RECIPE: Olive oil apple cake and a special olive harvest experience

Buongiorno from Milano one and all.

This week I asked the very talented chef, food stylist and photographer Allegra D’Agostini to guest author a post. After sharing a week together in Corfu, where Allegra and I cooked together on my Autumn retreat, she headed to the ancient city of Corinth to take part in the olive harvest. I jumped at the chance to be able to share a special harvest recipe of Allegra’s with you all, especially following the delicious cakes and sweet treats she baked for us in Corfu. Scroll down for Allegra’s harvest inspired Olive Oil, Sesame and Apple Cake recipe but first, a note from Allegra.

Hello everyone, and thank you, Anastasia, for inviting me to guest author this post. I’m Allegra—a chef, photographer, and food stylist. You can find me sharing recipes here on Substack or over on Instagram.

This autumn, I had the incredible opportunity to document an olive harvest in Greece. The harvest is a true labor of love, requiring deep knowledge and experience to produce the oil. It also requires a collective effort. This is what struck me most during my time in Greece: there was a profound sense of community surrounding the harvest. It’s more than just work; it’s a shared experience rooted in connection and tradition.

With that in mind, I’m excited to share more about my time on the farm and a recipe made with this beautiful oil: an apple, olive oil, and sesame cake. It’s a tender, nutty loaf cake perfect for Autumn and cozy days of rest following a long period of work, whether that be an olive harvest or otherwise.

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The olive tree commands a certain respect. With roots spreading far and wide across Mediterranean soils and human history, it has cultural, spiritual, and ecological significance and utility. This tree has served as a symbol of peace and resilience, a cornerstone of ancient and modern economies, and a pillar of ecosystems, with fruit that has fed families and anointed kings for millennia.

A few weeks ago, I travelled to Corinth, a small city two hours south of Athens, to experience and document an olive harvest for the first time. When we joined the farmers, the sun hung low in the sky, casting a golden glow over the orchard. As we waited to get started, the air buzzed with the drone of a mechanical rake somewhere in the distance, another farmer coaxing olives from silvery-green branches down onto nets where they were gathered and eventually corralled into baskets.

Over the course of long days that stretched into weeks, these farmers worked tirelessly alongside family members and a handful of employees to free the olives from their branches, collect them, and transport them to the mill. This was a small farm, yet every stage of the process required many hands. From the farmers who manage their trees year-round, to their family members who assume a role each Autumn, to the millers who methodically mill the harvested olives and have a scientifically exacting knowledge of the process, the group is small but mighty.

While spending days alongside these farmers, it became clear that the olive harvest is a powerful testament to the strength of community. Together, they achieve what would be impossible alone, yielding golden-green oil reflective of their collective effort and shared purpose. Each farmer passes down knowledge and secrets gleaned from years of harvesting on other farms or discovered through ingenuity or luck after decades of harvesting their own. With time, the process evolves and tools and methods adapt, resulting in oils that are cleaner, richer, and more nutrient-dense. These lessons, passed down like heirlooms, preserve a craft that is as much about patience and intuition as it is about technique.

Experiencing the harvest firsthand shifted my perspective about olive oil. What I had once viewed as a delicious pantry staple when isolated from its origins now feels sacred. Choosing a high-quality oil isn’t just about flavour, it’s a meaningful way to support the farmers who dedicate their lives to the art of farming these trees. Now when I reach for my bottle, I’m reminded of the passion, dedication, and community that brought it to life.

Here is the recipe for my Olive Oil, Sesame, and Apple Cake. The olive oil shines here, balancing the sesame and sweet apple beautifully. For this cake, I recommend using a buttery oil from later in the season and saving your spicy early-harvest oil for another day.

Olive Oil, Sesame, and Apple Cake

Makes one 8.5x4.5” (22x11cm) loaf cake