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Orange Olive Oil Cake

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A sliced orange olive oil cake on a platter with sliced oranges

Try our easy-to-make Orange Olive Oil Cake with a light, fine textured, luscious crumb and a crackly sugar topping for added sweetness.

Have you ever wondered about making an olive oil cake but was afraid you’d be wasting your time and money? I suggest you start with this recipe because I’m pretty positive you won’t believe how delicious it is. With hints of fresh, sweet orange juice and plenty of orange zest for added zing, this cake may just be a new favorite in your house!

 

A big tall slice of Orange Olive Oil Cake with sliced Cara Cara oranges

Can you taste olive oil in this cake?

Good quality extra-virgin olive oil typically has a fruity flavor and rich a buttery finish. When baked into a cake the flavors of the oil are very subtle and not really discernible. This olive oil cake is not greasy or oily and is surprisingly most, light and airy. The texture is more like a super light hybrid pound cake without the pound of butter! So if you’ve been on the fence about olive oil cakes, jump on over and give this recipe a try. Be sure to buy good quality extra-virgin olive oil for the best flavor. Check the label on the olive oil bottles to ensure it’s not mixed with other vegetables oils. This is more common than you’d think so read labels!

 

A tall slice or Orange Olive Oil cake with sliced Cara Cara oranges

We used Cara Cara oranges for this cake but any variety works well.

Olive oil and oranges are the perfect pair, especially in this lightly sweet simple cake. Cara Cara oranges have a red-tinted flesh and are an early to mid-season variety of Naval oranges. Cara Cara’s are sweeter than regular Naval oranges and have lower acidity. They also contain 20 percent more vitamin C, and 30 percent more vitamin A than regular Naval oranges. But no worries, just use whatever oranges you have on hand! I don’t recommend substituting lemon juice in this recipe as it was not developed with that much acidity in mind. You may need to add baking soda if using lemon juice to get the proper rise.

 

A sliced Orange Olive Oil Cake with a crispy crackly sugar top

Olive oil has many health benefits supported by scientific research.

According to Healthline there are many proven reasons to add more olive oil to your daily diet:

  • Olive oil is rich in healthy monounsaturated fats which can help prevent strokes, protect against heart disease, and may help prevent Alzheimer’s Disease.
  • Olive oil contains large amounts of antioxidants which helps prevent chronic disease.
  • Extra-Virgin olive oil can help reduce inflammation which is believed to be a leading cause of diseases such as cancer, heart disease, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s, arthritis and even obesity.
  • Studies show that consuming olive oil does not appear to increase the possibility of weight gain. Moderate intake may even aid weight loss – think Mediterranean diet!
  • Due to the powerful antioxidants found in extra-virgin olive oil, it benefits your heart, brain, joints and more!

Baking with extra-virgin olive oil makes perfect sense!

 

An overhead view of a sliced Orange Olive Oil Cake with sliced Cara Cara oranges

Two tablespoons of sugar are sprinkled on top before baking creating a crackly, sweet crust adding a nice touch of sweetness.

You won’t need to drizzle, ice, adorn or top this olive oil cake with anything! Just slice and serve for breakfast, brunch, lunch, an afternoon snack or dessert. The cake keeps well for up to 5 days when stored in an airtight container. The crispy top may soften a bit, but it’s still delicious and travels well. Enjoy!

 

 

Thanks for PINNING!

A slice of orange olive oil cake with a crispy crackly top

Let’s be baking friends! When you try our recipe please leave a comment on this post. If you loved this recipe we’d appreciate a 5-star rating! Sharing your experience, variations and insights will help all our readers, and it helps me too. If you’re on Pinterest feel free to leave a comment and photo there if you have one. If you share on INSTAGRAM tag @savingroomfordessert so we can stop by and give your post some love. And we’d be very happy if you’d FOLLOW Saving Room for Dessert on FACEBOOK| INSTAGRAM| PINTEREST | TWITTER  and subscribe to our YOUTUBE channel for all the latest recipes, videos and updates. Thank you!!!

 

 

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4.8 from 5 votes

Orange Olive Oil Cake

Prep Time: 30 mins
Cook Time: 1 hr 10 mins
Total Time: 1 hr 40 mins
Yield: 8
Course: Cake, Dessert
Author: Tricia
PRINT RECIPE
With a light, fine textured, luscious crumb and a crackly sugar topping for added sweetness.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 3 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
  • zest from 2 oranges, preferably organic
  • ¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil, good quality
  • ½ cup whole milk
  • ½ cup fresh orange juice, strained (2-3 oranges)
  • 2 tablespoons coarse or granulated sugar for topping

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 325°F. Invert the bottom of an 8-inch springform pan (to make it easier to slide the cake off the bottom, then lock on the sides of the pan. Lightly grease and flour the bottom and sides of the pan. Place foil or a baking sheet below the oven rack to catch drips if your springform pan doesn’t seal well.
  • In a small bowl combine the flour, salt and baking powder. Set aside.
  • Fit a stand mixer with the whisk attachment. Whip the eggs on medium speed until foamy. Add the granulated sugar and orange zest and whip on high speed until the mixture is fluffy and pale in color, about 3 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium, and with the mixer running, slowly add the olive oil. Mix until the oil is completely incorporated.
  • Add half the flour mixture and mix on low speed until blended. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the milk and orange juice and mix on low until blended. Add the remaining flour and mix just until incorporated.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle 2 tablespoons coarse sugar on top. Bake in preheated 325°F oven for 60-70 minutes or until the top is lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few crumbs attached.
  • Cool the cake on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before removing the sides. Serve at room temperature or slightly warm. Cool completely for clean slices.

