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Harvest Grape & Olive Oil Cake

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This lovely Italian-style cake is studded with juicy red grapes and flavored with hints of vanilla and citrus.

Slice of harvest grape and olive oil cake on a plate with a fork.

Studded with juicy red grapes with hints of vanilla and citrus, this is a lovely Italian-style cake — perfect for  breakfast, brunch or tea but also delicious topped with a dollop of sweetened whipped cream for dessert. It’s called a “harvest cake” because it’s traditionally made during the grape harvest season to use up the small grapes not going for pressing. More practically, it’s a great way to use up any grapes that are less than perfect (e.g. soft or tough-skinned).

Cake ingredients including baking powder, orange, and eggs.

You might be wondering, does the cake taste like olive oil? Not at all! It’s made with a combination of butter and olive oil, which makes it incredibly moist with just a little more character than your standard butter cake. It keeps well for days, and is the kind of cake you leave on the counter and watch disappear one sliver at a time. (Hint: If you like my French Apple Cake or Simple Summer Strawberry Cake, you’ll enjoy like this cake too.)

Begin by greasing and flouring a 9-inch springform pan. If you don’t have one, don’t worry about it; I’ve made this cake without any problem in a nonstick 9-inch cake pan — it comes right out.

Collage of prepping a springform pan.

Then use a zester to grate the lemon and orange rind.

Piles of orange and lemon zest next to zested citrus fruits and a microplane grater.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl and set aside.

Whisk in a bowl of dry ingredients.

In a separate bowl, beat together the eggs and 2/3 cup of the sugar until pale yellow.

Mixer in a bowl with an egg and sugar mixture.

Add the milk, olive oil, melted butter, lemon zest, orange zest and vanilla.

Olive oil being poured into a bowl.

Beat until well combined.

Electric mixer beating a wet mixture in a bowl.

Then mix in the dry ingredients.

Dry ingredients added to a bowl of wet ingredients.

Using a rubber spatula, stir in 1-1/2 cups of the grapes.

Spatula mixing grapes into a bowl of cake batter.

Transfer the batter the the prepared pan.

Springform pan filled with cake batter.

Then top with the remaining 1/2 cup grapes and 1 tablespoon of sugar.

Sugar sprinkling onto grape and olive oil cake batter in a springform pan.

Bake for about 50 minutes, until the top of the cake is golden and a tester comes out clean.

Harvest grape and olive oil cake in a springform pan.

Let the cake cool on a rack for about 15 minutes, then slide a butter knife around the inside edge of the pan to loosen the cake. Unfasten the latch on the side of the pan and gently ease the side of the pan off of the cake. Let cool on a rack completely.

Harvest grape and olive oil cake on a wire rack.

Slide a wide metal spatula between the bottom of the cake and the pan, lift the cake off the base and transfer to a serving plate. Serve it as a breakfast, brunch or tea cake, or top it with a dollop of sweetened whipped cream for an elegant dessert.

Spatula removing a slice of harvest grape and olive oil cake.

Note: I’ve seen many versions of this cake — this one is most similar to the Winemaker’s Grape Cake in Patricia Wells’ Patricia Wells At Home in Provence.

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Harvest Grape & Olive Oil Cake

This lovely Italian-style cake is studded with juicy red grapes and flavored with hints of vanilla and citrus.

Servings: 8-12
Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Cook Time: 50 Minutes
Total Time: 1 Hour 10 Minutes

Ingredients

  • 1½ cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off, plus more for flouring the pan
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 large eggs
  • ⅔ cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar, divided
  • ⅓ cup milk (low fat is fine)
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for greasing the pan
  • 2 teaspoons lemon zest, from one lemon
  • 1 teaspoon orange zest, from one orange
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups seedless red grapes, divided

