Strawberry Almond Olive Oil Muffins
- Olive oil cakes are dense and moist and popular in Tuscan kitchens. I've been meaning to make an olive oil cake for months now. When we stopped at the strawberry stand on the side of the road yesterday, I knew just what to do with the extra berries. These little cakes are light and fruity tasting with a tad of nutty texture from the almonds. They would be perfect for brunch, in the afternoon with an espresso or cup of tea, or for dessert with a dollop of freshly whipped cream.
- Strawberry Almond Olive Oil Muffins (cakes?)
- Printable Recipe
- Makes 12 large muffins or 20+ mini muffins
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted, coarsely crumbled
- 5 strawberries, large diced
- 5 strawberries (more for mini muffins) sliced lengthwise for tops of muffins
- Turbinado sugar for topping (optional, but adds a nice sweet crunch to the top of muffins)
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly oil a muffin or mini-muffin pan or line with paper muffin liners. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl to blend. Using an electric mixer, beat the sugar, eggs, and zest in a large bowl until pale and fluffy. Beat in the milk and almond extract. Gradually beat in the oil. Add the flour mixture and stir just until blended. Stir in the almonds. Stir in diced strawberries. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Top each with a single strawberry slice. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar if desired. Place cake pan on baking pan to collect any possible spills. Bake until a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out with moist crumbs attached, about 15-20 minutes. Transfer to a rack and cool for 5 minutes.
adapted from Almond Citrus Olive Oil Cake by Giada De Laurentiis