This orange cardamom olive oil cake recipe is simple, delicious, and laced with bold flavors of bright orange and fragrant cardamom! The use of olive oil makes for a superior moist texture and irresistibly rich taste.
I’m a big fan of using oranges in both sweet and savory recipes. A quick search of the site and you will find oranges used in my refreshing Mediterranean orange and pomegranate salad, hearty orange harissa lamb chops, and even mixed into red sangria! However, one of my favorite ways to use oranges is in desserts.
So, of course, when I wrote The Mediterranean Dish cookbook, I had to include this recipe for my citrusy orange olive oil cake! The perfect fusion of sweet and savory flavors, this olive oil cake recipe features bright, bold notes of orange along with a subtle sweetness and warm notes from the cardamom. One bite, and you’ll be hooked!
This is not your typical super sweet icing-topped cake. Due to the olive oil this cake stays moist and tender for days, which means it’s a good make ahead option for larger gatherings. It’s a delightful treat for holiday dinners, weekend brunch, and everything in between.
Table of Contents
Ingredients You’ll Need
This orange cardamom olive oil cake requires just a few baking staples, fresh oranges, and cardamom. 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 California olive oil is perfect in this cake. Subtle and delicious, it helps enhance the orange flavor and provides moisture without overwhelming the taste of the cake.
- All-purpose flour: To form the base of the batter. You can 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: One of the more pungent spices in Mediterranean cooking, cardamom is a fairly warm spice with subtle lemony undertones that pair beautifully with orange, chocolate cake, and beyond!
- Eggs: Help provide structure to the cake.
- Orange: Both orange zest and orange juice are used for an utterly irresistible recipe.
- Milk: Use whole milk or a plant-based alternative to combine the ingredients and create a smooth batter.
- Confectioner’s sugar: Also called powdered sugar, this is technically optional but highly recommended for sprinkling on top to add a little extra sweetness and create a picture-worthy presentation.
How to Make Orange Cardamom Olive Oil Cake
Prepare a 9-inch round cake pan: To prevent the cake from sticking, brush the bottom and sides of the cake pan with olive oil. Then, line the bottom with a round of parchment paper, and dust it with a bit of flour. Just be sure to shake off any excess.
Mix the dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, combine 2 cups of flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cardamom.
Beat the wet ingredients with sugar: Combine 1 ½ cups of the sugar, and eggs in a separate bowl, and using the highest setting on a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat the ingredients until they are thick and fluffy. With the blades running, drizzle in the olive oil. Once it is fully incorporated, reduce the speed to low, and add ½ the orange zest, orange juice, and milk. Beat again until the ingredients are smooth.
Combine the wet and dry ingredients: Working slowly, incorporate the flour mixture into the bowl of wet ingredients. Mix on low just until you have a uniform batter, and be careful not to overmix! Otherwise, your cake will turn out dense and tough, and no one wants that!
Bake the cake: Pour the prepared olive oil cake batter into the pan, and sprinkle the top with the rest of the sugar. Bake until the center is set. It’s important to note that every oven bakes differently. So, be sure to keep a close eye on your cake, and begin checking it after 30 minutes! You’ll know it’s done baking when a skewer can be inserted into the center and comes out clean.
Cool and serve: Once removed from the oven, allow the orange olive oil cake to cool in the pan for 30 minutes. To ensure it comes out intact, run a small knife all the way around the edge of the pan. Then, invert the cake onto a large plate, and invert it once more, flipping it right side up onto a rack to finish cooling. To finish, a dust with powdered sugar and sprinkle a little orange zest.
Why Use Olive Oil in Cake
You know I love my olive oil! I’ve used it in recipes like my banana walnut bread, Italian apple olive oil cake and chocolate olive oil cake. However, I’m still asked quite frequently whether or not it can be used in baking.
To help answer your questions about olive oil, I wrote this extensive guide on How to Cook with Olive Oil. It’s a staple of the Mediterranean Diet and I will forever celebrate its value. If you want to go deep read that guide. For the short answer yes, you can bake cakes with olive oil and here’s why.
- Kept at room temperature, olive oil is a liquid and therefore adds unmatched levels of moisture to cake over time, allowing it to stay tender longer than if it was made with butter.
- Using any olive oil in place of butter reduces the amount of saturated fat found in the recipe. It replaces that fat with heart-healthy monounsaturated fat which can improve cholesterol among other benefits listed here.
- High-quality extra virgin olive oil adds a rich, slightly fruity flavor to this recipe without being overbearing.
That said, it’s extremely important to choose a high-quality olive oil with a flavor profile complementary to the other ingredients.
For instance, you don’t want a strong peppery olive oil like Early Harvest Greek Extra Virgin Olive Oil, which is primarily used in savory recipes like my simple herb-tossed sweet potato recipe. Instead, opt for a fruity, delicately flavored variety like our California olive oil to enhance the sweet fruity flavors.
