Orange and Olive Oil Cake
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Made with fresh-squeezed orange juice, orange zest, and olive oil, this orange and olive oil cake is moist and delicious, perfect with coffee or tea, and it tastes better with each passing day — so don’t be afraid to make it in advance.
A recent visit to the Temecula Olive Oil Company’s shop forever changed how I think about olive oil. I learned so many incredible things, namely the best way to mill olives (with a stone mill) and the enemies of olive oil: light, time, and heat. Moreover, their olive oil is delicious, and, after reading this New Yorker article, it feels great having a local source for such a staple ingredient.
I made this orange and olive oil cake — a longtime family favorite — using the TOOC’s citrus extra-virgin oil, and never has it tasted so delicious. I didn’t even use fresh-squeezed orange juice (the horror!).
This cake puffs up a touch when it bakes, and sinks when it cools. To serve, simply dust it with powdered sugar — it is so moist and flavorful on its own rendering frosting or a glaze unnecessary. It also keeps well for days (and maybe even improves in flavor), so don’t be afraid to make it ahead of time.
How to Make Orange and Olive Oil Cake, Step by Step
First, gather your ingredients.
Whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
Then whisk together the wet ingredients: freshly squeezed orange juice, olive oil, and orange zest.
Beat the eggs; then gradually beat in the sugar.
Add the wet mixture to the egg-sugar mixture in thirds alternating with the flour mixture.
Pour the batter into a buttered- and parchment-lined springform pan; then bake at 350ºF for 45-60 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer registers 210ºF or above.
Remove from the oven and let cool on rack for at least 15 minutes before removing the sides.
Turn the cake over onto a platter so that the bottom side is up. Remove the parchment paper. Dust the top with confectioners’ sugar before serving.
PrintOrange and Olive Oil Cake
- Total Time: 60 minutes
- Yield: 8 to 10
Description
Notes:
This cake sinks way down as it cools. Don’t worry. It will still be one of the most delicious cakes you have ever tasted. It is so moist. Also, this is one of those cakes that seems to get better by the day. Don’t be afraid to make it a day early if serving for company.
Ingredients
- Butter for greasing the pan
- 1½ cups (195 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon (6 g) salt
- 3 eggs
- 1¾ cups (350 g) sugar
- 2 teaspoons grated orange zest
- 2/3 cup (158 g) freshly squeezed orange juice (the juice from about 2 oranges)
- 2/3 cup (141 g) olive oil, see notes above
- 2 tablespoons Grand Marnier, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Butter a 9-inch springform pan or cake pan. (You can also use a 12-cup Bundt pan.) For easy removal, place a round of parchment paper in the bottom of the pan.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until blended, then gradually whisk in the sugar, beating until slightly thick and pale yellow.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the zest, juice, and oil. Add to the egg mixture in thirds alternating with the flour mixture.
- Pour batter into the pan and bake for 45 to 60 minutes (or less if using a Bundt pan — start checking after 35 minutes), or until a toothpick comes out clean or until an instant-read thermometer registers 210ºF or above. Cool on a rack for at least 15 minutes. Note: This cake rises in the oven and falls way down as it cools — this is normal. The cake still tastes incredibly delicious and moist.
- Sift confectioners’ sugar over top before cutting and serving.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: oven
- Cuisine: American, Italian
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
183 Comments on “Orange and Olive Oil Cake”
My first recipe from you that didn’t turn out great, cake was too wet. 😔
Try again!! This has become my go to cake. Everyone loves it. I hope it turns out for you.
Looks DELICIOUS!! Have you ever made this cake with gluten-free flour?
Hi Carrie! I have not, but because it is kind of a dense cake as it is, I think it would work well with a gluten-free flour mix like KAF’s or Cup4Cup.
I have! It works out great.
Absolutely delicious, and so easy to make. Five stars!
Great to hear, Marlene! Thanks for writing 🙂
I baked this in a too-shallow pan and had some overflow. Fortunately I put the pan on top of a baking sheet “in case” because I saw the note about how the cake rises in the oven so that was helpful. Visually this wasn’t the most attractive thing I’ve made (because of said overflow) but it tasted delicious. It was a big hit at dinner last night. I’m going to try it again with a less shallow pan.
Bummer about the pan! So glad it was a success anyway 🙂
This is truly a keeper! It can be made year round and still have it’s place on the table.You can serve it at brunch during the winter holidays. It’s the perfect cake in late spring /early summer when berries are coming in to season. Serve it with a scoop of good vanilla ice cream and mixed berries. I used Cointreau instead of Grand Marnier because I had it on hand.
Great to hear, Nancy! Thanks so much for writing and sharing your notes 🙂 🙂 🙂
This cake is SO so good. I’ve made it several times. I’m curious if you’ve ever made it with lemon juice instead of orange, and if so how I might need to modify the sugar? I’m out of orange juice but have fresh lemons on hand.
