Italian Grape Cake

Name: Italian Grape Cake
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 70 min
Ingredients: 1 ½ cups all purpose flour; ¾ teaspoon baking powder; ¼ teaspoon kosher salt; 2 large eggs; ⅔ cup granulated sugar; ⅓ cup milk; ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil; ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted; 1 teaspoon orange zest; ½ teaspoon cinnamon; 2 cups small purple grapes; powdered sugar for dusting

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Italian Grape Cake is a classic Italian harvest cake made with fresh grapes, olive oil, and orange zest. This sweet and simple cake is a delicious way to bake with grapes.

Italian grape cake on a white plate with a slice of the cake and a bunch of purple grapes.

If you've never tried Italian Grape Cake, you are in for a real treat! This cake uses small purple grapes with a hint of orange zest and cinnamon to give a moist and delicious treat that's great for breakfast or dessert.

For another delicious Italian cake, be sure to try this Cranberry Ricotta Cake or this Torta Margherita. And, for an Italian-inspired muffin recipe, you'll love these Blueberry Ricotta Muffins.

Why this Italian Grape Cake works!

While you may never have thought to bake with grapes, it's actually a really sweet and satisfying treat. When you bake the grapes, they soften and add a light and sweet flavor.

This cake is a traditional Italian-harvest cake made with the leftover grapes. The flavors are intensified with the addition of orange (or lemon) zest and of course a good quality olive oil. And, while you may not be harvesting grapes, it's a great way to use up your leftover store-bought grapes.

Whenever I bake this I like to deepen the flavors by adding a ½ teaspoon of cinnamon. While this is not a traditional ingredient, I find that it really adds to the taste.

Close up of a slice of the dessert on a white plate.

Italian Grape Cake stays moist for days! I love to have it with a cup of coffee in the morning or a midday snack. It's delicious on it's own, or you can dollop with with whipped cream.

Ingredients

The ingredients for Italian Grape Cake include kitchen staples like flour, baking powder, milk, eggs, and butter. What makes this cake really special is the citrus zest, grapes, olive oil, and cinnamon.

Citrus Zest: including zest in this recipe is what makes it so flavorful. Some recipes call for both lemon and orange zest, however, I like to use just orange since it plays so well with the grape flavor. Feel free to add more or less zest depending on your tastes.
Grapes: the key to this recipe is using good quality purple/red grapes. In addition, you want to use the smallest grapes you can find. While larger grapes work, they don't sit as well in the batter. Also, don't cut the grapes as you will made the batter too moist.
Olive Oil: the olive oil in this recipe adds to the overall flavor and moistness of the cake. Use a good quality extra virgin olive oil if you can.
Cinnamon: while this is not a traditional Italian ingredient, it adds a subtle sweet flavor to the cake. Feel free to omit it altogether if you like.

How to Make Italian Grape Cake

This classic and simple cake recipe comes together fast and is perfect for any occasion. So, if you've never baked with grapes before, let this be the recipe that changes you!

To start, you will need to grease a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray. If you don't have a springform, a 9-inch cake pan that is greased and lined with parchment would work too.

overhead process shots showing how to make recipe including beating the eggs and sugar and folding in the dry ingredients.

Step 1: whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon (if using). Set aside.

Step 2: use a handheld mixer to whisk together eggs and sugar until they are fluffy and pale in color; about 3-4 minutes.

Step 3: mix in the milk, butter, olive oil, vanilla, and orange zest.

Step 4: stir the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined. Add in the grapes.

process shots 5 to 8 showing how to make recipe including baking and dusting with powdered sugar.

Step 5: use a rubber spatula to fold the grapes into the batter. Scrape down the sides to make sure all of the ingredients are fully incorporated.

Step 6: pour the batter into the prepared pan. Use a rubber spatula to smooth the top. Place in preheated oven.

Step 7: bake the grape cake until it is golden brown in color; about 50-55 minutes. Use a toothpick to test for doneness. Place the cake on a wire cooling rack for 10 minutes. Then use a knife to loosen the collar on the pan and remove. Let cool completely.

Step 8: Once the cake has cooled, dust the top of it with powdered sugar. Serve with whipped cream or by itself.

Overhead photo of the cake topped with powdered sugar on a white serving plate.

Recipe Tips and FAQs

Read all of my expert tip and FAQs on how to make the most delicious grape cake everytime!

The eggs and sugar have to beaten together until light and frothy before adding other ingredients. This usually takes about three minutes with handheld mixer on the high setting.
As written, this recipe will have a small hint of orange flavor without being overpowering. If you happen to love citrus, you could add additional orange or lemon zest to the cake batter.
I like to bake the cake in a 9-inch springform pan. Make sure your springform is locked into place before adding into the pan. You could also make this in a greased and lined cake pan or 9 x 9 inch baking dish.
Use the smallest purple/red grapes you can find here. Champagne grapes would be good, or cotton candy grapes, if you can find them.

Can you bake with grapes?

While baking with grapes doesn't seem common, the small varieties can be used in baking like you would use blueberries. Because grapes have a higher water content, you want to use the smallest grapes possible when baking with them.

What can I do with leftover grapes?

If you have a bunch of leftover grapes, you can remove them from their stem and freeze them in an airtight container for a delicious snack. Leftover grapes are also good when cut in half and used in salads. You can also add them to a wild rice salad tossed nuts and vinaigrette. Small leftover grapes are great for baking.

Italian grape cake on a white plate with a slice of the cake and grapes in the background.

Check out these other simple Italian-inspired cake recipes:

Italian Apple Cake

Cannoli Pound Cake

Chocolate Chip Ricotta Cake

Pane di Pasqua | Italian Easter Bread

Olive Oil Bundt Cake

Lemon Polenta Cake

Chocolate Ricotta Bundt Cake

Italian grape cake on a white plate with a slice of cake on white plate and a bunch of grapes.

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5 from 16 votes