Olive Oil Orange Cake

Bake a little sunshine into dessert with this Olive Oil Orange Cake. Freshly squeezed juice, orange zest and olive oil are the magical ingredients in this moist, tender cake. Bright and tasty, this citrusy treat is a sunny slice of heaven.

The odds of finding a missing person drop significantly after the first 48 hours, yet they’re still better than the odds of my significant other finding anything at the grocery store. I could hand draw a map, provide a compass, GPS coordinates and a mounted search party and he’d still come home with the wrong thing. I’m not kidding. Today I texted him to pick up oranges and toilet paper. The man came home with Tabasco and a grapefruit.

I keep telling myself it’s only murder if they find the body. Otherwise, it’s just a missing person’s case and we’ve already established the odds of finding a missing person are practically nil after the first two days. That means I just need a temporary spot to hide a hot-sauced corpse. With a grapefruit shoved up its rectum. I love a challenge and this one, my friends, sounds like a piece of cake.

Which is ironic since this whole incident started over me wanting to make cake.

In case it isn’t glaringly obvious, the infamous cake is orange, not grapefruit. But if there ever was a cake worth killing over, it’s olive oil cake with oranges. Rustic and simple, this single layer cake tastes like it came from an orange grove in the Italian countryside. Infused with a double dose of orange from freshly squeezed juice and grated zest, this cake’s a great way to bake a little sunshine into dessert. Plus, if I get arrested for assault with a grapefruit, it’s sturdy enough to sneak a shiv into my cell.

Before sharing the recipe for Olive Oil Orange Cake, here are a few tips and tricks to help you out:

Ingredient Tips and Tricks

Always use the spoon and level method to measure flour. Scooping flour is a no-no. That technique overpacks flour into the measuring cup which results in a drier, denser cake than the moist, tender cake you get from properly measured flour.

For best results be sure eggs and buttermilk are at room temperature before beginning.

If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make a sour milk substitution by stirring 3/4 of a teaspoon of fresh lemon juice into 3/4 of a cup of whole milk and letting it set for five minutes before use.

Preparation Tips and Tricks

The keys to orange cake success are avoiding over-measuring, overmixing and overbaking.

A 9-inch springform pan is a must for this recipe. Do not substitute a standard 9-inch cake pan because it won’t be deep enough to accommodate this cake when it rises.

Storage and Freezing Tips for Olive Oil Orange Cake

This cake will keep at room temperature up to 3 days stored in an airtight container.

This cake will keep in the freezer for 3 months. First cover with plastic wrap then with a layer of aluminum foil and place in an airtight container before freezing. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.

I hope you enjoy this recipe for Olive Oil Orange Cake. Please leave a comment and a rating at the bottom of this blog when you try it for yourself. And, while you’re at it, sign up for my weekly Recipe Newsletter so you never miss a tempting recipe.

Finally, if you like baking cakes with citrus check out this Lemon Cake Recipe Easy. Soft and fluffy, this lemony cake is loaded with bright citrus flavor and frosted with a sweet blackberry buttercream.

Olive Oil Orange Cake

Heather Wolf

Bake a little sunshine into dessert with this flavorful Olive Oil Orange Cake. Freshly squeezed juice, orange zest and olive oil are the magical ingredients in this moist, tender cake. Bright and tasty, this citrusy treat is a sunny slice of heaven.

5 from 16 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Course Cakes and Cupcakes

Cuisine American

Servings 8 slices

Equipment

• 9-inch springform pan

Ingredients

  

Olive Oil Orange Cake

• 2 cups all-purpose flour unbleached
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp sea salt fine
• 3 large eggs room temperature
• 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
• 2 Tbsp orange zest freshly grated
• 3/4 cup olive oil extra virgin
• 1/2 cup orange juice freshly squeezed
• 3/4 cup buttermilk room temperature

Garnish

• powdered sugar
• orange slices optional

Instructions

 

Orange Cake

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9-inch springform pan then set aside.
• In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
• In a separate mixing bowl, beat eggs, sugar and orange zest with an electric mixer for 4 minutes until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed.
• Reduce mixer speed to low then gradually drizzle in olive oil. Beat until oil is evenly distributed.
• Keeping mixer on low, add 1 cup of the flour mixture then beat until blended.
• Next, add orange juice and buttermilk, beating until incorporated.
• Finally, add remaining flour mixture and beat until just combined. Do not overmix.
• Pour batter into prepared springform pan then bake for 55 to 60 minutes. Cake is done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the top is golden brown. Avoid overbaking.
• Place pan on a wire rack and allow cake to cool for 30 minutes before releasing the springform ring then allow cake to cool completely before dusting with powdered sugar.
• If desired, garnish with fresh orange slices then cut and serve.
• Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.

Keyword cake, oranges