This orange olive oil cake recipe bursts with sunny flavors of bright orange and fragrant cardamom! Extra virgin olive oil makes this simple cake irresistibly fluffy and tender for days.
We use oranges liberally during citrus season in the Mediterranean, both in sweet and savory recipes. However, one of my favorite ways to use them is in this orange olive oil cake.
I love this recipe so much that I included it in my first cookbook, and I had to share it with you here. I’ll say it: making cake with olive oil, in my opinion, is just better! I love the richness it gives to so many desserts, from this orange cake, to apple cake, chocolate cake, and beyond.
This is not your typical super sweet icing-topped cake. It’s the perfect fusion of bright, delicately sweet, and savory flavors, with subtle warm notes from the cardamom. And, because olive oil is liquid at room temperature, this cake stays moist for days. One bite, and you’ll be hooked!
Ingredients and Substitutions
This orange olive oil cake requires just a few baking staples. 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 Italian Nocellara is perfect in this cake. Avoid oils that are peppery or bitter, as they’ll overwhelm the flavor.
- All purpose flour: 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: Cardamom is a fairly warm spice with subtle lemony undertones that pair beautifully with orange. Here are 11 more ways to use it!
- Eggs: Provide structure.
- Orange: Both orange zest and orange juice are used for an utterly irresistible recipe. You could experiment with other citrus, like meyer lemons.
- Milk: Use whole milk or a plant-based alternative to create a smooth batter.
- Confectioner’s sugar: Also called powdered sugar, this is optional but will make the cake extra pretty.
How to Make Orange Olive Oil Cake
This orange olive oil cake recipe is extremely simple, there are no fancy techniques or equipment required! Here are the steps:
- Get ready: Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Brush the bottom and sides of a 9-inch round cake pan with a little olive oil. Line the bottom of the pan with a round of parchment paper and dust with a bit of flour, shaking out the excess.
- Mix together dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together 2 cups all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon baking soda.
- Beat the wet ingredients with sugar: To a large bowl, add 3/4 to 1 teaspoon ground cardamom, 3 large eggs, and 1 1/2 cups of granulated sugar. Using an electric hand mixer set on high, beat the mixture until thick and fluffy, about 5 minutes (or use a stand mixer on high speed). While the mixer is running, slowly drizzle in 1 cup extra virgin olive oil and beat until incorporated. Reduce the speed to low and add 2 tablespoons orange juice, 1 1/4 cups whole milk, and the zest of 1 orange. Beat until smooth.
- Combine the wet and dry ingredients: Add the flour mixture to wet ingredients and mix on low just until you have a uniform batter.
- Bake the cake: Pour the cake batter into the pan and sprinkle the top with the remaining 2 tablespoons granulated sugar. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean (ovens do vary, so check your cake at 30 minutes and go from there).
- Cool: Allow the cake to cool for 30 minutes in the pan, then run a small knife around the edge, invert the cake onto a large plate, then invert again onto a rack to cool completely.
- Finish and serve. Dust the cake with powdered sugar, sprinkle with the remaining orange zest, slice, and enjoy!
Why Use Olive Oil in Cake?
Many readers ask me if you can bake with olive oil. The short answer is: Yes! You can–and should–bake cakes with olive oil. (For a deeper dive, check out our Comprehensive Guide to Baking With Olive Oil.) Here’s why I love olive oil desserts:
- Makes cakes extra tender for longer than butter. Because olive oil is liquid at room temperature, it adds unmatched levels of moisture to cake over time.
- Reduces the amount of saturated fat. It replaces that fat with heart-healthy monounsaturated fat. This can improve cholesterol, among other benefits listed here.
- Adds a more complex flavor. High-quality extra virgin olive oil adds a rich, slightly fruity flavor to this recipe without being overbearing.
What to Serve with Orange Olive Oil Cake
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!
- Add a dollop of whipped cream or a small scoop of olive oil ice cream.
