Roasted Grape Vanilla Cake

Close up slice of grape cake on a white plate. White background with grapes and cake stand.

This is a beautiful and simple cake with surprising flavors. If you haven't baked with grapes yet (and I highly recommend you do), this recipe is a good way to start. The fruit is first lightly caramelized, so it adds a wonderful natural extra sweetness to the batter. I love it with olive oil, but it can also be made with butter.

Course Cakes

Cuisine International

Keyword grape cake

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 45

Caramelizing grapes 30

Total Time 1 30

Servings servings

Calories 275kcal

Author Paula Montenegro

Ingredients

Caramelized grapes:

1 ½ cups whole grapes seedless, the sweeter the better
1 teaspoon olive oil

Vanilla cake:

2 eggs at room temperature
1 cup sugar
⅓ cup olive oil if using butter, see Notes below
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon powdered sugar for sprinkling

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

For the grapes:

Preheat the oven to 325ºF (170ºC).
Wash 1 ½ cups whole grapes, dry them, and place them in an oven pan or sheet. Drizzle with 1 teaspoon olive oil and stir to coat lightly.
Bake for 20-30 minutes, until shriveled and juicy. Depending on the size of your grapes, it may take more or less time. Some will be more roasted than others.

For the cake batter:

Turn the oven up to 350°F/180°C.
Butter or spray an 8-inch springform cake pan.
Beat 2 eggs in a large bowl and add 1 cup sugar gradually, beating for a minute until it thickens.
Add ⅓ cup olive oil in a thin stream while constantly beating until it's thick and light-colored, similar to homemade mayonnaise.
Add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and mix well.
Sift together 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder and ¼ teaspoon salt. Or have it all measured and sift directly over the batter.
Add the dry ingredients in 2 parts, beating just until it's incorporated. Don't overbeat at this point.
Pour into the prepared pan, and scatter the grapes on top.
Bake for about 45 minutes, until golden brown and puffed and a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean. The middle might sink slightly after you remove the cake from the oven.
Let cool on a wire rack, run a smooth-bladed knife around the edge to loosen and remove from the pan.
Sift with 1 teaspoon powdered sugar before serving.
Keep leftovers wrapped in plastic in the refrigerator.

Notes

Baking time: consider that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as possible, but it might take you more or less time. You can use an oven thermometer to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend keeping track of how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust.

Oil or butter: you can use extra virgin olive oil or any other, such as sunflower or canola. I used to make this cake with butter until I tried it with olive oil and never looked back. But I'm a huge fan of olive oil and love baking with it. It might not be your case.

*If using butter: beat ½ cup (115g) of soft, unsalted butter with the sugar for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, and integrate well. Then, follow the rest of the recipe as written above.

Storing: refrigerate leftovers, well wrapped to prevent drying out. You can keep it for maybe 1 day at room temperature, but it has grapes, and they will start to ferment if the room is not cool. So I recommend not to take a chance.

Fruit variation: you can use sliced pears, apples or stone fruit like peaches or plums. It will be more of a fruit-topped cake as the batter won't hide the fruit very well. Either way, it’s great and perfect for tea time or when you have a solitary fruit and want to bake something simple.

Flavorings: the batter is plain and can accommodate any spice or citrus zest you want, as long as you like it paired with grapes, or whatever fruit you use. I used a pure vanilla extract to let the sweetness of the roasted cakes shine.

Nutrition