orange olive oil cake

Orange olive oil cake brings bright citrus flavor and a tender crumb. Ready in under 70 minutes, with simple pantry ingredients and no fancy equipment.

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Total Time 1 11

Servings: 10 slices

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Calories: 325

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

Cake batter

1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup granulated sugar
3 unit large eggs
1 tbsp orange zest from 2 medium oranges
0.5 cup fresh orange juice
0.5 cup milk
2 cup all-purpose flour
1.5 tsp baking powder
0.5 tsp baking soda
0.25 tsp fine salt

Finishing

1 tbsp powdered sugar for dusting

Method

Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F). Grease a 23cm (9-inch) round cake pan and line the bottom with parchment for easy removal. I never skip this step, even with nonstick pans.
In a large bowl, whisk together olive oil and sugar until you get a smooth, creamy texture. Add eggs one at a time, whisking well after each. Mix in orange zest and orange juice. If the mixture looks slightly separated, don’t worry — it comes together when you add flour.
Pour in the milk and give it another good whisk. No need for fancy equipment; a regular whisk or sturdy fork is enough.
In a separate bowl, sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add dry ingredients to wet in two batches, stirring just until no flour pockets remain. Overmixing makes the cake dense, so stop when it looks mostly smooth.
Scrape the batter into your prepared pan and smooth the top. Tap the pan on the counter once to pop any big air bubbles.
Bake for 44–51 minutes, until the top is golden and a skewer comes out with a few moist crumbs. If your oven runs hot, start checking after 40 minutes. The cake finishes baking as it cools, so don’t wait for a clean skewer.
Let cool in the pan 20 minutes, then run a knife around the edge and lift out. Cool completely before adding powdered sugar.
For serving: Dust the cooled cake lightly with powdered sugar. If your kitchen is humid, wait right before serving or the sugar will disappear into the cake.

Notes

Most olive oil cakes dry out by day two, but this one stays tender all week. That hint of orange reminds me of breakfast in Italy—the kind you want with coffee, not frosting.

What’s different about this cake

The big win here is using both zest and juice. Zest gives real orange flavor—juice alone can get lost. I always wash and zest the oranges before I even grab the mixing bowl (so I don’t forget after cutting them).

If you’re worried about “olive oil taste”: A good extra-virgin oil should taste grassy, not bitter, once baked. I’ve used mid-range brands from the supermarket and it never overpowers.

Don’t overmix the batter after adding flour. Once you stop seeing dry streaks, quit stirring—even if there’s a lump or two left. This is one of those cakes that actually gets tougher if you try to smooth it out.

I also bake this on the middle rack and turn the cake 180 degrees halfway if my oven’s heat isn’t even.

Variations and substitutions

Lemon works well instead—swap the zest and juice for the same amount, but add a bit more sugar (lemon is sharper). If you want a dairy-free version, use unsweetened oat milk instead of regular milk. I’ve tried almond milk here and it tasted a little flat, so I don’t recommend it.

A handful of sliced almonds on top adds crunch, but add them right before baking so they don’t sink.

How to store it

This cake keeps covered at room temperature for 3–4 days. After that, it still tastes good but texture dries a bit. I cut slices and wrap them individually if I know I’ll want a quick breakfast or snack through the week.