13

Can olive oil be substituted for vegetable oil in making a box cake mix?

Jacob Hacker
  • 103
  • 1
Kary
  • 131
  • 1
  • 1
  • 3

3 Answers3

30

Yes. As far as the mix is concerned, oil is oil. You're not reaching high enough temperatures to worry about smoke points or anything, and you're not trying to use a weird substitution (applesauce or some such).

That said, I've done this before, so I can tell you that it may affect the flavor of the finished cake-- vegetable oil is called for because of its neutrality, but olive oil (especially the good stuff*) often has a distinct, fruity flavor. Depending on the (quality, quantity) oil that you use, that olive-oil taste may come through in your cake. Whether that's a bad thing or not is up to you.

(*I and many others would consider it a total waste to use good extra virgin olive oil in a cake. I can't speak to any health reasons you may want to substitute, but if it were me and I just didn't have any vegetable oil on hand, I'd either go to the store now or wait to bake the cake.)

senschen
  • 3,024
  • 2
  • 16
  • 21
  • A co-worker once brought in brownies, and after we ate them he told us he had made them with olive oil. Nobody (including me) could tell. Not so sure about extra-virgin olive oil in a plain white cake mix, but I wager most folks would be fine even with that combo. – Lorel C. Apr 07 '17 at 16:13
  • 2
    Also anecdotally, as a young teenager I made brownies with olive oil (thinking it was an equal replacement for vegetable oil) and they were completely inedible. – beattyac Apr 07 '17 at 17:10
  • Wouldn't it also slightly affect the texture, olive oil being slightly thicker than vegetable oil? – AntonH Apr 07 '17 at 17:57
  • 2
    I will add, I have used olive oil in cake and brownie mixes with no real problem, but will back senschen, in unusual advice, use less expensive olive oil, not the good stuff. One reason to but good olive oil is flavor, but especially in subtle flavored cakes, if you are using strong olive flavor, that might come through. So don't waste the money, have some cheaper stuff to use for things that need bulk oil. My GF hates corn oil and both of us react to canola so we seldom have vegetable in the house, but keep a good olive oil and a cheap one for bulk oil items like cakes. – dlb Apr 07 '17 at 18:00
  • @AntonH I suppose it's possible, but anecdotally no? I suspect that in a box mix, there's just not enough of it being used when compared to all the other ingredients for a slightly thicker oil to make a difference. – senschen Apr 07 '17 at 18:10
  • 11
    Lest a reader come away the impression that using olive oil in baked goods is somehow odd, it should be pointed out that there are cake recipes which specifically call for olive oil, particularly wanting its flavor. (Not surprisingly, these are usually called "olive oil cakes".) -- But I agree that for your standard boxed cake mix, using olive oil is probably best avoided for flavor/expense reasons. – R.M. Apr 07 '17 at 19:18
  • 2
    I almost always use the "extra light (tasting)" olive oil for baking. It doesn't affect the taste or texture at all, even in things like white cake. – 1006a Apr 07 '17 at 20:02
  • Seconding @1006a 's suggestion, use "light" olive oil. Light doesn't refer to fat content or anything, merely the taste -- a light olive oil has a more subtle flavor to it, and is probably better for baking uses like this than an expensive olive oil. – Doktor J Apr 07 '17 at 21:01
  • 2
    I tried it once (extra-virgin, probably the lightest available) and the fruity flavor made it taste awful. The next time, I tried Crisco, and had one of the lightest-textured, most moist cakes from a box that I've ever had. Also, I once tried grapeseed oil when making belgian waffles from Krusteaz mix, and now I'll never make belgian waffles with anything else. (The texture and moisture are exactly how I like it.) Grapeseed oil has become my go-to oil whenever I can fit it in. I haven't made a cake in years at this point, so I haven't tried using grapeseed oil...but I may, someday. – steve_0804 Apr 08 '17 at 01:37
7

Yes, but. It will affect the perceived richness and possibly also the flavor.

I have successfully substituted half the oil called for in a brownie mix with olive oil (because I ran out of canola oil). In that case, it gave the finished product a real richness. When I used all olive oil with the same mix, there was a noticeable olive oil overlay to the finished product which was unpleasantly "healthy" in the context. :-)

So, I wouldn't do this with a yellow or white cake, but would definitely consider it with a chocolate, carrot or spice cake. And even then, I would carefully consider the volume of olive oil to the rest of the ingredients: All olive oil when it only calls for 2 tablespoons? Sure. All olive oil when it calls for half a cup? Uhm... maybe not.

G. Ann - SonarSource Team
  • 171
  • 3
0

I used extra virgin olive oil in the cake mix when your are done mixing it mixes like a thick paste and then when you bake it in the oven it burns the cake and it's not evenly spread out. Not impressed at all

Kelly Marie Barron
  • 11
  • 1