Recipe Notes

  • When baking in an 8-inch springform pan we use a lower oven temperature (325F) for a longer period of time to ensure the middle of cake bakes evenly. There’s nothing worse than a cake with overdone crispy sides and raw batter in the middle! If baking in a 9-inch springform pan, bake at 350F at noted below.
  • Use a 9-inch springform pan if desired. Bake at 350F for 45 to 55 minutes.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. When multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.

Nutrition

Calories: 466kcal | Carbohydrates: 61g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 63mg | Sodium: 230mg | Potassium: 109mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 36g | Vitamin A: 145IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 63mg | Iron: 2mg

Here are a few more orange recipes you might also like:

 

An overhead view of an orange marmalade cake

A ray of sunshine on a plate – moist and tender Orange Marmalade Cake. Click HERE to get the recipe.

 

Cranberry Orange Muffins on a cooling rack

Cranberry Orange Muffins – made with tart cranberries, fresh squeezed orange juice and bright orange zest folded into a wonderfully moist, rich sour cream batter. Click HERE to get the recipe.

 

 

A platter of grilled Orange BBQ Chicken with pineapple and orange wedges

This Orange Barbecue Grilled Chicken Recipe is deliciously different and a breeze to throw together in a flash.  We love the bright orange flavor and the hint of ginger and pineapple juice in the sauce.  It’s lip smacking good! Click HERE to get the recipe.

Finally, check out these Orange Dream Bars from Crazy for Crust – they look so creamy and delicious! And I’m absolutely drooling over this beautiful Orange Blossom Bundt Cake from Sue at The View from Great Island.

Thanks so much for stopping by! Tricia

 

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32 Comments

  1. Sherlyn says

    April 25, 2022 at 6:19 am

    4 stars
    Hi! The cake smells and tastes great! However I have this dense layer in the cake. Would you know why did that happen? Thank you.

    reply to this comment >
    • Tricia Buice says

      April 25, 2022 at 7:33 am

      Hi Sherlyn. Here’s a good article about how to prevent dense, gluey streaks in your cake. Hope this helps!

      reply to this comment >
  2. Debby says

    March 5, 2021 at 8:40 am

    Can I use a sugar substitute like Swerve, I generally bake with a Gluten free flour baking mix will this effect the cake any ?

    reply to this comment >
    • Tricia Buice says

      March 5, 2021 at 11:46 am

      Hi Debby. I haven’t tried this recipe with artificial sweeteners so I’m not sure how it will react. If you’ve had good baking experiences with Swerve, then I say give it a go. Good luck and please let us know if this works for you!

      reply to this comment >
    • Lynda says

      July 10, 2021 at 5:55 pm

      This orange cake looks delicious. My questions are can I use a small bundtelectric cake maker that bakes all cakes in only 15 minutes. I have used this too make other cakes successfully in the past and how much of the sugar can I leave out and still have a sweet cake. Thx for this recipe.

      reply to this comment >
      • Tricia Buice says

        July 10, 2021 at 7:06 pm

        Hi Lynda. I’ve never used a bundtelectric but it sounds interesting! I would not leave out too much sugar as the olive oil needs sweetening. Try omitting 1/4 cup of sugar and see how it goes. Enjoy!

        reply to this comment >
  3. Dan says

    February 11, 2021 at 8:08 am

    5 stars
    Delicious! Not too sweet, so I could eat a slice with my morning coffee guilt free ?

    I used an 8″ cake pan (I don’t have a small springform), greased and floured with parchment on the bottom.

    Next time I’ll zest at least one additional orange to boost the flavor, but otherwise no changes at all!

    reply to this comment >
    • Tricia Buice says

      February 11, 2021 at 8:41 am

      Thanks Dan! What a great way to start the day. Extra orange zest sounds perfect. Thank you for trying the recipe and for commenting.

      reply to this comment >
  4. Susan says

    July 23, 2020 at 5:16 am

    5 stars
    I have made orange olive oil cakes but this one is absolutely the best, I used blood orange infused olive oil & it turned out great; so simple and delicious!

    reply to this comment >
    • Tricia Buice says

      July 23, 2020 at 7:26 am

      Thanks for the feedback Susan! So glad this worked out for you. I’ll have to look for blood orange infused olive oil – it sounds fantastic. That extra orange punch of flavor must be terrific. Thanks for taking the time to comment!