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Generously butter a 9-inch springform pan. Place about 2 tablespoons of flour in the pan. Turn and shake the pan so that the flour covers all greased surfaces. Turn the pan upside down over the sink and tap lightly with your hand to remove excess flour. (If you don't have a springform pan, it's fine to use a 9-inch nonstick cake pan. For extra insurance that the cake will release, butter the pan, then place a 9-inch round of parchment paper on the bottom, butter the paper, then flour the whole pan as directed above.)
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking powder. Set aside.
  3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the eggs with ⅔ cup of the sugar until pale and slightly thickened, about a minute. Add the milk, olive oil, melted butter, lemon zest, orange zest and vanilla and beat until well combined. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined. Using a rubber spatula, stir in 1½ cups of the grapes. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the top with the spatula. Scatter the remaining grapes evenly over the top of the batter. Sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar evenly over top. Bake for about 50 minutes, or until the cake is lightly golden and a tester comes out clean. Cool the cake for about 15 minutes on a rack.
  4. Slide a butter knife around the inside edge of the pan to loosen the cake. Unfasten the latch on the side of the pan and gently ease the side of the pan off of the cake. Slide a wide metal spatula between the bottom of the cake and the pan, lift the cake off the base and transfer to a serving plate. (If you used a regular nonstick cake pan, simply invert the cake onto a plate and flip over.)
  5. Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The cake can be frozen for up to 3 months. After it is completely cooled, wrap it securely in aluminum foil, freezer wrap or place a freezer bag. Thaw overnight on the countertop before serving.

Nutrition Information

Powered by Edamam

  • Per serving (12 servings)
  • Calories: 211
  • Fat: 9 g
  • Saturated fat: 3 g
  • Carbohydrates: 29 g
  • Sugar: 17 g
  • Fiber: 1 g
  • Protein: 3 g
  • Sodium: 144 mg
  • Cholesterol: 42 mg

This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.

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Comments

  • A wonderful delicious moist cake. So easy. I’ve been enjoying it with my morning coffee❤️

    • — Annie on September 12, 2023
    • Reply
  • I’ve been searching for an Olive Oil Fig/Pepper /Lemon cake recipe for years! I think this is as close as I will get, cannot wait to make it. Do you think I can sub Figs for grapes – I was planning on using Fig Butter (as this was in the Italian cake I had) – and add Lemon Zest…..

    • — jane on March 15, 2023
    • Reply
    • Sure, Jane, figs should work here. Hope you enjoy!

      • — Jenn on March 16, 2023
      • Reply
  • I am a regular baker and always on the hunt for easy but unique, at least to me, recipes to wow my family and friends. This grape cake by far exceeds the definition of an easy, successful every time, tasty with great texture cake. And my success wasn’t a first time fluke, I have made this over and over again with the same result which is key for me. I can depend on this recipe. I don’t tweak recipes until I have made them exactly as stated in the original recipe. I have not changed any thing but I did switch out the regular olive oil for orange flavored olive oil which made a small difference in flavor, this was a choice not a necessity.

    • — Diane on January 29, 2023
    • Reply
  • We are really bad at eating fruit so I’m always scrolling through the internet trying to find new ways to use it up. As soon as I saw this intriguing recipe I knew this is what I would make with my near death grapes. What a unique and delicious bread! I’m already making plans for the next time I make it, I will be using a smaller pan to account for me gobbling half the batter straight from the mixing bowl 🙂 don’t skip the zest here… it really works so well and brings such a great flavor to the mix. I’m a self proclaimed junk food junkie; if you aren’t you’ll probably love the flavor this bread delivers while maintaining a very mild sweetness. But my sweet tooth is loud….I concocted a powdered sugar glaze with orange & rosemary to drizzle over the bread and it is on another level!

    • — Jamie B. on December 4, 2022
    • Reply
  • nice simple cake that can be served anytime! I sprinkled the top with coarse sparkling sugar that gave the top a little crunch.

    • — judy on October 10, 2022
    • Reply
  • Happy to report we’ve finally made this cake after looking at it in the binder for the last 2 summers! (We don’t make cake often in the hot months and when we do, people usually request your plum cake instead, hence the postponement!)
    Really liked how easy it was to make (no creaming the butter 🙂
    Didn’t have oranges on hand, but it was still nicely zesty – looked very similar to the recipe pictures! The grapes cooked nicely – someone thought they tasted like cherries at first.
    Thanks again Jenn, your cakes are the best for texture, taste and style 🙂
    Looking forward to making it with the orange zest next time.

    • — Savanna Faith on August 9, 2022
    • Reply
  • I love the flavor and creativity of this cake, and the juices that come from the grapes are sooo good. The only bummer is that the cake is somewhat dry. I took it out at 45 minutes and I wish I would have checked it sooner. Or maybe added more butter or something. I never mind extra butter 🙂

    Overall really good, I’ll definitely try it again but check it sooner next time.

    • — Andrea on May 10, 2022
    • Reply
  • Hi Jenn,
    I have tons of manderin oranges. Could I use them in place of grapes?

    • — Sabrena on April 20, 2022
    • Reply
    • Sure, I think that would work. Please LMK how it turns out!

