Orange Olive Oil Cake — A super soft and moist cake that’s made with olive oil!! Orange zest, orange juice, and Grand Marnier add tons of AMAZING orange flavor to this easy, no-mixer cake that’s unique, refined, and INCREDIBLE!!
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This easy, one-bowl, no-mixer orange cake with olive oil is a huge eye-opening kind of cake for me. After blogging for nearly 10 years and making hundreds of cakes, this was my first ever cake made with olive oil. But it won’t be my last because it was supremely soft, tender, and exceedingly moist without being too heavy or dense.
You can literally almost see the moistness oozing from the olive oil cake, but it doesn’t taste greasy and it stays moist for days. I still had leftover cake that I forgot about in the back of my cupboard and a week later that was just as good as the first day, and even more moist. I don’t know how that’s possible but it happened.
I cannot say enough amazing things about this cake. A personal fave of mine for sure.
Love Olive Oil Cakes? Make My Lemon Version Next!
Another long-time reader favorite is my Lemon Olive Oil Cake recipe. It’s made with lemon zest, juice, extract, and Limoncello. I can’t decide whether the orange or lemon version is my favorite!
The olive oil cake itself if not overly sweet by any means. It would be the perfect cake to serve after a fancier dinner party with equally rich or luxurious food.
I liken this olive oil orange cake to cakes served in fancy restaurants. They are never sugar bombs, even the chocolate ones. They are more refined and tend to have unique flavor pairings that you don’t encounter often.
I cannot wait to make this olive oil cake again, especially in the winter for holiday parties and events. It is a talking piece kind of cake rather than just another chocolate cake that we’ve all had a zillion times. Unique and different in the best possible way.
I gave half the cake to some ladies at my daughter’s school and they loved it. Every time I’ve since encountered them, they are all still thanking me for this cake!
Ingredients Needed
To make this orange olive oil cake, you’ll need:
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Eggs
- Whole milk
- Orange zest and juice
- Grand Marnier
- Granulated sugar
- All-purpose flour
- Kosher salt
- Baking powder and baking soda
- Confectioners’ sugar
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make Olive Oil Cake
This orange and olive oil cake recipe couldn’t be simpler to make! Here’s an overview of the recipe:
- Just whisk together the wet ingredients, then add in the dry.
- Turn the batter into a greased and lined 9-inch springform pan.
- Bake until the orange cake is golden brown and domed in the center, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- You’ll need to let this olive oil cake cool for a few minutes before turning out of the pan to finish cooling on a wire rack.
Garnishing the Cake
I dusted the cake with confectioners’ sugar rather than making a glaze or frosting and it was perfect. I almost made a glaze with confectioners’ sugar and Grand Marnier and may try that next time but simply dusting the cake with confectioners’ sugar was so fast and easy.
Recipe FAQs
I used Trader Joe’s Premium Extra Virgin Olive Oil and while I’m sure the flavor of the cake will change depending on the exact brand and type of oil used, I recommend a quality extra-virgin olive oil here. Something you’d dip bread in, cook chicken in, or use in a homemade salad dressing.
You only use 1/4 cup in the entire cake, which doesn’t sound like much but it’s also something I wouldn’t skip. It adds a luxurious flavor that is so elegant tasting. If you don’t drink alcohol for whatever the reason, I cannot say how the cake will taste or turn out if you, for example, just use 1/4 cup water in its place or use an extra 1/4 cup orange juice. Adding more orange juice really worries me more because of the extra acidity in the OJ coupled with the baking soda/powder and I’m not sure what will happen.
My thoughts are that during baking, the potency of the actual alcohol bakes off and what you’re left with is simply the flavor. Again, it’s only 1/4 cup divided between a cake that will easily feed 8 to 10, so each person is maybe getting 1/2 teaspoon. Cough syrup has more.
I have always preferred oil in cake rather than butter. Oil is 100% fat whereas butter is about 80% fat. That extra 20% of fat keeps oil-based cakes softer and moister than butter cakes. You can’t argue with science.
No! I personally wouldn’t have known this orange olive oil cake was specifically olive oil based on taste alone. Olive oil has quite a distinct flavor in comparison to canola or vegetable oil and I went into the cake thinking I’d be able to taste the olive oil specifically and prominently but it wasn’t like that. Very subtly, yes, but not distinctly.
What I tasted more than anything was the orange flavor. The cake has orange flavor incorporated three ways: orange zest, orange juice, and Grand Marnier liqueur. I realize it’s a bit of a pricier liqueur, but I highly recommend it here.
Baking Tips
Pan size: You must use a 9-inch springform cake pan for this olive oil cake recipe. Do not make this cake in a regular 9-inch cake pan. Most are only about 1 1/2 to 2 inches deep, and this cake rises to about 2 1/2 to 3 inches on the sides and nearly 4 inches in the center. It will overflow in a regular 9-inch pan.
