Made with whole wheat flour and rich olive oil, this subtly sweet Olive Oil Tea Cake is perfect when paired with tea or coffee!
Quick breads are one of my favorite things to bake.
They are often quick to prepare and you can come up with so many different flavors so you never get bored.
Some of my favorite quick bread recipes are this Classic Vegan Banana Bread Recipe, this Vegan Walnut Raisin Bread and of course, this Whole Wheat Olive Oil Tea Cake!
Ingredients You'll Need for Olive Oil Tea Cake
While this recipe sounds fancy, it actually doesn't require any strange ingredients!
I'll list out everything you'll need below:
- Soy milk
- Lemon juice
- Whole wheat flour
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Sugar
- Aquafaba*
- Olive oil
- Lemon zest
- Vanilla extract
What is Aquafaba?
I'm pretty sure this tea cake is the first of many recipes on my blog to use aquafaba.
If you aren't familiar with aquafaba, you're in for a real treat--especially if you are allergic to eggs or follow a plant-based diet.
Aquafaba is the viscous liquid from a can of chickpeas which can act as an egg substitute.
More specifically, aquafaba has a lot of the same properties as eggs whites, so you can actually use it to create vegan versions of popular desserts such as meringues and marshmallows.
While it doesn't have all the properties of a whole egg including the egg yolk, you can still often substitute three tablespoons of aquafaba for 1 egg in some recipes, like I did in this tea cake.
What is the Difference Between Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Regular Olive Oil?
The amount of olive oils available at the grocery store can get overwhelming, so let's break down the differences between extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) and regular olive oil.
EVOO is the oil that is extracted from olives which have been ground into a paste. No heat is used when making EVOO, so it is often labeled as "cold-pressed" and has a more potent flavor.
Regular olive oil, on the other hand, is created by blending together both cold-pressed oil and processed oil. It has a more neutral flavor and is perfect in this recipe!
Can You Make Cake with Olive Oil?
Yes! You can definitely use olive oil when baking cakes.
It will substitute wonderfully 1-to-1 for whatever oil is called for in the recipe. Just remember that EVOO has a stronger flavor and may affect the taste of the cake. Therefore, you may want to stick with regular olive oil.
Is Butter or Oil Better for Baking Cakes?
In my opinion, oil is superior to butter when baking cakes.
1 cup of oil is lighter than 1 cup of butter so it will produce a lighter cake, while using butter will produce a denser cake.
However, butter does add some extra flavor and could be a good option in certain instances.
How to Store Leftover Olive Oil Tea Cake
If you'll be enjoying this cake in two days or less, then you can store it in an airtight container on the counter.
However, if you don't think you'll finish it that quickly, simply place it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
How to Serve Tea Cake
This tea cake has a fairly neutral flavor, making it great to pair with all kinds of toppings and frostings
We personally love to enjoy it with yogurt and fresh fruit.
You could also frost it with traditional frosting if you want a more decadent cake.
Or simply enjoy it on its own with a hot cup of coffee or tea!
📖 Recipe
Whole Wheat Olive Oil Tea Cake (Vegan!)
Ingredients
- ¾ cup soy milk
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup sugar
- ½ cup + 1 tablespoon aquafaba*
- ¾ cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 °F and grease a standard loaf pan. Set it aside.
- Combine the soy milk and lemon juice to form buttermilk. Set it aside for 5 minutes.
- Prepare your aquafaba by opening a can of chickpeas and pouring the liquid into a jar.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients, from the whole wheat flour to the salt.
- In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients including the sugar, aquafaba, olive oil, lemon zest, vanilla extract and buttermilk.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
- Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan and bake for about 50 minutes or until golden on top and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Allow the tea cake to cool for 5-10 minutes in the pan before removing it to finish cooling on a wire rack.
- Slice the tea cake and serve it with fresh fruit, yogurt or however you like!
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for a few days.
Vasia says
Hi! I was wondering if I can add cranberries into the mix and if so how mych? <3
Faith says
Hi Vasia! I think cranberries would work beautifully in this recipe. I would just eyeball it. Start with 1/2 cup maybe and add more if it doesn’t look like enough. Since I’ve never made this bread with cranberries I can’t say for sure it will work, but I hope it does because that would be a wonderful flavor combination! Let me know how it turns out!