- A spoonful of vanilla yogurt.
- Top with orange segments.
- Top with candied orange peels or sugared cranberries for a festive twist! Yum!
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Ingredients
- 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil, fruity, more neutral-tasting, plus extra for the pan
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ to 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 ½ cups plus 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- Grated zest of 2 oranges, plus 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
- 1 ¼ cups whole milk or plant-based alternative
- 2 tablespoons sifted confectioners’ sugar, for garnish
Instructions
- Prepare the oven: Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Prepare the baking pan: Brush the bottom and sides of a 9-inch round cake pan with a little olive oil. Line the bottom of the pan with a round of parchment paper and dust with a bit of the flour, shaking out the excess.
- Mix together dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together 2 cups flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
- Beat the wet ingredients with sugar: In a large bowl, combine the 1 ½ cups granulated sugar, cardamom, and eggs. Using an electric hand mixer set on high, beat the mixture until thick and fluffy, about 5 minutes (or use a stand mixer on high speed). While the mixer is running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil and beat until incorporated. Reduce the speed to low and add half the orange zest, the orange juice, and milk. Beat until smooth.
- Combine the wet and dry ingredients: Add the flour mixture to wet ingredients and mix on low just until you have a uniform batter.
- Bake the cake: Pour the cake batter into the pan and sprinkle the top with the remaining 2 tablespoons granulated sugar. Bake the cake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the center is set and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean (ovens do vary, so check your cake at 30 minutes and go from there).
- Cool the cake: Allow the cake to cool for 30 minutes in the pan, then run a small knife around the edge, invert the cake onto a large plate, then invert again onto a rack to cool completely.
- Serve: Before serving, dust the cake with powdered sugar and sprinkle with orange zest.
Video
Notes
- Make ahead. Olive oil keeps cakes tender and moist for longer, which makes this recipe an easy choice for holiday menu planning. Make it a day or to in advance and it will still taste fresh when your guests arrive.
- Olive oil is truly wonderful in baking recipes, but you want to use the right kind because olive oil is as nuanced as wine. You want something mild and fruity for this cake like our California Arbequina olive oil. Stay away from spicy or peppery flavors like our Spanish Hojiblanca olive oil. I prefer to use that in more savory dishes.
- Swap it. If you don’t have cardamom on hand try cinnamon. It’s a natural pairing with orange. You can try it in our Orange Cinnamon Challah French Toast recipe.
- Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients including olive oils, spices, and more.
Nutrition
Try Our Authentic Italian Olive Oil
Smooth, fruity, and rich, this hand-picked and cold-extracted oil is perfect for baking.
*This post has recently been updated with new information for the readers’ benefit.
Love, love this cake ! So moist and delicious ! I added walnuts because I love the crunch in cake much like your banana bread recipe!
I made this cake two weeks ago and it was fabulous! Easy and super delicious! A definite keeper!
Awesome! Thanks, Gay!
Absolutely lovely cake. My husband prefers less sweet cakes and this was perfect for him. I used a blood orange infused olive oil. I will definitely bake this again and again. It did take longer to bake than the recipe stated. Not a big deal. First time trying an olive oil cake and was very impressed. Thank you. I’ve made a note in the cookbook for the correction of adding the flour.
Thanks, Jeannie! That blood orange infused olive oil sounds fabulous!
What is there a best way to make this recipe gluten free?
Hi, Kathy. I have tried this with King Arthur’s Measure for Measure Gluten Free flour before. It was a bit more crumbly than the regular flour version, but it was still delish!
Thank you for asking this question and for the reply! There are so many delicious looking desserts on this site but I’m gluten intolerant and have to avoid! I’ve used the King Arthur brand but tend to have better success with most gluten-free recipes with the gluten free Pilsbury all purpose with xanthum gum. I’ll have to try this recipe with this flour and report back.