      • — Jenn on April 22, 2022
      • Reply
  • I am making the cake for a luncheon tomorrow… How can I store it so it stays fresh and moist.

    • — Marianne Galluccio on April 20, 2022
    • Reply
    • Hi Marianne, I think I’m weighing too late to help, but for future reference, you can store it covered on the counter. Hope it came out nicely!

      • — Jenn on April 22, 2022
      • Reply
  • Yum!!! I used 1/3 whole wheat and 2/3 AP flour, oat milk, and added 1 tsp gingerbread spice. Came out amazing 😍

  • I made this cake today and it’s delicious! Served it with lemon curd that I folded into whipped cream. Thank you so much for the recipe!

  • Came out exactly like the picture! It was absolutely delicious and moist! My family and I (2 teenagers & husband) gobbled it all up for dessert with tea. I never thought you could bake with grapes. Thank you!

  • Can I use 1/2 and 1/2

    • Sure, that should work. Hope you enjoy!

  • What a surprise this cake was. I had grapes in the fridge, going nowhere fast, and did a search for grape desserts. When this came up I couldn’t believe it. I have never heard of a grape cake! I am vegan and so is my household, so I subbed flax ‘eggs,’ oat milk, and cashew vegan butter, and it turned out great. Once it was cooled it was quickly devoured. Today the groceries came in — with grapes — specifically so I would make this beautiful cake again. Thank you! It’s a new favorite.

  • Came out exactly as pictured and tastes like a restaurant pastry.

  • Didn’t have the lovely red grapes on hand (and I’m avoiding going to the grocery store any more than necessary) so used green seedless grapes. Such a good recipe — Sunday dessert with a little vanilla yogurt. Yum!

  • Loved making this with my 2 year old daughter to use up some red grapes she didn’t want to eat. Really lovely. I think I might make it again in Summer when our plums are ready. It wasn’t as sickenly sweet as I expected, although I did reduce the sugar to be sure of that.

    • — Danielle Wilson
    • Reply
    • Hi Danielle, how much did you reduce the sugar by, out of interest?

  • So good thank you very much for adding this lovely recipe. It reminds me of an old french recipe for rhubarb cake which is very similar in its density but doesn’t have the citrus zest in. Thank you again, happy cooking everyone.

  • Hi Jen
    Hope you and your family are doing good under the current world situation. I wanted to thank you for posting such lovely and reliable recipes on your website.
    I was looking for a nice olive oil cake recipe (using no butter). The ones I hace tried are either too dense or too dry. Are there any recipes you could recommend?
    Thanks in advance!
    Regards
    Vanita

    • So glad you like the recipes and they’re bringing you some semblance of comfort right now. 🙂
      You could make this cake with all oil – I think it will still be delicious!

      • Thank you for your response!! Do you think I can omit the whole fruit (ie grapes) altogether and make it like a lemon olive oil cake? Or use orange zest and extract and make it like a orange olive oil cake?? I’m not a fan of grapes.
        Thanks again in advance
        Vanita

        • Sure, Vanita, I think either of those alternatives would work. 🙂

          • Made this cake once really liked it. Can I make this gluten free and get the same results?

            • — Carol Rieck
          • So glad you liked it, Carol! I haven’t made this with gluten-free flour (and no readers have commented yet that they have), but I think it should work. A lot of gluten-free bakers have mentioned that they have good luck wf with King Arthur’s gluten-free flour.

            • — Jenn
  • I’m so happy with this cake! Thank you for so many great recipes!

  • Jenn, could you please help me with metric measure in weight?

    • Hi Janice, I just added them to the recipe. Hope you enjoy the cake!

  • I saw this recipe on a HuffPost round-up of “breakfast cakes.” I didn’t have enough grapes so I used cherries and I didn’t have any oranges for zest. The cake was tasty. The family loved it. Oh and I also used gluten free flour because we have a family member with celiac. The substitution was fine.

  • Worked out great! Moist, not too sweet. Made it in a foil 9 inch square pan- used coconut oil spray and flour, had absolutely no problem popping it out intact. So happy to have used a bunch of sour red grapes that I thought I would have to toss!!

  • Jen, have been making a very similar cake for years except that mine has wine instead of milk. On Epicurious…Beaumes-De-Veniseake with Grapes

  • This grape cake is really good. Everything I have made from this site is really good thank you for your recipes

  • Loved this Harvest Grape & Olive Oil Cake! Moist, tasty, healthy, classy, and sophisticated way to eat dessert. A light delight to the end of any meal. The big purple grapes present a colorful & whimsical visual unlike anything I’ve ever seen. My “steak & potatoes” spouse surprisingly loved and ate it!!

