Orange Olive Oil Cake. This is a light yet flavorful cake made with basic ingredients from your pantry – Fresh squeezed orange juice, orange zest, and olive oil. You can use any olive oil you want – Mild, Strong. And you can use any winter citrus you wish – from navel oranges to mandarins. Doesn’t matter.
Orange Olive Oil Cake is one easy and impressive cake to make and it doesn’t need a lot of embellishments nor it’s flashy. Its taste speaks for itself. Plus, this is one cake you can whip up with ingredients from your pantry.
The olive oil gives it such a boost that, the Orange Olive Oil Cake is elevated from good to awesome. Feel free to serve the cake as you please. Popularly its served with syrup drizzled on top but my favorite is to serve it with just a dusting of powdered sugar. How you eat your cake is a personal choice really.
So here is the deal. I’m the only one in my family with a sweet tooth. The very thought of biting into something sweet and spongy makes me happy. And invariably every day, I look for something sweet right after dinner to satisfy my sweet cravings. So this cake is baked out of necessity. 🙂
I drive close to one hour and 15 minutes one way to work and there is a small patch of road where I have a choice to detour and take the local road to avoid traffic on freeways. Last week, on my way back, I saw this local farmer selling 5-pound orange bags for a dollar each. I’m glad that I stopped and bought a bag home (Not to mention, we have been drinking a lot of freshly squeezed orange juices for a couple of days now). These oranges are not only sweet but also very very fresh. This is the best part about living in California. Not only we have great weather throughout the year (well, except for those 2 or 3 summer months ..ugh) we also have fresh fruits, vegetables…and wine (I almost said fresh wine!) plentifully available.
INGREDIENTS
- Nonstick baking spray
- 5 large oranges (but use any winter citrus you want)
- 3 cups all-purpose flour. (Use whole wheat flour if you wish)
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 5 large eggs
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups olive oil (use any olive oil that’s in your pantry. I used light olive oil)
- Confectioners’ sugar, for sprinkling
Glaze (optional, see other ideas above recipe)
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar
- 5 tbs fresh orange juice
Method:
- Pre-heat oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Coat a bundt or tube pan with baking spray and set aside.
- Grate the zest of 4 oranges and then squeeze the juice from 5 of them. You should have 1 1/2 cups orange juice
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
- Beat the eggs on medium-high speed until well combined. Slowly pour in the granulated sugar and continue to beat until thick and pale yellow.
- Switch to low speed and alternate adding the flour mixture and the oil, starting and ending with the flour.
- Pour in the orange juice and zest and whirl for a few seconds to bring the batter together.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a cake tester comes out with a few moist crumbs clinging to it, about 1 1/4 hours.
- Cool the cake completely on a wire rack. Run a thin knife around edge of pan to release cake.
- Just before serving, dust with confectioners’ sugar.
Optional – To make the glaze (optional): Measure the powdered sugar into a small bowl. Whisk in just enough orange juice to make a thick glaze that drizzles easily off your whisk when lifted. Drizzle the glaze back and forth over the cake.
The idea of taking a crumb shot came from a friend who wanted to see one on the Cardamom Cream Cake Cardamom Cream Cake that I posted last month.
Loved the post Aish!! you have some fine serve ware specially the unique shape of the cake server !!
Lov d the cake and the post Aish!! Beautiful captures and a perfect cake for the spring!!
Beautifully written. I am envious of California weather and fresh local produce. You are in the right place.
“invariably everyday, I look for something sweet right after dinner to satisfy my sweet cravings. So this cake is baked out of necessity. :)” I so identify with the sentiment.
I love Citrusy cakes and look forward to trying this one.
Thank you Aruna
I am not fond of cakes but I liked this one because it was light and citrusy.
🙂
Hello Aish,
There are no parameters for good and bad. Its pure hard work and rest all is fizz and garnishes. I like what I am seeing. The cake and the stand looks impressive. Plus you are a kin. I am not overtly regular but I am promise to be back soon!. Keep up the good work….
Now I know why some people succeed and some don’t despite of having the same level of smarts in them. You belong to the first group. I’m humbled.
😍😍😍
this would be great for afternoon tea!
I need to try throwing some olive oil into my baking!
What a steal on fresh oranges! When you buy them locally, are they still green? I always hear that oranges are really green when they’re ripe, but farmers cold shock them or treat them ethylene gas so they turn orange. Curious if a small, local farmer still goes through that sort of effort.
The cake looks delicious – I’ve made a good chocolate olive oil cake, but I have to try a citrus-based one soon. Definitely no fresh citrus around here, though!
I have seen so much about olive oil cakes and I need to give it a try. I love the addition of orange.
My kind of cake, simple with those glorious citrus flavors! I’m in!
Will be giving this a try.. never made a big cake with oilve oil and orange sounds delicious too
The cake looks yummy and love making summer fruit inspired cakes.
I have a very soft spot for orange cakes – there’s something about them that makes me so happy. This one looks delicious!
This looks so amazing, can’t wait to try it! Love the flavors! 🙂
Wow. Love the photos…they’re so gorgeous! The cake sounds delicious too. I’ve never thought to use olive oil in a cake. I bet it does make the cake super moist!
My grandma used to make a cake like this when I was growing up. I’ve never personally made one of these cakes but it looks delicious. How does using olive oil versus vegetable oil affect the flavor?
That cake look so yummy. Looks like doesn’t need much effort. Thank you for sharing.
http://www.hugshomemade.com
This looks delicious!!
This looks so delicious. Thanks for sharing can’t wait to try it.
OMGut that cake with a nice cup of tea on the side would be the perfect way to enter the weekend. Ok, ok, ok, who am I kidding? It would be perfect on ANY DAY of the week!!! Great recipe!
Danielle | http://www.FollowMyGut.com <3
I love how simple and versatile this recipe is! Definitely giving it a try.
Easy peasy and so delicious.
Your pictures make this cake look amazing! I can’t wait to try it.
Hey this cake sounds delicious! I love living in California too and we have an orange tree in our backyard! will have to give your recipe a try, each one of in our family has a sweet tooth sigh! haha
Wow…i think i am going to try this one soon.
If you have an eggless recipe for the orange cake, please share it. Thanks!
I will come up with an eggless recipe for orange cake.