Grand Marnier hack: If you don’t want to buy an entire bottle of Grand Marnier you can purchase mini bottles that contain about 1/4 cup of liquid. This tip came from a reader who made this recipe!
Bake time: his cake bakes in a fairly cool oven for a long duration. Don’t be alarmed if a small circular patch on the top of the cake appears to be burning early on in the baking process. Ultimately, it doesn’t darken much more and when the cake is done, the cake is approximately the same color as the initial dark patch.
Video Tutorial
I have made this recipe atleast 10 times and I’ve found it tastes best hands down (and I get the most compliments) when I substitute about 1-2 tbs of olive oil with orange infused olive oil. It gives a little more defined orange flavor.
Kirsten Heder
I LOVE this recipe!
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Orange Olive Oil Cake
Ingredients
- 1 ⅓ cups extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 large eggs
- 1 ¼ cups whole milk
- 1 ½ tablespoons grated orange zest
- ¼ cup orange freshly squeezed juice
- ¼ cup Grand Marnier
- 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325F, add a circle of parchment paper to the base of a 9-inch springform pan, and spray the parchment paper and the sides of the pan very well with cooking spray; set aside. Do not make this cake in a regular 9-inch cake pan. Most are only about 1 1/2 to 2 inches deep and this cake rises to about 2 1/2 to 3 inches on the sides and nearly 4 inches in the center. It will overflow in a regular 9-inch pan.
- To a large bowl, add the olive oil, eggs, and whisk well to emulsify and incorporate.
- Add the milk, orange zest, orange juice (I was able to get sufficient zest and juice from one large orange), Grand Marnier, and whisk to incorporate.
- Add the sugar and whisk to incorporate.
- Add the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and whisk until just incorporated; don’t overmix. The batter in on the thin side; this is normal.
- Turn batter out into prepared pan, place pan on a baking sheet as insurance against a leaky springform pan, and bake for about 70 to 75 minutes. Start checking after 60 minutes since all ovens vary. Cake will be golden browned and domed in the center when done, and a toothpick inserted in the center will come out clean or with a few moist crumbs. **
- Allow cake to cool in the springform pan for about 1 hour before releasing it and allowing the cake to finish cooling on a wire rack.
- Dust with confectioners’ sugar prior to serving.
Notes
- Cake will keep airtight at room temp for 1 week.
- **This cake bakes in a fairly cool oven for a long duration, low and slow. Don’t be alarmed if a small circular patch on the top of the cake appears to be burning early on in the baking process. Ultimately it doesn’t darken much more and when the cake is done, the cake is approximately the same color as the initial dark patch. This may or may not happen to you and possibly is just what happens in my oven, but I am pointing it out as nothing to worry about.
- Recipe adapted from Food52
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Originally posted September 14, 2018 and reposted with updated text March 25, 2022.
Hi Averie I made this cake a few times the last time I omitted the grand marnier & substituted it with extra oj & orange extract. I also used blood orange olive oil, wasn’t sure how it would come out but was delicious . Love ur receipies, stay safe & healthy especially during these trying times
Hi Averie I made this cake a few times the last time I omitted the grand marnier & substituted it with extra oj & orange extract. I also used blood orange olive oil, wasn’t sure how it would come out but was delicious . Love ur receipies, stay safe & healthy especially during these trying times
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad this came out great with the substitutions you made, most notably blood orange olive oil. I never knew that was a thing! I am sure it made this cake extra delicious! Safe safe and healthy as well!
Now that we have time to bake this will be one of my quarantine cake recipes to make all the time. Looove this cake. So easy to make that my 6 yo boy was able to do it by himself. We only did half of sugar and sub the orange liquor for almond liquor as I didn’t have the grand manier and it was delish!
I’ll make it again with the orange liquor soon!
Thanks!
Thanks for the five star review and I’m glad you were able to make it work with less sugar and with what you had on hand and that your 6 year old could make it by himself! Wonderful to hear you’ll make it again!
This cake tastes amazing! I did lower the sugar by half cup. Otherwise followed the directions to a tea and will be making this again! I do have a quick question….I baked it as indicated, toothpick came out clean in all areas I tested. I let it cool as you mentioned, but when it came time to cut it, the bottom seamed dense kind of like compressed, but not wet. Could that be the cooking time? Could it have needed more or a higher temp?
This cake tastes amazing! I did lower the sugar by half cup. Otherwise followed the directions to a tea and will be making this again! I do have a quick question….I baked it as indicated, toothpick came out clean in all areas I tested. I let it cool as you mentioned, but when it came time to cut it, the bottom seamed dense kind of like compressed, but not wet. Could that be the cooking time? Could it have needed more or a higher temp?