The flavor of this cake is great, although I would increase the ground cardamom by at least 1/2 to 1 full additional teaspoon, but that’s just my personal preference. I rubbed the orange zest into the sugar with my fingertips to increase the scent and would add the cardamom to that step next time as well.
I found my oven required an extra 20 (!!!) minutes to cook this all the way through despite having recently calibrated the temperature. This cake batter is very, very liquid – way more liquify than any other cake I’ve made in my life, including other olive oil cakes (and another orange cardamom olive oil cake I’ve made recently!). It ended up a bit heavy, with the bottom layer of my cake with a compressed section. I might tweak the proportions next time as I don’t know if it would turn out better for me with less milk and a bit less olive oil. I might try half the milk and 3/4 cup of olive oil for this volume of flour and eggs to have a lighter cake rather than super dense.
Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts, Christine!
This was by far the best tip I’ve read and will do this with other citrus cakes. Rubbing the orange zest into the sugar makes it SO much more fragrant. I took your suggestion and added the cardamom during this step too. It infused the flavors and made the cake even better. Thanks!
This cake is absolutely delicious! My niece is allergic to dairy so I used almond milk. Winner!!
Awesome! Thanks, Teresa!
FYI: This recipe in your book doesn’t have the step for adding the flour after adding the wet ingredients.
We are aware, Teresa, but thank you for reaching out! It’ll be fixed in future editions.
I noticed the same thing, the missing step in the cookbook.
This cake is super moist and flavorful. Thinking of adding icing or frosting, I wouldn’t; it would definitely take away from the flavor of the cake. I made two cakes for New Year’s Day. One daughter had one bite and said we shouldn’t have given the second cake away. (I agreed with her!).
Easy to make, delicious and moist! The family loved it.
Made this cake today and it is amazing. Absolutely saving this recipe to make again and again! Very happy with how it turned out. Thank you!
Yay! Thanks, Kayla!
Hi Suzy,
I love your recipes & recently purchased your cookbook. It looks like this recipe in the cookbook is missing a step of mixing the wet and dry ingredients together.
Also, I’m a diabetic & would love to see a nutritional breakdown for the recipes.
Thank you
Hi, Bridget! Thanks for reaching out. We’ve made our publisher aware of the missing step for this recipe in the cookbook so it will be corrected in future editions. Regarding the nutritional breakdown…. we do try to do that here on the site as much as possible. We did not add nutritional information in the cookbook because that is something that’s not traditionally done unless the book is specifically diet or health related. I’m so sorry about that.
Will comment again, followed recipe exactly, the batter is way more than my 9inch pan, switched to 10 inch springform. Will update accordingly.
I love this orange cardamom olive oil cake and I love your new book. Did you know step 5. of combining wet and dry ingredients is missing in the cookbook?
We do, but thank you. It will be fixed in future editions 🙂
This is an absolutely delicious recipe but I offer a caveat……even with using an oven thermometer to make sure the temperature was accurate (and it was) I had to add 15 more minutes to the baking time. The first time I added 5 more (totaling 50 minutes) and the center came out like cookie dough. The second time I tested at 45 and 50 minutes and a toothpick still came out with dough on it. At a full hour it came out clean. I suppose it’s possible that without those interruptions the cake might only need 55 minutes but 45 wasn’t working for me.
This cake is amazingly good! Made it for holiday office party and everyone loved it, making it again today for Christmas dessert. Used almond milk, came out perfectly! This recipe will be a regular dessert for us, thank you.
Oh, wonderful! Thanks, Sandra!
This was FABULOUS and easy to make allergy friendly. I used a gluten free 1to1 flour, dairy free milk, and reduced the sugar. Will ba making again and may try swapping in honey in place of cane sugar.
Thanks so much for sharing, Dani! So glad the GF/Dairy Free version worked out! That’s awesome!
Glad to hear, as I was planning to do the same. By how much did you reduce the sugar in the cake itself?