Rustic Grape Olive Oil Cake

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, . 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 .

First, beat the eggs and sugar until thick and lightened in color, about 3-5 minutes. Next, add in , 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.

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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 – 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 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.

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