Olive Oil Honey Cake with Fresh Peaches! A light and elegant Olive Oil Honey Cake with fresh homemade whipped cream, sliced peaches and lightly drizzled with honey. Dessert doesn’t get any better than this.
During my stint of doing the Whole 30, my body was too wrapped up in figuring out what I could eat so I wasn’t as concerned about what I could not eat. Early on, I didn’t miss dessert as much as I thought I would and by Day 10, I became antsy and started missing baking.
I couldn’t bake at all (or at least you’re not supposed to) during the Whole 30. And when I was finally able to bake something, after I completed the 30 days, the heavens opened.
I was listening to music, humming and singing along, with a spring in my step. I didn’t realize how much I missed baking until I was actually baking again.
Next to chocolate cake, an olive oil cake is my absolute favorite. I love the subtleness in flavor and the texture so much. Plus, I think they are so elegant and can be paired with so many things for different flavors.
Originally, I was just going to keep it simple . . but then. . these peaches.
These gorgeous peaches. It’s summer so don’t hold back, y’all.
And this honey.
This honey drizzled all over the peaches. This olive oil honey cake with fresh peaches is perfection. This is how you bake with fresh peaches in the summer time, yo. And if you’re looking one of the simplest ways of all to enjoy fresh summer peaches, try my Vanilla Ice Cream with Grilled Peaches!
I got the honey for this olive oil honey cake with fresh peaches in early June when I went on a trip for TASTE: Unearthing the Art and Science of Food, hosted by an organization called, Best Food Facts. Best Food Facts is a not for profit organization that provides information about the foods we eat, where food comes from and everything in between. They engage with University-based experts (PhDs and RDs) who have either completed or reviewed research on a specific topic being discussed.
You can find interviews, video and articles about a lot of important food news and controversial food topics that people are talking about currently on their website. I was thrilled to meet the people behind Best Food Facts and The Center for Food Integrity because as a food writer, food blogger, mother and cook, it’s so helpful to know that organizations like this exist and are here to help us. Not necessarily to persuade us one way or the other, but to provide the facts.
We were in sunny and beautiful Sacramento and also spent time in Davis, California. We visited Putah Creek Winery, where we walked the vineyards and ate dinner under the stars. It was absolutely gorgeous. And we had the most delicious wine pairing dinner ever.
This wild salmon with beets was amazing!!
The following day, we drove to the T&Y Strawberry Patch in Woodland, CA. T&Y is a family-owned strawberry patch that’s been in business for years in the Woodland area. If you are ever in the area, you must stop by, pick up some berries and say hello to Newt Saelee, the owner. Newt took us around, showed us where they farm and grow their strawberries and even let us pick some and take some home! We also had the pleasure of meeting his mother. She was the picture of hard work and determination. Their story reminded me of my own parents and how hard they have worked to be successful in this country.
They came to this country with nothing. Worked hard, learned how to farm, saved their money and when the time was right, they were able to buy their own land. The rest is history. It was a pleasure meeting this family.
Next, we visited the Robert Mondavi Institute, which houses the departments of Viticulture and Enology and Food Science and Technology, on the UC Davis Campus. This is where they study wine and food science. We sat through two sessions: one on olive oil tasting and the other, on honey. These sessions were fascinating for me because other than eating and cooking with the two, my knowledge of both olive oil and honey was limited.
We met with Sue Langstaff. Sue is an expert in interpreting everything that hits her taste buds! She is the Principal of Applied Sensory, LLC, a member of the UC Davis Olive Oil Taste Panel, and the UC Cooperative Extension Sonoma County Olive Oil Taste Panel. Sue taught us about the science behind the sensory experience of tasting olive oil. She also cleared up a few myths about olive oil, which you can read about here.
Then, we met with Amina Harris, the Executive Director of the Honey and Pollination Center at the Robert Mondavi Institute of Wine and Food Science at UC Davis. Amina gave us a honey tasting wheel to distinguish the flavors and the underlying notes in each one we tasted. It was fascinating because we were able to explore all different kinds of tastes, whether fruity or floral, or spicy or earthy. Here are the four things you should know about honey and what to look for when you are buying honey.
After the visit to the Robert Mondavi Institute, we headed over to Ella in Sacramento for dinner. I sat next to Dr. Carl Winter, PhD, Extension Food Toxicologist at the Department of Food Science and Technology at UC Davis, and we had a great discussion on organic vs. non-organic produce and pesticide exposure. I highly recommend that you guys read this article if this is something that interests you.
Overall, this trip was great! I may have left with more questions than I had before I arrived, but I am excited that now I have the resources to look into and the right places to start reading up so I can do more research on my own.
In a couple of weeks, we are all headed out to Bentonville, Arkansas to tour Tyson’s Test Kitchens and Discovery Center. We will have an exclusive look at food processing and packaging . . . so, stay tuned! I’ll have more to share when I get back!
And until then, make this olive oil honey cake with fresh peaches!!!
Olive Oil Honey Cake with Fresh Peaches
Ingredients
For the olive oil cake:
- 4 large eggs
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup good quality olive oil
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter; melted
- Finely grated zest from one lemon + the juice
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt or iodized salt
For the topping:
- fresh whipped cream
- 2 to 3 peaches sliced
- honey
Special equipment suggested:
- A springform cake pan with removable bottom
Instructions
Make the Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 325˚F. Lightly butter or spray a 9-in/23-cm springform pan with a removable bottom.
- Using an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the eggs and sugar and beat on high speed until the eggs are thick and pale yellow, for about 3 minutes. Pour in the olive oil and melted butter and continue to beat. Next, fold in the lemon zest and juice.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl. Add the dry ingredients gradually to the egg mixture and mix until evenly combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula to make sure everything is combined.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan. Bake until the top is lightly brown, and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, for about 40 to 45 minutes (rotating the pan after about 20 minutes to ensure the cake cooks evenly). Cool the cake on a wire rack for about 10 minutes. When cool enough, remove the cake from the pan and cool the cake completely on a wire rack.
To assemble:
- After the cake has cooled, top with loads of fresh whipped cream, arrange fresh peach slices on top and drizzle with honey. Slice and enjoy!
Disclosure: I was provided with an all expense paid trip to Davis, CA through Best Food Facts. They also compensated me for my time in creating this recipe and post. All opinions are 100% my own. Thank you so much for allowing me the opportunity to share about the organizations and companies that I have the honor of meeting and working with.
