Olive Oil Thyme Mini Bundt Cakes! Subtle and delicate flavor and oh so good! If you’re never baked with olive oil, or made an olive oil cake, you need to try this recipe!
Subtle elegance. That is this cake. Simply Delicious. A little crunchy on the edges and moist and perfect on the inside. When I made my first Olive Oil cake, I had some of my mommy friends over and they all loved it. One friend, Ligia, loved it so much, she asked me to teach her how to make it. . her first cake ever! So, today was the day.
For Ligia, we made a separate olive oil large-sized bundt cake but I wanted to try mini bundts with lemon and thyme. I absolutely love all of these flavors. Thyme is one of my favorite herbs. . and it’s so pretty! I love how you can see little specks of it in the cake.
Today was lovely and the cakes turned out great. It was so fun for me to teach my friend and see the excitement in her eyes. Baking does this to you. And Madeline even got to have a play date while we were baking. Usually, when we have friends over, they are Phoebe’s friends, age 5 and up; but today she got to play with someone closer to her age and she had a blast. It was so cute.
If you’ve never tasted Olive Oil cake- for the love of God!! – You need to bake this. This cake is that good.
- 4 large eggs
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ⅔ cup extra-virgin (good tasting) olive oil
- ⅓ cup melted unsalted butter
- Finely grated zest and freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt or iodized salt
- 1 heaping tablespoon fresh thyme (leaves only)
- confectioners' sugar for dusting
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Prep mini bundt cake pan with non-stick cooking spray and light flour if desired (knock out excess flour).
- Using your electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the eggs and sugar and beat on high speed for about 3 minutes. Drizzle in the olive oil and melted butter and continue to mix. Fold in the lemon zest and juice.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, salt and thyme. Gradually add the dry ingredients into the wet egg mixture and stir until evenly combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula if needed.
- Pour the batter into the prepared wells of the mini bundt pan and bake for about 18-20 minutes. Cool the cake on a wire rack for about 10 minutes. When cool enough to handle, invert the mini bundt pan and let the cakes cool completely on a rack. Dust with confectioners' sugar and enjoy!
If you want to try adding thyme in a shortbread cookie, this recipe is also delicious!
I adore olive oil cake and these are so beautiful. I made an impulse purchase on a mini bundt pan a few months ago….soooo happy I got it!
Hi Kelli! Oh, great! I hope you make these! Although. . I must warn you. . you will fall in love with bundt cakes and mini bundts and might be purchasing more bundt pans. . 😛
I was just looking at a mini bundt pan the other day but because we’re trying to save money, I didn’t buy it *sob*. These little bundts are gorgeous, as are your photos. I love the combo of lemon and thyme too (especially in boozy drinks!) and baking with olive oil is awesome. How fun to bake these with your friend!
Well, we’re just going to have to have mini bundts when we see each other. Done. 🙂
I agree with your last sentence 100000000% Alice! Olive oil cakes are the best, no other comes close in my opinion when it comes to simple batters. Remember when thyme was all the rage in the 90´s? Or was it the 2000´s? Or am I getting to old to remember things well?? Teaching to bake to someone who is willing to really learn is so amazing. These cakes really take the prize!
Thank you, Paula! This cake is seriously becoming one of my favorites. . and I LOVE cake. 🙂
I just love-love-love everything about these baby bundts!!!
Thank you, Ashley! I’m going to try your blueberry bread next time!
These look so wonderful Alice. They look soooo moist. I’ve got to make them. I have mini-bundt cake pan, so I’m all set. Thanks for posting!!
Thank you so much, Susan! You must let me know if you bake this! 🙂
Oooooh! These are so adorable and I just love the idea of olive oil and thyme in a cake! Great post. 🙂
Thank you so much, Anne! It’s really a great combination!
So adorable and so delicious. This is a really a refreshing cake with bright and unique flavours and just delicately sweet. Just perfect.
Thank you so much!! I hope you try it!
The lemon and thyme combination sounds so light and fresh. I’ve made a olive oil based cake before and I loved how moist it turned out. Such lovely photo’s too.
Thank you so much, Laura!
I’m ashamed to say I’ve never made an olive oil cake. I’m assuming a less robust fruity oil? How strong does the oil come through? I’ve got a gorgeous CA one (Grove 45) but it might be too strong. I like the mini bundt cakes so much:)
Hi Wendy,
You know, not a lot of people have. . but that’s why I have to spread the word. . because they are so delicious! Yes, I would recommend a less fruity (mild) one. Use an olive oil whose flavor and taste you like on its own. Please let me know if you try the recipe! Cheers!
These are so beautiful Alice! I’ve never had a cake with olive oil or thyme. It looks delicious and so moist, light and fluffy!!
Thank you, Brandi! I hope you give this one a try!
Why is it that everything in miniature form is so very enticing! I happen to love olive oil cakes and I love those thyme or rosemary-woody herbs & scents, particularly when baking. Looks amazeballs!
I am just in love with these little guys. I adore thyme, and love olive oil cakes, so this is probably going to become a new favorite of mine.
Thanks again, Russell. . I really do hope you try this recipe!