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!
Try These Olive Oil Cakes Next!
If you love olive oil cakes, I have you covered!
More Olive Oil Dessert Recipes
Browse all Mediterranean recipes.
Visit Our Shop.
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.
I made this Sunday and it was incredible. My daughter does not like strong orange flavors so I only used 1/2 zest of an orange and added 1/4 tsp of lemon paste and 1 tsp of vanilla. I was also missing the whole milk, so I used buttermilk. It came out sooo delucious. Your recipes never fail.
Thanks for sharing, Kemile!
Just made this cake and it was out of this world. So moist and flavorful. I used almond milk to make it dairy free. It will be a go to recipe. Thank you!
Awesome! Thank you!!
The cookbook has missing content for this recipe and it’s a vital step…
When to add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients…
Makes me wonder how many other recipes are missing steps…
Hello! So sorry about that. We discovered this after the first printing of the cookbook, and it was corrected in future editions of the cookbook and on the site.
ohhh, so good to know. I just sent an email about it, but you can just disregard. I should have checked online first to see if it had been corrected.
In the same vein, will subsequent printings of the cookbook include nutrition info. Needed for diabetic family member.
Hi, Anne! Unfortunately not. This is just not something that’s typical of cookbooks unless they are strictly diet related, so we did not prepare that info. I believe there are nutritional calculators online, though, where you can plug in the recipe ingredients to get the facts you need. I highly recommend looking into something of that sort.
I haven’t made it yet but can’t wait It looks scrumptious!
I’ve made this cake. I used cardoman pods and took the seeds out. Cake was fragrant and tasty. The cake did not rise much though. It was so tasty.
I’ve made this cake loads of times now because it’s absolutely delicious. Thanks for the recipe!
Would it be possible to use lemons rather than oranges and increase the sugar?
Hi, Toby. Technically, you can make the substitutions. It’s just not something we’ve tried before, so hard to tell how it would affect the flavor. Would love to hear your thoughts if you give it a try!
Taste: Amazing
I used the cookbook and it actually left out the steps on when to combine wet and dry. I’ve baked before so I was fine but I hope that’s updated in newer editions!
Thanks for the heads up, Meg! It has been updated with the publisher.
This look delicious… I cannot wait to try it…
Thank you,
Hi, Irma. Definitely give it a try! You’ll love it!
Hi Suzy!❤️ Hope you’re doing well. Would you recommend doubling the recipe for a 13 x 9 inches cake pan?
Hi, Rosa. We have actually never tried doubling this recipe before, but you could certainly do a bit of experimenting and try it in a 13 x 9 inch pan. If you do give it a go, we’d love to hear your feedback!
Made this cake and it’s beautiful and delicious except the salt seems to have settled at the bottom and has left it extra salty at the bottom. Has anyone ever heard of this happening? I mixed it well so not sure why?
Made this cake for Christmas and I had the same issue – delicious but salty on the bottom! Followed the recipe except substituted GF 1:1 baking flour (Bob’s Red Mill) and oat milk instead of milk. What happened??? I even had my Cordon Bleu-pastry-chef-trained friend try to figure this out and we’re still unsure why this happened.
Can I use a springform pan with this?
Absolutely!
Made this for my mom’s birthday today it was universally loved. Perfectly moist and full of flavor. Thanks for the recipe!
Do you have an adjustment for high altitude??? My cake is cooking out over the sides of the pan.
Super great! I made it in a 9″ cake pan and it bubbled over a bit. Don’t know why 🤷♀️. Glad I had a sheet pan underneath it just in case. Super lovely texture and balanced taste. I served it with candied oranges on top – I think I could have used a heavy, homemade whipped cream as well. That would have made it over-the-top phenomenal.
I’m having that happen too! And I just happened to have a sheet pan underneath as well!
Do nut milks work with this recipe?
They do! Hope you give it a try!