Summer Berry Olive Oil Cake With Vanilla Buttercream

An orange-vanilla cake base is covered in a vanilla bean rich buttercream (a super easy, american buttercream!) and topped with a mound of macerated, boozy berries.

Prep Time
20 minutes
Cook Time
42-45 minutes

Meet the Chef: Rebecca Firth

Rebecca is a food writer, photographer and creator of the sweet-focused blog, Displaced Housewife, your go-to cookie source and new best friend. By pairing authenticity with talent, Rebecca has created a space for quick, easy and delicious recipes anyone can prepare and enjoy.

Servings

For the Cake

  • 1/4 cup Orange zest (about 4 oranges) 1/4 cup Orange zest (about 4 oranges)
  • C&H® Golden Brown Sugar ½ cup (105 g) ½ cup (105 g) C&H® Golden Brown Sugar
  • C&H® Granulated Sugar 1/2 cup (96 g) 1/2 cup (96 g) C&H® Granulated Sugar
  • ½ cup (120 ml) Olive oil ½ cup (120 ml) Olive oil
  • 2 large Eggs, room temperature 2 large Eggs, room temperature
  • ½ cup (120 g) Sour cream, room temperature ½ cup (120 g) Sour cream, room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon Real vanilla extract 1 tablespoon Real vanilla extract
  • 2 1/2 cups (312 g) Cake flour 2 1/2 cups (312 g) Cake flour
  • 1 teaspoon Baking soda 1 teaspoon Baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon Baking powder 1 teaspoon Baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon Sea salt 1 teaspoon Sea salt
  • 1 cup (240 g) Milk, room temperature 1 cup (240 g) Milk, room temperature

For the Berries

  • 2 lbs (about 900 g) Berries (Use either strawberries or blueberries or a combination of the two) 2 lbs (about 900 g) Berries (Use either strawberries or blueberries or a combination of the two)
  • C&H® Confectioners Sugar 1/3 cup (43 g) 1/3 cup (43 g) C&H® Confectioners Sugar
  • 2 tablespoons Orange liqueur (optional) 2 tablespoons Orange liqueur (optional)

For the Vanilla Bean Buttercream

  • 12 tablespoons (6 oz/ 170 g) Unsalted butter, room temperature 12 tablespoons (6 oz/ 170 g) Unsalted butter, room temperature
  • C&H® Confectioners Sugar 3 ¾ cup (487 g) 3 ¾ cup (487 g) C&H® Confectioners Sugar
  • 3 tablespoons Milk, room temperature 3 tablespoons Milk, room temperature
  • 1 Vanilla bean, split + scraped 1 Vanilla bean, split + scraped

Instructions

For the cake

Step 1

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment add the orange zest, C&H® Golden Brown Sugar, and C&H® Granulated Sugar. Run the machine for 1 minute on low to completely combine the everything. If you’re feeling it, reach in there with your hands and massage the orange zest into the sugars to really infuse the flavor in there. With the mixer on low, slowly stream in the olive oil until it’s completely blended with the sugars. Add in the eggs, one at a time, making sure the first is well blended before adding in the next. Scrape the sides and the bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is combined. Add in the sour cream and vanilla and run the mixer on low until completely blended. Take the bowl out of the mixer stand.

Step 2

In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and sea salt. Add to the sugar mixture in two batches, alternating with the milk. Again, scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is well incorporated. Let your batter sit for 30 minutes.

Step 3

When ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350F. Grease a 8x11-inch baking dish and line with parchment paper. Let some excess hang over the sides so that it’s easy to lift the cake out of the pan when it’s done baking. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake in the center of the oven for about 42-45 minutes or until a cake tester or toothpick pressed in the center of the cake comes out clean. After 15 minutes use the parchment overhand to lift the cake out of the baking dish and finish cooling completely on a rack. 

For the berries

Step 1

In a large bowl toss the berries with C&H® Confectioners Sugar and orange liqueur. There may be white specks of confectioners sugar but don’t fret as these will dissolve. Let sit for 15 minutes, stirring periodically, while you make the frosting and frost the cake.

For the vanilla bean buttercream

Step 1

To make the buttercream, add the butter and C&H® Confectioners Sugar to an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Run the machine on low until well blended and there are no lumps. You may need to put a towel over the machine so that sugar doesn’t fly everywhere. Add in the milk and vanilla and run the machine for 2 minutes more or until well-blended and creamy, dreamy looking. Add more milk if necessary in small, 1 teaspoon increments to get to the desired consistency. Smear the frosting over the top of the cooled cake and then top with the berries and serve immediately. 

Chef's Tip

Can be made with a hand-held mixer or with a whisk, spatula, bowl and your well-toned arms!

Don’t add the berries to the top of the cake until just prior to serving.

Feel free to use any citrus you have on hand for this cake (orange, lemon, lime or grapefruit are all delicious!). Likewise, you can substitute another orange liqueur for the berries or omit. If you omit the liqueur, use an equal amount of fruit juice from whatever fruit you used for the zest in the cake base.

I went heavy on the berries, feel free to cut back, use a different combination or skip ‘em if you just want a delicious vanilla cake!