What to Serve with Orange Olive Oil Cake
Where I grew up, people love their tea time. This olive oil cake makes for the perfect sweet treat to accompany an afternoon cup of Arabic tea with fresh mint. Or, serve it at a cocktail party alongside carajillo, a Spanish spiked coffee drink.
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!
For a truly show stopping dessert try:
- Add a dollop of whipped cream
- Dust with powdered sugar
- A spoonful of vanilla yogurt is always nice
- Top with fresh fruit such as orange segments, candied orange peels, blueberries, or even cranberries for a festive twist! Yum!
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Orange Cardamom Olive Oil Cake
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.
Question
Can this cake be frozen for a future event?
Sure, Deb! When you’re ready to eat it, just thaw in the fridge overnight. Hope you enjoy it!
Question
I just made this cake for an event tomorrow. Should it be refrigerated or covered and left on the countertop until tomorrow?
Hi, Mary Rose!You’ll want to store in an air-tight container in a cool and dry place. You can refrigerate, but bring to room temperature before serving.
Made this last night for my birthday. I really liked it, I did add orange slices to the bottom, just for fun (like an upside down pineapple cake), it turned out great.
This cake is delicious!!! I recently made it, following the recipe exactly. My husband is usually a chocolate cake person and he loved it!
Thanks so much, Helen!
Hi! Do you think this can be made in a bundt pan with the same ingredient amounts/cook time?
Hi, Juianne. Another reader had success making this in a bundt pan, so it sounds like it should work pretty much as-is… maybe with a bit more time in the oven. If you give this a try, please stop back and share your thoughts!
This came out so great in the bundt pan!! I just had to cook it for a little longer (50min total), and it was so delicious!! Wonderful, easy recipe. Thank you!
Thanks, Julianne!
I was wondering if I can use a 9” spring form pan?
Sure, Trish. I think that would probably work fine. Enjoy!
I have made this dish at least 10 times. I am hoping the recipe can be amended with the correct time or the correct amount of wet ingredients. I have the problem of the center being undercooked and I prefer it more moist but I’m always worried about the center not being cooked all the way. If I go too long, it’s too dry. I have the Mediterranean dish cookbook and the correct time is not clarified there either.
you’ve created a monster! I baked this cake for my dad once and now he asks me to remake it every time it runs out 🙂 I’ve made it 4 times so far LOL! Thank you for sharing, it’s a wonderful recipe ❤️
Lol! You’re an amazing daughter, Nia!
I’m not one to comment on recipes, but this one I just had to! First, after being told by my doctor that moving to a Mediterranean style diet would be good for my autoimmune disorder, I searched online and found your website. Second, I’ve tried a few of your recipes now, and they’ve all been so amazing!! Third, this cake. This cake is delicious! I made this cake for my mom, but she can’t have a lot of sugar, so I substituted 1/2 cup of sugar for stevia, but left the remainder sugar for the recipe. It was still delicious! I ended up with enough batter to fill 2 9 inch pans, and went with others’ suggestions of cutting the milk to 3/4 cup.
I will definitely be making this again! ♥
Thanks, Renee! And welcome to The Mediterranean Dish community!
Loved this cake. Used Almond Milk for the milk and added Turbinado sugar as the sugar on top for an extra crunch. It does appear to be a very liquidy cake batter but it all came together well and baked up in the 40 minutes. I have a Breville counter oven and baked it at 325 for 40 minutes with the convection turned on. I think this helps a lot. Also baked in a high sided square 9 inch but felt like maybe a larger pan would keep it from rising too high. I will make this one again.
I made this cake as directed except for 3/4 cup milk as others suggested. The recipe made too much batter for my 9 inch pan. I left some of the batter out and it still over flowed into the oven. It was still a delicious cake but next time I may try 3 – 9 inch pans and see what happens!
I love this cake. It is fluffy and easy to make. I actually used an orange infused olive oil that gave it a beautiful flavor. This is absolutely a winner. Thank you!!
You are very welcome, Mandy! So glad you loved it!
I made this cake in heart shaped tins and made a little glaze out of orange juice and powdered sugar for the heart at the top of the mold. I also used powdered sugar to decorate. We absolutely loved this cake! The little pans made a nice crust around the whole cake too. I would recommend that! It only took 40 mins in the smaller tins. I did also make a loaf and added craisins which were very yummy too.
Hi, Caitlin! I love this idea! I always go all out for Valentine’s Day. I’m going to try your heart-shaped pan idea. Thank you so much for sharing!
This is one of the most delicious cakes I have ever made. I too was worried about the amount of liquid, but it resulted in a beautifully moist cake. My only advice is to make sure you use a high-sided cake pan, because you get significant rise.
This cake turned out absolutely wonderful. Followed the recipe exactly. The inside was moist and tender and the outside had a sugary crunch. So much yum!
There is just too much liquid for this cake, it baked for over an hour and was burnt on top and raw in the middle, despite greasing the pan it stuck like glue to every part. The orange flavor is also unfortunately overpowered by the olive oil.
I have baked mine for 45 minutes thus far in the middle is still liquid. I’m afraid mine may be destined to the same fate.