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Orange Olive Oil Cake

5 from 31 votes

With a light, fine textured, luscious crumb and a crackly sugar topping for added sweetness.

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Luscious Orange Olive Oil Cake Recipe

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

 

Easy to make and so delicious!

This easy-to-make Orange Olive Oil Cake has 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

Ingredients Overview:

  • all-purpose flour
  • salt
  • baking powder
  • large eggs at room temperature
  • granulated sugar
  • zest from 2 large oranges
  • extra-virgin olive oil
  • whole milk
  • fresh orange juice, strained
  • vanilla extract
  • coarse or granulated sugar

How to make Orange Olive Oil Cake

1. First do the prep work

Preheat the oven and prepare an 8-inch springform pan. Grease and flour the round cake pan and place on a baking sheet.

2. Combine the dry ingredients

In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, salt and baking powder. Set aside.

3. Whip the eggs

Using a stand mixer with the whisk attachment whip the eggs until foamy. Add the sugar and orange zest and whip on high until fluffy and pale in color.

Reduce the speed and slowly add the olive oil.

4. Add the remaining ingredients

Add half the flour mixture and blend on low until incorporated. Add the milk, orange juice and vanilla and mix on low until blended. Pour in all remaining flour and beat on low just until incorporated.

5. Bake

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle coarse sugar on top. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes or until the top is lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached.

Cool the cake on a wire rack before removing the sides of the springform pan.

Serve at room temperature or slightly warm. Add a dollop of whipped cream if desired.

A tall slice or 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!

We often use 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 oranges 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 if you don’t have Cara Cara orange, just use whatever you have on hand!

However, 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

Create a crackly sweet crust with granulated sugar

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!

Side view of a sliced Orange Olive Oil Cake

Orange Olive Oil Cake

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
Yield: 8
Course: Cake, Dessert
Author: Tricia
Pin RecipePrint RecipeRate Recipe
5 from 31 votes
With a light, fine textured, luscious crumb and a crackly sugar topping for added sweetness.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour (252g)
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 3 large eggs room temperature
  • 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar (270g)
  • zest from 2 oranges preferably organic
  • ¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil good quality (6oz)
  • ½ cup whole milk (4oz)
  • ½ cup fresh orange juice strained (2-3 oranges) 4oz
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 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, orange juice and vanilla. 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 the 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.

 

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.

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!

Finally, check out these Orange Dream Bars. They look so creamy and delicious!

And finally, I’m absolutely drooling over this beautiful Orange Blossom Bundt Cake.

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4.88 from 31 votes (21 ratings without comment)

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48 Comments

  1. Tammy Robinson

    5 stars
    We Love this Lovely moist cake!! Our go to instead of shortcake or angle food for strawberries and whipped cream! Alone or topped with any fruit topping or chocolate – so nummy!!
    My go to for not to sweet perfect dessert. Or Breakfast! lol
    Thank You for the recipe!!❤️

    Reply

  2. Brenda

    3 stars
    Use tangerines but orange with it not enough orange flavor and to seek for me but very moist and good small slices when serving less sugar 😜

    Reply

  3. Ula

    5 stars
    Wonderful! Soft, pillowy and not too sweet. I loved the crunchy top. Mine was perfect after 45 minutes in a 9 inch springform pan. I used two navel oranges. You could taste just a hint of the olive oil. It was nice to try something different.

    Reply

  4. Helen

    5 stars
    Smells delicious as it is baking now! I used a tad over 1 cup of sugar and sprinkled shivered almons on the top. Looks yummy so far….😋

    Reply

  6. Kayray

    I just popped this in the oven and am excited to try it. I also just realized that the vanilla in the ingredientes list never makes it into the actual recipe, so I forgot it. Hopefully it will still be great, but thought you might want to know and change that. Thanks!

    Reply

  7. Jeff

    5 stars
    My new favorite cake! I almost forgot to add the vanilla, however, since it’s not mentioned in the directions. But I added it with the milk and oj and it turned out perfectly.

    Reply

  8. Sherlyn

    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

  9. Debby

    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

    • Tricia Buice

      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

    • Lynda

      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

      • Tricia Buice

        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!

  10. Dan

    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

  11. Susan

    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

    • Tricia Buice

      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

  12. Jennifer

    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

  13. C Forte

    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

    • Tricia Buice

      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

    • Sally

      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

  15. Karen (Back Road Journal)

    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

  16. handmade by amalia

    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

    • Tricia Buice

      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