Glazed walnut olive oil apple cake

It’s apple season for most of you, so I made you this Walnut Olive Oil Apple cake.

Jump to recipe

Because I assume you love apples, walnuts, and olive oil. And cake of course, but that’s a no-brainer. We all love cake.

Whenever I think of my childhood, apple cakes and pies are a prominent feature. My father loved them, and my grandmother made them for him all the time. I think she counts as the only baker in my family, the one who taught me my first recipe (this apple crisp – my first blog recipe also – with those underlit pictures which I REALLY must shoot again asap), this extra special fresh strawberry tart, and how to make pie doughs without melting the butter.

So in my house, it was all about apples and lemons as favorite flavors, not much chocolate or meringue. I developed a serious sweet tooth for dulce de leche later on. And then chocolate. Both together are an unbeatable combination (explicit images in this meringue chocolate dulce de leche cake post if you’re interested) and one you should try when making the next chocolate cake.

But back to olive oil and apples, this cake today has it all: it’s super moist from all that oil and chopped apples, keeps very well wrapped and kept in the fridge (a few days at room tº is fine, but be aware of the temperature in your kitchen since apples start fermenting at some point), walnuts to add another layer of texture, and a simple powdered sugar glaze that is a must in my opinion, with that extra sweet sensation that make you want to eat the crunchy glazed top and leave the rest of the cake behind.

It has a touch of orange zest, which complements the olive oil and apples, adding a different flavor combination from the traditional cinnamon.Whatever apple cake you have in mind, don’t forget this one. It’s one for the files.

Double the recipe and make a bundt or tube pan cake. Or make it as muffins; I think the whole wheat flour qualifies them as breakfast fare, at least brunch, haha.

Whatever apple cake you have in mind, don’t forget this one. It’s one for the files.

Table of Contents

Glazed olive oil walnut apple cake

---

• Yield: 8 slices 1x

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

Description

Double the recipe and make a bundt or tube cake. 

---

Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

For the cake:

• 1 cup 130g all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup 70g superfine whole wheat flour
• 1 cup 200g sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup 125ml olive oil (a fruity or light one preferably)
• 2 eggs (room tº)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or paste
• Zest of 1/2 orange
• 1 1/2 cooking apples (I use granny smith, the green ones, with skin, roughly chopped or processed or grated (large holes), but not pureed.)
• 1/2 cup 60g walnuts, chopped

For the glaze:

• 1 cup 150g powdered sugar
• 1–2 tablespoons orange juice

---

Instructions

For the cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF / 180ºC.
2. Line a 3×8-inch (20x7cm) loaf cake pan. Add a strip of parchment paper in the bottom and up the two narrow sides (for easier unmolding).
3. Have the apples grated or chopped. It will begin to release liquid, that is fine.
4. In a large bowl mix flours, sugar, baking soda (sift it to avoid little lumps), and salt.
5. Make a hole in the middle and oil, eggs, vanilla, and orange zest. Mix well by hand or electric beater.
6. Add apples and walnuts and mix.
7. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 40 minutes, until a tester comes out dry.
8. Let cool completely on a wire rack and glaze.
9. Keep well wrapped for 2 days at room temperature and in the fridge a few more days. It can be frozen, well wrapped in film and aluminum foil, before glazing.

For the glaze:

1. Mix both ingredients until you have a creamy mixture. If it’s too dry add more orange juice, a teaspoon at a time.
2. You can make it as thick or thin as you want adding more or less liquid (juice).
3. Glaze the cold cake and let it drip down the sides.

---

Paula Montenegro

A baker for more than 30 years, I love testing recipes and sharing the best of what I find. I'm mostly self-taught with some time spent in baking school. I believe we can all be bakers and cooks with the right instructions and simple ingredients. If you're craving easy recipes with amazing results, you're in the right place. Let's get into the kitchen!