ingredients and whisk just until all the flour is incorporated – avoid overmixing. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl and ensure the mixture is homogenous.
   • Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Tap the pan on the counter twice to remove any large air bubbles.
   • Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
   • Let the cake cool completely before slicing and assembling.
2. Make the cream:
   • Place the cream cheese and powdered sugar in a large bowl. Whip on low-medium speed until the cream cheese is smooth and no lumps remain.
   • Add the vanilla, if using, and all of the cold heavy cream. Whip on medium-high speed until the mixture thickened, fluffy, and spreadable.
3. Assemble:
   • Use a serrated knife or cake leveler to divide the cake into three equal layers.
   • Place the bottom layer of cake on a turntable or plate. Spread about 1/3 of the frosting evenly on the bottom layer, then add half of the diced strawberries on top. Press them down slightly to ensure they don’t move. Repeat with another layer of cake, cream and strawberries, then place the final cake layer on top. Frost the outside of the cake with the remaining cream.
   • Enjoy! The cake is ready to serve immediately, but can be stored, covered, in the fridge for a day. After a day, the cake will still be delicious but the strawberries may start to lose their color.

Notes:

• Fruit: I love making this recipe with fresh strawberries, but you can use any other berry or fruit you like as long as it is cut into bite sized pieces. Alternately, you can use your favorite jam in place of the fresh fruit, layering it in between the cream and cake.
• Oil: The olive oil flavor is subtle but you can replace the olive oil with any flavorless oil, such as vegetable or sunflower oil.
• Single layer cake: Instead of making a layer cake, you can bake this cake as a single layer cake, by just leveling off the top of the cake if it has domed, and piling it with the cream and berries. If you’re doing it this way, make a half batch of the cream.
• Cake soak: Baked properly, this cake is light, tender, and moist. However, you can add a bit of moisture to an overbaked or dry cake by generously brushing the cake layers with a mixture of milk and vanilla bean paste or extract.

olive oil cake adapted from cupcakes and couscous