Extra Virgin Olive Oil for Desserts and Savory Pastries: How to Use Frantoi Cutrera Oil

The idea of ​​using extra virgin olive oil in desserts and savory pastries still surprises many people, accustomed to thinking only of butter and seed oils. In fact, more and more chefs and enthusiasts are choosing EVOO for desserts because it guarantees lighter, fluffier, more digestible doughs with a superior nutritional profile. With Frantoi Cutrera oil , delicate and rich in elegant Sicilian aromas, savory cakes, biscuits, and focaccias become a true exercise in Mediterranean style.

Why use extra virgin olive oil in desserts (and not just butter)

Quality extra virgin olive oil is a vegetable fat rich in monounsaturated fatty acids , polyphenols, and vitamin E, substances linked to cardiovascular health and protection from oxidative stress. Replacing butter with EVOO in many recipes allows you to:

• Reduce the amount of saturated fat in the dough.
• Obtain softer and moister cakes and leavened products over time.
• Have more digestible and lighter baked goods.
• Maintain good properties even after cooking thanks to the thermal stability of EVO oil.

In savory pastries and baked cakes, EVO oil works very well in all those recipes where it is not essential to whip the fat (butter) with sugar, such as shortcrust pastry, plum cakes, sponge cakes, breakfast cakes and doughs for focaccia and rustic cakes.

How to replace butter with extra virgin olive oil

Most sources agree on a rule of thumb: use about 2/3 of the amount of butter indicated in the recipe when replacing it with extra virgin olive oil.

• 100 g of butter ≈ 65–70 g of EVO oil.
• 150 g of butter ≈ 100 g of EVO oil.

This reduction is possible because oil is composed only of fat, while butter also contains water and non-fat solids. The result is a soft, well-emulsified dough with a pleasant consistency even after several days.

Which EVO oil to choose for desserts and savoury pastries?

For cakes, biscuits, and leavened desserts, it's important to choose an EVO oil with a delicate flavor that complements the aromas without overpowering them. The ideal oil:

• It has a light or medium fruity profile, without excessively bitter or spicy notes.
• It is balanced on the nose (grass, almond, dried fruit) and in the mouth.
• It is fresh, of recent vintage, to guarantee fragrance and technical yield.

Frantoi Cutrera EVO oil responds perfectly to these characteristics, with an elegant fruitiness that pairs well with citrus fruits, almonds, honey, chocolate, fresh and dried fruit .

Frantoi Cutrera Oil for Desserts: The Benefits

Using Frantoi Cutrera oil in sweet and savoury pastries means integrating an extra virgin olive oil into your dough:

• Produced in eastern Sicily , from selected native cultivars.
• Cold pressed and quickly crushed to preserve polyphenols and aromas.
• Controlled with chemical and sensory analyses that certify its quality.
• Available in more delicate versions ideal for pastry making.

In soft cakes, light biscuits, tarts and plum cakes, this type of EVO provides an enveloping structure and a fine aromatic note, which enhances typical Mediterranean ingredients such as citrus fruits, almonds and honey.

Examples of perfect desserts with EVO oil

• Citrus fruit and EVO oil cake : the aroma of the oil marries with orange, lemon, and mandarin, creating a typically Sicilian aromatic profile.
• Yogurt and EVO oil plumcake : soft, moist, ideal for breakfast and snacks.
• Tea biscuits with EVO : crumbly and fragrant, with almonds or hazelnuts.
• Sponge cake with extra virgin olive oil : a light base for filled cakes, easier to digest than the classic one with butter.
• Carrot, apple, or pear cakes : EVO enhances the fruity flavor and keeps the dough soft for days.

In all these cases, Frantoi Cutrera oil offers an ideal balance between neutrality and organoleptic identity.

Extra virgin olive oil for savory pastries: rustic pies, focaccias, and snacks

Not just desserts: extra virgin olive oil for savory pastries is essential for rustic pies, quiches, focaccias, crackers, and breadsticks. In these recipes, the oil replaces butter or lard and allows you to:

• Get dough that is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.
• Improve your nutritional profile with good fats.
• Give a Mediterranean touch even to simple preparations.

Frantoi Cutrera oil with a medium or delicate profile is perfect:

• For savoury shortcrust pastry (pies with vegetables, cheeses, spices).
• For focaccia and soft sandwiches for buffets and aperitifs.
• For light crackers and breadsticks , ideal paired with cured meats and cheeses.

Practical tricks for using extra virgin olive oil in desserts

• Emulsify well : mix oil, eggs and liquids (milk, water, juices) before adding them to the powders to obtain homogeneous mixtures.
• Combine compatible aromas : citrus, vanilla, cinnamon, almonds and chocolate go very well with EVO.
• Don't overdo it with too much intense oil : for desserts and delicate savoury pastries, an extra virgin olive oil with a sweet and slightly bitter flavour is better.
• Check your oven : EVO oil resists heat well, but every oven is different, so it's helpful to monitor the cooking times during your first few attempts.

EVO oil vs. seed oil in desserts

Seed oil is often used because it is neutral and has almost no flavor, but it has a higher content of polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are more sensitive to heat and less stable.
Extra virgin olive oil instead:

• It offers a better nutritional profile (monounsaturated, polyphenols, vitamin E).
• It guarantees greater cooking stability than many seed oils.
• It adds a pleasant aromatic signature if chosen in the appropriate version for the recipes.

With Frantoi Cutrera delicate oil you get the best of both worlds: healthy quality and balanced aromas.

Why choose Frantoi Cutrera for your quality pastry shop?

• Extra virgin olive oils produced in Sicily, from selected cultivars and quickly processed.
• Differentiated sensory profiles (intense, medium, delicate) to adapt to both savoury and sweet cuisine.
• Naturally rich in polyphenols and antioxidants, in line with the Mediterranean diet .
• Awards and recognitions that attest to its quality at an international level.

Incorporating Frantoi Cutrera olive oil into your sweet and savory recipes transforms every dish into a small manifesto of conscious Mediterranean cuisine.

Find out which Frantoi Cutrera oil to choose for your cakes and desserts »