Hi Moriah! I have not made it with fresh lemon juice. Part of me wonders if you could keep the sugar the same, but just cut back on the lemon juice? I bet you could use 1/3 cup lemon juice successfully. I compared it to this recipe quickly: Lemon-Ricotta Pound Cake
Love Your recipes using Fruit especially Apple
I’ve always wanted to try an olive oil cake but was hesitant. My friend told me about this and had huge success with it. This is really a delicious cake, full of orange flavor and does not need the extra sprinkle of powdered sugar. Very easy to make and I love that I don’t have to use an electric mixer. It comes together easily and was a hit at my house.
Great to hear Jenni! Thanks so much for writing and sharing all of this 🙂 🙂 🙂
Hi and thank you for the recipe Ali. If I wanted to make a larger cake is it as simple as doubling all the ingredients?
Yes, that should work! What size pan are you using to bake the double batch in?
This is the best recipe for orange olive oil cake. I have tried others but nothing compares. I do bake this in a bundt pan. It takes less time to bake – 35 minutes. Comes out the pan easily (no parchment paper necessary) and no worrying about the center caving in. The cake gets moister the next day. Everyone loves it and I make it all year round. Delicious. Economical given inflation.
Wish I could post a picture.
I am going to do this! Thank you for writing and sharing your notes. The Bundt pan is such a good idea.
I made this cake yesterday and it definitely rose up rapidly then proceeded to fall and I couldn’t get it out of the bundt pan until it was completely cool and then I had to coax it out with a soft spatula. It is really good and I would like to try it again but I am wondering if it was cooked at a lower temperature, say 300 or 325, it would not do that. Or possibly adding just a little bit more flour?
Hi! Bummer to hear about the sticking. Questions: did you mix by hand? Or did you use an electric mixer? And are you using a scale to measure the ingredients? Finally, what type of flour are you using?
I used a mixer, and weighed the flour and I used organic AP flour. It was pretty low viscosity.
I think the mixer is the issue — I thought I had written a note about this somewhere in the recipe but I can’t seem to find it. It’s probably buried in the comments somewhere. When you use a mixer, you run the risk of whipping too much air into the eggs, which causes it to rise too quickly and then collapse. I’m sorry for the trouble you’ve had with this one.
Oh! Gotcha! I will try just mixing it by hand. Thank you!
Hi there! Long time fan here asking a question for the first time. I would love to make your orange & olive oil cake recipe for a holiday get together later this week. I am planning to make the cake in a bundt pan and the day before – do you recommend I leave in the pan and store in the fridge? Or, do you recommend I remove from the pan after it cools down and store in the fridge on a cake stand? Any notes on the use of bundt pan or how to best store the cake when making it ahead is greatly appreciated. Gracias de antemano, thanks in advance!
Hi! I recommend you remove the cake from the pan once it cools. I would store it at room temperature in an airtight container or a cake stand. Do you have something large enough? Or a jumbo ziplock bag. No need to refrigerate it! Hope you love it 🙂
Thank you so much! I think I/we will. I’ll report back later this week 🙂
I was asked to bring dessert to my first ever Hanukkah dinner this year, and after scouring the web I decided on trying this cake. Tested it ahead of time to make sure it turned out – and it was incredible! It was a hit at the dinner, rave reviews. Then I made it again for my parents, and then again for Christmas dinner. It will be in my permanent rotation, came out perfectly every time, and so fantastic to have a cake that comes together quickly, that you can absolutely make the day before you need it, and it’s just as good if not better the next day. Highly recommend!
So nice to read all of this, Lauren! Thanks so much for writing and sharing this. It’s one of my all-time favorites, too 🙂
Ready to make this, is the orange liqueur added with the wet ingredients or sprinkled on after baking?
Shoot… I’m likely too late. You add it with the wet ingredients.
I have now made this cake four times!! We do mostly dairy free baking and this is a truly outstanding recipe!! Perfect every time!
Toba
Omaha, Nebraska
Great to hear, Toba! Thanks so much for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
This recipe is FANTASTIC! I made it for the first time yesterday and it will definitely become a regular. I couldn’t stop eating it, and it was so easy to make which is just a huge bonus. Thank you!
Great to hear, Sara! Thanks for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
Hi Ali, Do you use extra virgin olive oil (with all the flavor) or just plain olive oil? I can’t wait to make this for my sister this week! Thanks!
I actually do use extra-virgin olive oil — typically the California Olive Ranch brand. Hope you love it!
So rich and moist! Love the olive oil flavor — used a robust Greek EVOO.
Great to hear, Angela! Thanks so much for writing 🙂
Excellent recipe. Appreciate that it’s milk free as several of my family members have a milk allergy. This turned out fantastic. Added Cointreau and a little vanilla . Yum!!
Yum to the Cointreau and vanilla!