    My family, friends and I absolutely LOVE your recipes! but I don’t always have to tell you (too busy cooking, enjoying, & eating!)

  • Hi, I have a LOT of green seeded grapes and I wanted to try this cake using them. Any reason why green grapes (cut in half, seeds removed) would not work as well, other than being less “pretty” in the final product?
    Thanks!

    • Hi Erin, So sorry for the late reply. Green grapes should work fine.

  • Hi Jen! The grapes I have are very large. As in mutant-like – LOL. Do you think cutting them in half would release too much extra liquid into the batter during baking? I rarely have to ask baking questions but, having no “baking with grapes” experience, I figured I’d take the safe route and ask. btw – made the fresh strawberry cake last night – YUM!

    • Hi Vicky, That’s a good question…I think the cake will probably be okay — it just won’t look as pretty. Hope you enjoy it and so glad you liked the strawberry cake!

      • Hi Jenn! Just circling back to let you know that the halved grapes worked perfectly. I was careful to put the cut side down of the ones on top. The only thing I did differently was to add about 2T of sour cream to the batter. Thank you for a fabulous recipe!

        • So glad, Vicky! Thanks for letting me know 🙂

    • A light and fluffy sponge cake, with a great way to use up LOTS of grapes!

      I didn’t have any baking powder, so used self raising flour (same amount as of plain) and it came out really well!

      Also sliced the grapes I half and put a little flour on them to stop them sinking.

      Excited I can freeze it. Would definitely make again 🙂

    • I cut mine in half because they were big. It was fine. came out great.
      My question is that it was a little dry. I baked it 5 minutes less then the time indicated. Do you think adding another egg would help? Or take it out even sooner?
      thanks, Debbie

      • Hi Debbie, I’m sorry to hear you found it to be a bit dry. Dryness is usually caused by measuring the flour incorrectly. Did you use the spoon and level method to measure the flour? Even a few extra ounces can make a big difference. This article/video explains it nicely.

  • Well Jen another home run!! We went out to dinner with friends and I wanted to invite them back to our home to end the special evening with a light treat. This cake was perfect. I did not have grapes on hand so I substituted the same measurement for frozen blueberries. It was beautiful, moist and the flavors just popped like little stars. Thanks again for your treasured recipes

    • — Carol Marrazzo
    • Reply
    • Really thought I’d love this cake but I was disappointed that we found it dry. I tested the cake and removed it from the oven at 45 minutes. Wish I had checked it at 40. The cake looked so lovely, it just wasn’t as moist as I would have liked.

  • I couldn’t wait to try this recipe. I followed the recipe except I didn’t have orange zest and used grapefruit instead. The bread turned out pretty dry. I liked it but the rest of the family did not. I think by the title they were expecting more of a cake while I figured it was supposed to be more of a tea cake. This is the only thing that I have made from Jenn’s website that was not a home run.

  • Hi Jen – This recipe sounds like it would be wonderful with a cup of tea! Looking forward to trying it. Do you think I could freeze the cake?

    • Hi Donna, I do think you could freeze it. Hope you enjoy!

  • Are there other fruits that could sub for grapes, Jenn? Thanks!

    • Hi Marlene, I think plums would also work very well. For berries or apples, I would use the other cake recipes on the site (see the links in the second paragraph above). Hope that helps!

  • HELLO ~
    DO YOU THINK THAT I COULD SUBSTITUTE ALMOND MILK FOR THE LOW FAT MILK USED IN THIS RECIPE? I CANNOT WAIT TO TRY THIS ~ IT LOOKS DELISH!

    • i’m sure almond milk would work fine!

    • Hi Dana, Yes, I agree, almond milk would work well. Please come back and let me know how it turns out.

  • If you didn’t add the grapes would you reduce baking time? I’m looking for a plain, dense cake for a quick breakfast or with tea later in the day.
    Thank you

    • yes, just keep an eye on the cake!

    • Hi Jane, There are a lot of grapes in this cake, so if you omit them I’m afraid the batter will not adequately fill the pan. You could try it in an 8-inch cake pan and reduce the cooking time. I’d start checking after about 30 minutes. Just keep in mind that the cake won’t be quite as moist without the grapes — they release some of their juices as they cook. Hope it works out 🙂

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