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Orange Olive Oil Cake Recipe

4.50 from 2 votes
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Yield 1 cake (10–12 servings)
Category Dessert
Cuisine American
Author Lauren Grant

Description

An easy recipe for orange olive oil cake that's tender, moist and bursting with orange flavor. Finish the cake with cardamom-spiced oranges and some whipped cream for an easy and elegant dessert.

Ingredients

Orange Olive Oil Cake

  • 1 ¾ cups (226g) white whole-wheat flour
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 3 large eggs (150g)
  • ¾ cup (147g) sugar + more for top
  • 4 oranges, zested and oranges reserved for serving
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ¾ cup (161g) extra-virgin olive oil
  • ¾ cup (175g) whole milk
  • 3 tablespoons orange liqueur, such as Grand Marnier

Toppings, optional

  • ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
  • ¾ cup heavy cream
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • Olive oil for drizzling

Instructions

Orange Olive Oil Cake

  • Heat oven to 350ºF with rack set in middle position. Grease 9-inch springform pan (if your springform pan is prone to leaking, wrap the base in a piece of foil). 
  • Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in bowl; set aside.
  • Using stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip eggs on medium speed until light foamy, about 1 minute. 
  • With mixer running, add sugar, 2 tablespoons minced orange zest, and vanilla. Increase speed to high, and whip until mixture is fluffy and pale yellow, about 3 minutes. 
  • Reduce speed to medium and, with mixer running, slowly stream in oil; mix 1 minute.
  • Reduce speed to low and add half of the flour; mix until incorporated, about 1 minute, scraping down side of bowl as needed. Stream in milk and grand marnier and mix until combined, about 30 seconds. Add remaining flour mixture and mix just until incorporated, about 1 minute, scraping down side of bowl as needed. (and scraping zest from white tines)
  • Transfer batter to prepared pan; evenly sprinkle top with about 2 tablespoons sugar. Bake cake until top is deep golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with few crumbs attached, 48–50 minutes. Transfer pan to wire rack and let cool for 20 minutes. Remove side of pan and let cake cool completely, about 1½ hours. 

Toppings

  • Meanwhile, peel and segment reserved zested oranges; squeezing juice from membrane over orange segments. Toss orange segments with cardamom. 
  • Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat heavy cream in a chilled metal bowl until bubbly. With mixer running on medium speed, stream in 2 tablespoons sugar, increase speed to high and whip until stiff peaks form. 
  • Spread whipped cream over cooled cake and top with oranges; cut into wedges and serve with additional olive oil. 

Notes

Storage
  • Up to 1 day: cover cake with foil and store at room temperature.
  • 1–5 days: transfer to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator.
Variations
  • Triple Citrus: use a combination of lemon, lime and orange zest instead of just orange zest.
  • Orange & Rosemary: add some minced fresh rosemary to the batter for an herby note—one of my favorite flavor combinations!.
  • Orange extract: use orange extract instead of the vanilla extract.
  • Blood Oranges: use blood orange zest in the cake and top with blood oranges.
  • Lemon: try our Lemon Olive Oil Cake!
Orange liqueur
  • Orange liqueur such as Grand Marnier or Gran Gala add deep orange flavor without too much liquid. If you don't have or would rather not use liqueur go ahead and use 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice instead.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/12 recipeCalories: 270kcalCarbohydrates: 28gProtein: 5gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 48mgSodium: 171mgFiber: 3gSugar: 13g
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