Orange Cardamom Olive Oil Cake

This orange cardamom olive oil cake recipe is simple, delicious, and laced with bold flavors of bright orange and fragrant cardamom! The use of olive oil makes for a superior moist texture and irresistibly rich taste. 

I’m a big fan of using oranges in both sweet and savory recipes. A quick search of the site and you will find oranges used in my refreshing Mediterranean orange and pomegranate salad, hearty orange harissa lamb chops, and even mixed into red sangria! However, one of my favorite ways to use oranges is in desserts.  

So, of course, when I wrote The Mediterranean Dish cookbook, I had to include this recipe for my citrusy orange olive oil cake! The perfect fusion of sweet and savory flavors, this olive oil cake recipe features bright, bold notes of orange along with a subtle sweetness and warm notes from the cardamom. One bite, and you’ll be hooked! 

This is not your typical super sweet icing-topped cake. Due to the olive oil this cake stays moist and tender for days, which means it's a good make ahead option for larger gatherings. It's a delightful treat for holiday dinners, weekend brunch, and everything in between. 

Table of Contents

1. Ingredients You’ll Need
2. How to Make Orange Cardamom Olive Oil Cake
1. Why Use Olive Oil in Cake
3. What to Serve with Orange Olive Oil Cake
4. More Amazing Cake Recipes
5. Try our Arbequina
6. Extra Virgin Olive Oil!
7. Orange Cardamom Olive Oil Cake Recipe

Ingredients You’ll Need

This orange cardamom olive oil cake requires just a few baking staples, fresh oranges, and cardamom. Here’s everything you’ll need to bring it to life: 

• Extra virgin olive oil: Good quality, fruity or more neutral-tasting olive oil like our California olive oil is perfect in this cake. Subtle and delicious, it helps enhance the orange flavor and provides moisture without overwhelming the taste of the cake.  
• All-purpose flour: To form the base of the batter. You can use a 1:1 gluten-free flour alternative if needed. Your cake will be slightly more dense but just as scrumptious! 
• Kosher salt: A crucial flavor enhancer, bringing out the natural taste of the rest of the ingredients. 
• Baking powder: Used in combination with baking soda to help the cake rise. 
• Sugar: Regular granulated sugar is my go-to here to magnify the sweetness of the orange. 
• Ground cardamom: One of the more pungent spices in Mediterranean cooking, cardamom is a fairly warm spice with subtle lemony undertones that pair beautifully with orange. 
• Eggs: Help provide structure to the cake. 
• Orange: Both orange zest and orange juice are used for an utterly irresistible recipe. 
• Milk: Use whole milk or a plant-based alternative to combine the ingredients and create a smooth batter. 
• Confectioner’s sugar: Also called powdered sugar, this is technically optional but highly recommended for sprinkling on top to add a little extra sweetness and create a picture-worthy presentation. 

How to Make Orange Cardamom Olive Oil Cake

Prepare a 9-inch round cake pan: To prevent the cake from sticking, brush the bottom and sides of the cake pan with olive oil. Then, line the bottom with a round of parchment paper, and dust it with a bit of flour. Just be sure to shake off any excess. 

Mix the dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, combine 2 cups of flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cardamom. 

Beat the wet ingredients with sugar: Combine 1 ½ cups of the sugar, and eggs in a separate bowl, and using the highest setting on a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat the ingredients until they are thick and fluffy. With the blades running, drizzle in the olive oil. Once it is fully incorporated, reduce the speed to low, and add ½ the orange zest, orange juice, and milk. Beat again until the ingredients are smooth. 

Combine the wet and dry ingredients: Working slowly, incorporate the flour mixture into the bowl of wet ingredients. Mix on low just until you have a uniform batter, and be careful not to overmix! Otherwise, your cake will turn out dense and tough, and no one wants that! 

Bake the cake: Pour the prepared olive oil cake batter into the pan, and sprinkle the top with the rest of the sugar. Bake until the center is set. It’s important to note that every oven bakes differently. So, be sure to keep a close eye on your cake, and begin checking it after 30 minutes! You’ll know it’s done baking when a skewer can be inserted into the center and comes out clean. 

Cool and serve: Once removed from the oven, allow the orange olive oil cake to cool in the pan for 30 minutes. To ensure it comes out intact, run a small knife all the way around the edge of the pan. Then, invert the cake onto a large plate, and invert it once more, flipping it right side up onto a rack to finish cooling. To finish, a dust with powdered sugar and sprinkle a little orange zest.

Why Use Olive Oil in Cake

You know I love my olive oil! I've used it in recipes like my banana walnut bread, Italian apple olive oil cake and chocolate olive oil cake. However, I’m still asked quite frequently whether or not it can be used in baking.

To help answer your questions about olive oil, I wrote this extensive guide on How to Cook with Olive Oil. It's a staple of the Mediterranean Diet and I will forever celebrate its value. If you want to go deep read that guide. For the short answer yes, you can bake cakes with olive oil and here's why.

1. Kept at room temperature, olive oil is a liquid and therefore adds unmatched levels of moisture to cake over time, allowing it to stay tender longer than if it was made with butter. 
2. Using any olive oil in place of butter reduces the amount of saturated fat found in the recipe. It replaces that fat with heart-healthy monounsaturated fat which can improve cholesterol among other benefits listed here. 
3. High-quality extra virgin olive oil adds a rich, slightly fruity flavor to this recipe without being overbearing. 

That said, it’s extremely important to choose a high-quality olive oil with a flavor profile complementary to the other ingredients. 

For instance, you don't want a strong peppery olive oil like Early Harvest Greek Extra Virgin Olive Oil, which is primarily used in savory recipes like my simple herb-tossed sweet potato recipe. Instead, opt for a fruity, delicately flavored variety like our California olive oil to enhance the sweet fruity flavors.  

What to Serve with Orange Olive Oil Cake

Where I grew up, people love their tea time. This olive oil cake makes for the perfect sweet treat to accompany an afternoon cup of Arabic tea with fresh mint. Or, serve it at a cocktail party alongside carajillo, a Spanish spiked coffee drink. 

Although this olive oil cake is fantastic as is a little something extra can really bring out the wow factor! Sometimes, I just can't help myself!

For a truly show stopping dessert try:

• Add a dollop of whipped cream
• Dust with powdered sugar
• A spoonful of vanilla yogurt is always nice
• Top with fresh fruit such as orange segments, candied orange peels, blueberries, or even cranberries for a festive twist! Yum! 

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