Olive Oil Cupcakes

One Olive Oil Cupcake cut in half showing the inside of the cupcake and the tall white frosting.

5 from 1 vote

These Olive Oil Cupcakes are moist, light, and incredibly easy to make, no creaming butter and sugar (ready in 30 min). They’re made with extra virgin olive oil, which creates a softer, more tender crumb than cupcakes made with butter.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American, Mediterranean

Servings: cupcakes

Calories: 486kcal

Author: Lauren Skardal

Ingredients

Olive Oil Cupcakes

¾ cup whole milk 170g
½ cup extra virgin olive oil 100g
2 large eggs 100g
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
zest 1 lemon
zest 1 orange
1½ cups all-purpose flour 210g
¾ cup granulated sugar 150g
3 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt

Cream Cheese Frosting

16 oz cream cheese
½ cup butter softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Olive Oil Cupcakes

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a cupcake pan with cupcake papers.
In a large bowl, whisk the whole milk, extra virgin olive oil, eggs, vanilla extract, lemon, and orange zest.
In a separate medium bowl, combine the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the wet ingredients and gently combine until the dry ingredients are just incorporated. Do not overmix.
Divide the cupcake batter equally among the 12 muffin cups. Each cupcake should be ⅔ full with batter. Bake at 350°F for 20-22 minutes or until the tops are set and very lightly browned in some places, and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Cream Cheese Frosting

In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened cream cheese, softened butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla. I find this easiest to do with a hand held mixer.
Frost each cupcake with the cream cheese frosting. This can be done simply with a knife or with a piping bag and star tip.

Notes

Choose the Best Olive Oil: Use a high-quality extra virgin olive oil. If you don't want the flavor of the olive oil to shine through, use a neutral-tasting extra virgin olive oil, which you can find at Costco or Trader Joe's. If you want a cupcake that tastes more like olive oil, choose one that has a fruity or herby note that you already know that you love.

Mix as Little as Possible: Mixing develops gluten, which is great for a chewy pizza crust or bagel, but not for a light and tender cupcake. Mix as little as possible. Use a large spoon to mix rather than a hand-held or stand mixer, which helps to prevent overmixing.

Ice Cream Scoop: Use an ice cream scoop with a spring-loaded handle to divide the batter evenly among the 12 cupcakes. This helps to prevent spilling and helps to fill the cups evenly.

Filling with Batter: Fill each cupcake paper to ⅔ full of batter. This should be fairly straightforward since you are using all of the batter. Dividing it evenly will get you to that ⅔ mark.

Nutrition