4 Butter-Free Desserts that Are Still Yummy

By Vanessa Golembewski, Refinery29

If you've learned one thing about us, dear reader, it's that we'll always find a reason to justify eating dessert. Seriously, if you need someone to tell you it's okay, you've come to the right place. But since we're also conscious about finding healthier options, we're definitely trying out these yummy recipes made with olive oil, courtesy of Cat Cora's Kitchen by Gaea's olive oils.

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Cora's recipes offer a lighter option for dessert by swapping out more traditional ingredients, like butter, for olive oil. Before you say sweets and olive oil is too strange a pairing, consider the Cronut, which really paved the way for incorporating olive oil in dessert recipes. And since Cat Cora's olive oil options have no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives, we're thinking these treats are right up our alley.

Almond Cake With Olive Oil And Orange Zest
Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:
3/4 cup Cat Cora's Kitchen by Gaea DOP Sitia (Kalamata) extra virgin olive oil
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
7 ounces finely ground almonds
Zest of orange

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat oil, sugar, and eggs in a bowl with a wire whisk until light. Combine flour with baking powder, ground almonds and orange zest. Add to oil and sugar mixture stirring in gently. Spread mixture in a greased rectangular pan 8.65 x 4.35 inches and bake for 50. Lower heat to 338 degrees and continue baking for 10 more. Test cake in the center for dryness. If still moist, allow to bake a little longer. Cool cake, remove from pan and dust with powdered sugar.


Wet Chocolate Cake With Olive Oil
Yield: 6 - 8 servings

Ingredients: 10 oz couverture chocolate
3/4 cup Cat Cora's Kitchen by Gaea DOP Sitia Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 1/2 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour, sifted
4 oz chopped walnuts
Accompaniment: Strained yogurt

Directions
Preheat oven to 320 degrees. Melt the chocolate and olive oil in a bain marie. Beat sugar with egg until mixture is light and airy. Slowly add melted chocolate. Combine flour with walnuts and fold gently into egg mixture. Pour mixture in a 7 inches round spring-form pan (preferably) and bake for about 25 - 30 minutes. Remove cake from oven, allow to cool and then place in refrigerator. If desired, before serving cake can be heated. Serve accompanied by strained yogurt.

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Baked Pears With Chocolate Ice Cream And Olive Oil
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:
1 pound semi-sweet chocolate ice cream
2 3/4 tbsp butter
4 tbsp brown sugar
8 pears, peeled and cut in half, seeds removed
Juice and zest of 1 orange
Black peppercorns
4 tbsp Cat Cora's Kitchen by Gaea DOP Kalamata (Sitia) extra virgin olive oil

Directions: Place shallow pan over heat and add butter and sugar. Stirring constantly over low flame, allow mixture to caramelize. Add pears and turning over frequently cook them for about 10 or until they caramelize. Add orange zest and juice and remove pan from heat. To serve. Place a large scoop of chocolate ice cream in each bowl, arrange 2 pears around it together with the pan liquid. Sprinkle with black pepper and drizzle pears with 1 Tbsp. of Cat Cora's Kitchen olive oil.

Feta And Olive Oil Cake
Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:
5.3 oz feta cheese
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 tbsp honey
1/2 cup Cat Cora's Kitchen by Gaea DOP Kalamata (Sitia) extra virgin olive oil
1 cup all purpose flour
3.5 ounces ground almonds
1 tsp baking powder
Cat Cora's Kitchen pitted Kalamata olives, cut in half
Brown sugar for garnishing

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Process the cheese with the sugar and honey in a mixer until smooth. Add olive oil. Combine flour with the ground almonds and baking powder and add to bowl while mixing. Divide batter among 6 greased one-use individual cake molds and top each with half an olive. Sprinkle top of batter with brown sugar and bake for about 25.

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