Orange Olive Oil Cake

Orange Olive Oil Cake is super flavorful and probably the easiest cake you’ll ever make!

Using the entire orange (orange peel and all) makes this a quick dessert to put together in no time. Adding almond extract gives it a complex flavor.

This moist cake was inspired by a similar cake I had while traveling in Southern Italy. A gifted chef, named Rita, prepared a version of this Mediterranean-style citrus cake for me at Masseria Petrarola in Puglia. Its bright, sunny flavor is a winner! Rita puts sun-kissed citrus segments on top of the cake that have been dried in the courtyard of the ancient estate. Like most olive oil cake recipes the results are magical!

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You can make this orange olive oil cake recipe in either a bundt cake pan or a 9-inch cake pan which makes it super versatile. We love the look of the bundt cake version sprinkled with powdered sugar.

Ingredients needed:

• Oranges – Use thin-skinned varietals such as Cara Cara oranges, Mandarins, Valencia, or tangerines (more info on varieties below). Using blood oranges will give you a gorgeous pink-hued cake. We used 4 tangerines for this recipe, but any of the oranges mentioned above will work. You’ll need 12 ounces in total
• Olive Oil – We tested our cake with oils from different regions and it does affect the taste slightly, so use your favorite extra-virgin olive oil
• Eggs – room temperature eggs always blend more evenly
• Sugar – this helps balance the tart citrus flavors
• Almond Extract – Almonds and oranges are complimentary flavors, but you can use vanilla extract instead
• All-Purpose Flour – Weighing flour is the most accurate way (290 grams for this recipe) if you have a kitchen scale, but we’ve provided cup measurements in the recipe card below. All-purpose flour keeps this cake light
• Baking Powder – This gives the cake a little lift, so make sure it’s fresh!
• Salt – so important in baking for balancing sweetness

How to make Orange Olive Oil Cake

This cake comes together quickly with the help of a food processor or a heavy-duty blender (such as a Vitamix style blender). If you only have a mini processor just pulverize the oranges in batches and finish mixing in a stand mixer or with a hand-held electric mixer.

• Preheat the Oven to 350˚F and position an oven rack in the center of the oven
• Preparing the Pan:
• For a bundt pan – heavily spray with non-stick cooking spray and make sure all the nooks and crannies are well-coated
• For a 9-inch round pan – heavily spray with non-stick cooking spray, or line with a round parchment paper on the bottom for super easy removal (and clean up), and coat the sides of the pan

• Pulverizing the Oranges:
• Wash the oranges and pat them dry. Cut off both ends and discard. Cut the oranges into quarters, and check to make sure there are no seeds in the orange segments
• Place the cut oranges (peel and all!) into the bowl of a food processor or blender and process until the oranges are in a pulp stage. It’s okay if there are small pieces/flecks of orange peel but overall you want to blend very well. The consistency should be similar to coarse apple sauce
• Drizzle in the extra virgin olive oil and almond extract and blend again until well combined. The mixture will be fairly thick

• Whisking the Sugar and Eggs:
• In a large bowl whisk the eggs and sugar together until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes)
• Add the pulverized orange mixture to the bowl of wet ingredients and gently fold everything together until combined (don’t over-mix)

• Preparing Dry Ingredients:
• In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt
• Sift the flour mixture into the orange batter and gently mix until just combined and no streaks of flour remain. Again, don’t over-mix. The final cake batter will be thick thanks to the orange peel

• Baking the Cake:
• Pour mixture into prepared pan and bake in preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. It’s okay if there are a few moist crumbs on the tester.
• NOTE: Every oven cooks differently so start checking for doneness 5 minutes before the suggested baking time
• For Bundt cake – bake for approximately 30-33 minutes
• For a 9-inch round pan – bake 32-36 minutes
• Remove from the oven and let the cake cool, in the pan, for about 30 minutes on a cooling rack
• Run a knife around the edges to loosen it, then invert the cake onto a large serving plate or wire rack to cool it completely
• Just before serving dust the completely cooled cake with powdered sugar, and add fresh oranges or dried orange segments, or candied orange slices, if desired, for garnish

What are the best oranges for Orange Cake?

They are so many varieties of oranges to choose from, especially in the winter months. This Orange Olive Oil Cake works best with thin-skinned oranges. We used a big variety of gorgeous winter oranges in our fresh Citrus Salad.

Thicker skinned oranges have more pith (the white coating between the skin and the orange flesh) and that is where the bitterness lies. So while we want a little bitterness to balance the sweetness in this cake, too much pith can make it too bitter. If you only have thick-skinned oranges on hand, you can still use them but be sure to slice them open and remove most of the white pith before processing.

Examples of thin-skinned oranges are:

• Tangerines (this is what we used) – They are smaller and sweeter with a looser peel, than navel oranges, and in peak season November – May
• Clementines – This is a smaller version of a tangerine. They are sometimes labeled Sweeties or Cuties
• Valencias – also sweet and thin-skinned, most have seeds, and they are very juicy
• Cara Cara – this variety of oranges has a gorgeous orange-pinkish interior, with a sweet juice, so if you choose these the cake will have a more pink hue
• Mandarins – a small, sweet variety of tangerine variety. They have seeds so be sure to remove them if using mandarins for this cake

What is the best kind of Olive Oil to use for cake?

• The olive oil flavor in this cake is soft and subtle and contributes to the end result, which is a super moist flavorful, yet light cake.

• There are a lot of olive oil styles to choose from when making this cake and they all give you a slightly different flavor outcome.

• So, there is no right or wrong choice, but choose a good quality oil that you love. The best way to decide: If you would use it for dipping or on salad you will like it in the cake too.

• TESTING NOTES:
• We tested this cake about 6 times with different oils (It’s a tough job, we know!). The traditional Mediterranean olive oils we used were sourced from Italy, Spain, and Greece. These oils were my favorites because I like a bolder flavor. Others liked the softness of a California olive oil.

How to store and freeze Olive Oil Cake

Can you freeze an olive oil cake? YES – They freeze beautifully!

• ROOM TEMPERATURE: If you have leftover cake (lucky you!), store it in an airtight container or cover it with aluminum foil. It will stay fresh for a few days at room temperature
• FREEZER: Olive oil cake can also be frozen, ungarnished, and wrapped in plastic wrap, for up to two months. Defrost on the countertop before serving and garnishing

Substitutions:

• Try using a springform pan for easier removal of the cake
• Substitute the almond extract with vanilla extract
• Use gorgeous blood oranges for a pink-hued cake with bright orange flavor!
• For added sweetness, drizzle a simple glaze made with confectioners’ sugar and Grand Marnier over the cake
• Need it to be Gluten-Free? Substitute a good gluten-free 1:1 flour
• This cake is already dairy-free!

Other tasty citrus recipes to try

• Want to learn to “supreme” (segment) an orange like a chef? We’ve got a step-by-step guide for you
• Our baby Lemon Olive Oil Cakes are perfect for a sweet petite bite
• Can’t get enough citrus? Our gorgeous Fresh Citrus Salad is perfect for you!
• Citrus works well with spice in this Chili Lime Pork Tenderloin and our fresh baby Arugula Beet Salad