      reply to this comment >
  5. Jennifer says

    May 24, 2020 at 1:12 am

    5 stars
    The recipe looks very easy to follow so U decided to bake it for my father-in-law’s birthday! Can’t wait to try it ? my kitchen smells like orange ?! I love the way the sugar crumbles on top! No need for any sort of icing. For a novice baker like me, this is sure to impress the biggest critics — my whole family ❤️

    Thank you for such an awesome recipe!

    reply to this comment >
    • Tricia Buice says

      May 24, 2020 at 11:51 am

      Thank you Jennifer! Enjoy 🙂

      reply to this comment >
  6. C Forte says

    October 5, 2019 at 11:29 am

    I am an experienced baker who made this cake and followed this recipe , the flavour was great but was not cooked in the middle , if I make it again I will not use olive oil.

    reply to this comment >
    • Tricia Buice says

      October 5, 2019 at 12:41 pm

      Thanks for the feedback. Be sure to check your oven and make sure it is cooking properly. You can purchase an inexpensive oven thermometer on Amazon. I’m sure this cake would be great with vegetable oil too. Enjoy!

      reply to this comment >
    • Sally says

      February 27, 2022 at 9:03 pm

      I am also an experienced baker, and every cake I’ve tried making using orange zest and/or juice has sunk in the middle, including the French yogurt orange cake with coriander from Milk Street. My oven temp is perfect, my baking powder is fresh, so I have no clue what’s wrong as I’ve never had this problem before. I’ll try this cake and see how it does because I just love the orange flavor.

      reply to this comment >
      • Tricia Buice says

        February 28, 2022 at 7:26 am

        Hope this cake exceeds your expectations Sally. Thanks!

        reply to this comment >
  7. Susan says

    June 12, 2019 at 2:33 pm

    Absolutely gorgeous and I can taste it now!

    reply to this comment >
    • Tricia Buice says

      June 12, 2019 at 7:00 pm

      Thank you! This is a keeper 🙂

      reply to this comment >
      • Sakisha says

        January 6, 2020 at 1:44 pm

        If only have cake flour and bread flour, do you think the cake flour will work? I want to try this cake with cardamom. Thanks in advance!

        reply to this comment >
        • Tricia Buice says

          January 6, 2020 at 5:04 pm

          Hi Sakisha – I think the cake flour will be great in this cake. I love the addition of cardamom and hope you enjoy!

          reply to this comment >
  8. Karen (Back Road Journal) says

    June 7, 2019 at 10:41 am

    I’ve made olive oil cakes before and as you said, they are great. I like the beautiful crackly crust on your cake. I would be delicious served with fresh fruit at an outdoor dinner party. Pinned and can’t wait to serve to friends.

    reply to this comment >
    • Tricia Buice says

      June 7, 2019 at 5:26 pm

      I hope you’ll try it Karen – it’s a keeper and would be lovely with fresh fruit. Enjoy and thanks so much!

      reply to this comment >
  9. handmade by amalia says

    June 7, 2019 at 12:18 am

    We can still find the last oranges of the season in the market and I’m tempted to make this beautiful cake. It looks so light and moist and delicious. Thanks for sharing, dear Tricia.
    Amalia
    xo

    reply to this comment >
    • Tricia Buice says

      June 7, 2019 at 5:25 pm

      Hello Amalia! Great to hear from you. Hope you are well. This cake is a keeper and I couldn’t be happier with the way it turns out. Hope you’ll give it a try! Thanks for stopping by.

      reply to this comment >
  10. sue | the view from great island says

    June 6, 2019 at 6:30 pm

    The cake looks delightful, I can’t believe how TALL it is! I’ve actually never baked with olive oil, I feel like I have a lot to catch up on…pinning!

    reply to this comment >
    • Tricia Buice says

      June 7, 2019 at 5:24 pm

      Thanks Sue – I had my first olive oil cake in Greece and had to recreate it ASAP! Love it 🙂

      reply to this comment >
  11. Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers says

    June 6, 2019 at 8:38 am

    5 stars
    Oh my goodness! Such a perfect orange cake and I can’t stop staring at that crackly crust. Adding this to my baking list right now 🙂

    reply to this comment >
    • Tricia Buice says

      June 6, 2019 at 1:32 pm

      Thank you so much Jennifer! Bet you’re going to love it 🙂

      reply to this comment >
  12. angiesrecipes says

    June 6, 2019 at 12:12 am

    What a gorgeous cake! The texture, flavour and the colour…absolutely heavenly with that sweet crust :-))

    reply to this comment >
    • Tricia Buice says

      June 6, 2019 at 6:52 am

      Thanks Angie. Everybody loves it!

      reply to this comment >
  13. Chris Scheuer says

    June 5, 2019 at 8:32 pm

    5 stars
    This cake is stunning, Tricia. It looks like something from a fine bakery. I love that crisp sugar topping!

    reply to this comment >
    • Tricia Buice says

      June 6, 2019 at 6:52 am

      Thanks Chris! The crunchy top is devine 🙂

      reply to this comment >

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