This Gluten-Free Olive Oil Cake with Almond Flour bursting with blueberries is a delicious twist on a classic dessert. Perfect for satisfying your sweet tooth without refined sugar. Dairy-free.
Baking with olive oil produces tender, moist crumbs, and rich flavor. This gluten-free dessert was inspired by a trip to Napa with the most delicious blueberry cake.
In recreating it, this one does not disappoint!
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Why you'll love this recipe
- Simple ingredients for a flavorful cake
- Great for every day or for special occasions
- Moist texture for a perfect crumb
Ingredients and substitutions
Here are a few quick notes about the ingredients in this recipe. You can see a complete list of ingredients and instructions in the recipe card below.
Almond flour - Gives our gluten-free dessert a perfect crumb. Make sure to use blanched fine almond flour and not almond meal.
One of my go-to flours in gluten-free baking, I recommend Bob's Red Mill brand.
Extra-virgin olive oil - The key ingredient presents only a mild flavor and lets the other flavors sing. You can choose a good olive oil that you rely on in your regular cooking and baking without breaking the bank.
Feel free to experiment with different types and use extra virgin olive oil with a stronger flavor if preferred.
Cornmeal - Medium ground cornmeal or fine corn flour work great in this recipe. The texture will be slightly different; cornmeal has more a rustic feel. Corn flour is finely ground and creates a smoother texture. This is not gluten-free starch.
Honey - This natural sweetener complements the coconut sugar nicely and doesn't make this cake taste overly sweet.
Maple syrup and agave nectar are both great substitutes. Agave will be slightly sweeter, whereas maple will be less so.
Almond milk - Unsweetened almond milk or any unsweetened plant-based milk can be used.
Eggs - This acts as our binder and leavener.
Blueberries - Fresh blueberries are best!
Lemon zest - The zest of fresh lemons adds bright lemon flavor!
Vanilla extract - A pure vanilla extract will round out the flavors perfectly.
Step-by-step ingredients
Before you start: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease the sides and bottom of a 9-inch springform pan or 9x2 round cake pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper.
Step 1: In a medium bowl, combine dry ingredients.
Step 2: In a small bowl, whisk together wet ingredients.
Step 3: Add wet ingredients to the flour mixture including lemon zest and stir to combine by hand or with a hand mixer.
Step 4: In a separate bowl, toss blueberries with a tablespoon of almond flour.
Step 5: Fold blueberries into batter.
Step 6: Transfer the cake batter to the prepared pan and bake for 30-45 minutes. Once the cake has cooled to room temperature, top with optional toppings.
Tips
- Use a cake tester to check for doneness. Tester should have just a few crumbs on it.
- Honey browns faster than regular sugar, so tent the cake with foil halfway through baking to avoid over-browning.
Serving suggestions
This simple cake needs no extras but is even more delicious if you adorn the top of the cake with one of the following:
- Fresh fruit
- Turn seasonal fruit into a fruit compote topping
- Powdered sugar (use organic if vegan)
- Homemade coconut whipped cream or prepared coconut cream
FAQs
This cake is best the day it is made but will stay fresh for 2-3 days.
Yes! Regular olive oil will have a milder flavor while extra virgin's taste will be a bit stronger. Avoid low-quality oil as it will negatively affect flavor.
Fresh is best, but frozen blueberries can certainly be used in their place. If using frozen, do not thaw them before putting them in the batter.
More gluten-free recipes with blueberries
Love this recipe? Please consider leaving a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟rating on the recipe card below and let me know what you think in the comments!
📖 Recipe
Gluten-Free Olive Oil Cake with Almond Flour
Ingredients
- 2 cups (274g) + 1 tablespoon almond flour, firmly packed
- ¼ cup (40g) medium grind cornmeal or corn flour
- ¼ cup (35g) coconut sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup honey
- ½ cup unsweetened almond milk
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
- 1 cup blueberries rinsed and dried
Optional toppings:
- Fresh blueberries
- Powdered sugar
- Coconut whipped cream
- Simple glaze
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease sides and bottom of a 9-inch springform pan or 9x2 round cake pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, combine 2 cups almond flour, cornmeal coconut sugar, baking soda, and salt. In a small bowl, whisk honey, milk, olive oil, vanilla extract, and eggs.
- Using an electric mixer or by hand, gradually add liquid mixture to the dry ingredients and mix until lumps no longer appear. Add lemon zest. Stir to combine.
- Rinse out the medium bowl, wipe dry. Add remaining tablespoon of almond flour and blueberries. Gently stir to coat. Fold blueberries into batter. Pour batter into prepared pan.
- Place cake pan on the middle oven rack and bake for about 35-40 minutes, or until middle is set and a toothpick or fork come out mostly clean with only a few crumbs. Allow the cake to cool on wire rack in the pan.(Honey tends to brown up faster, so tent the cake with foil halfway through baking.)
- When cool, remove springform sides or use a knife to loosen cake from sides of pan. Invert cake over onto your hand or wire rack to remove parchment. Then transfer cake to a serving platter or cake stand. Sprinkle with powdered sugar or top with a simple glaze if desired.
Notes
- The top of this cake will have a deeper brown due to the coconut sugar and honey used in the recipe.
- Fresh is best, but frozen blueberries can certainly be used in place of fresh. If using frozen, do not thaw them before putting them in the batter.
Franz
Would it be possible to get all the ingredients in grams, not only few, rather than cups?
That would be great.
Many thanks
Franz
Kerri
A friend of mine dropped off some blueberries last night, so I decided to try out this blueberry cake -- WOW!!! I think I could eat the entire thing right now (so left the kitchen). My husband and son had high praise as well (they often don't the GF items I've attempted, only giving the response, "It's warm..."). I bet this won't make it until dinner... Thank you! This is the first item I've made from your collection. I will be back!
I did use a lot more blueberries (maybe 2c total) and added some sliced almonds to the top. Wow again, thank you!
Tessa
Thanks so much, Kerri! I am so happy to hear that and I love the addition of almonds. I hope you find some other recipes you love here too! :)
Reet
I don’t enjoy baking, not my thing. However…this is an exception for me! I had this cake at C Casa then came across this recipe somehow and we are addicted. It is the one thing I will bake with full joy as I embrace all of the healthy ingredients that I know will do my body no harm. I add extra blueberries and everyone gathers around waiting for it to cool until we can dive in. It never lasts long. Thank you for inventing and posting this recipe! Congratulations on your friendiversary. I am celebrating a 61 year friendiversary!
Tessa
That's amazing! Thank you for sharing!!
Maricela
Hi! Can this recipe be done with a gluten free flour mix (Trader Joe's) instead of almond flour? If so, I am guessing the amount of flour would be different? If it is, do you know what the measurements would be or how I can figure that out? I appreciate your time!
Alissa @ Big Eats Tiny Kitchen
This was soooo good. I loved the cornmeal addition. Good job!
Tessa
Thanks, A! So glad you liked it!
Katie
Looks delicious! I want to hear more about the trip! I <3 California.
Tessa
Thanks, Katie! Oh, yes - I love California, too!! It was hard to leave.