Glad you loved it and will make it again!
As it related to the compressed nature…this is a super dense and moist cake because of the oil and I would attribute the texture simply to that. But if you’re concerned, you could bake for an extra few minute. I would not increase the temp though.
That’s great, thank you. I didn’t mean that you shouldn’t have pop ups, I was meaning more about the placement, and how difficult it is to navigate your site/this page as they are. As the owner of this blog it is something you might not be aware of. I know if this was my blog I would appreciate user feedback. Best wishes to you as well.
I wish I had noticed this before I started baking this cake. But it is only minutes before being done and one of your directions isn’t very clear. You mention the cake needs to cool in the springform pan before turning the cake out on a cooking rack. Where is the cake supposed to cool in the springform pan prior to that? In the oven? Still on the cookie sheet but on the cooling rack? Not on the cookie sheet but on the cooling rack?
If you have your springform pan on a baking sheet like I recommended, I would just put the baking sheet on top of your stove grill and let it be. It doesn’t have to be complicated.
You’re right, it’s not complicated, but since you wrote specific cooling instructions related to other aspects, it’s helpful for your readers to have this mentioned. Also as a user of your site, the pop ups make it very difficult to navigate, the second half (after your blog, but before the actual recipe) of this recipe won’t load for a very long time (I have excellent internet speed and don’t have this issue with other sites). I tried scrolling the comments to find the answer to my question before I posted it and the comments kept disappearing and bringing me farther up the page and made it way more difficult than it needs to be as well. And it was the same issue while trying to comment. I can only imagine how hard it would be for people older than me, like my Mom. Since the point of this site is to create user friendly recipes in an easy to use website, you might like to know.
I try to be as detailed as I possibly can when writing my recipes. In some aspects, I simply assume people know how to cool a cake (just let it be), and don’t spell it out. I will keep this in mind in the future.
As related to ads, I need them to sustain my family and my life. They are necessary in order to provide free recipes to my audience. Best wishes.
I’m giving this a try this evening, with a few minor variations – used some almond flour, and mix of whole wheat and white; and i’m cooking it in th grill ;-)! It’s incredibly imprecise, but I made an olive oil harvest cake last year and it really worked! oh and added some spices too, and a bit less sugar. Will let you knonw what happens!
Good luck making this cake on your grill….wow, that is a bold move. Hope it turns out well for you!
This was my first time even tasting olive oil cake, and it was delicious. The texture was like no other cake – moist and tender all the way through with a nice chew to the crusty top and side edges. I substituted lemon zest, juice, and limoncello, and served with raspberries and blackberries. I forgot to bring the vanilla gelato when I took it to a friend’s house, and while I’m sure it would have been appreciated, it wasn’t missed. Baking 60 minutes worked in my oven. Thanks for sharing this recipe – I’m sure it will become a frequent favorite.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad you loved this cake! This too was my first olive oil cake and you’re right, it’s like no other cake in terms of texture, moistness, tenderness, just so good. I need to make it again after reading your comment :)
Glad it will be a frequent favorite for you!
Recipe was fantastic. I had a recipe I got while in Italy and I lost it, so I found this one and it was great. Very moist with and light. Pairs amazingly with homemade gelato. I will love to try different versions of this recipe in the future.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad you love the recipe and compares with Italian olive oil cakes you’ve had! I am sure it would be fantastic with homemade gelato. If you try other versions of it, report back and LMK how they go!
Thanks for the gelato suggestion…What flavor did you pair with the cake? I’m planning on serving the cake with berries and some flavor of gelato, but I’m afraid it won’t be homemade.
sorry! left out my 5 stars!!!!
I absolutely love love this cake! I’ve dropped gooseberries. I ‘ve dropped blueberries. I’ve dropped raspberries. they all have added a tart note to the fruity cake and balanced well with the orange, I have preferred to use Curacao over Grand Marnier
I am glad you love the cake and have incorporated various berries into it as well!
Good to note your preference of Curacao over Gran Marnier.
Excellent recipe! I used Cointreau as I dint have Grand Marnier 😊
Thanks for the 5 star review and I’m glad the Cointreau worked great!
I made this tonight, love it. I was a bit concerned thinking EVOO might be a bit too overpowering. But the cake is so delicious and the sweet smell after 45 minutes of baking is so lovely. Mine took exactly 75 minutes. It is so soft and spongy.
Really wanting to try this cake but need to sub the milk which I am out of. I do have almond milk and heavy whipping cream. Whay would you suggest?
I would use 1 c heavy whipping cream cut with 1/4 cup water. That is just a guess to approximate whole milk. Maybe slightly more water. Play around with it and see how it looks/tastes.
Thank you so much for the great recipe. I used it as a base recipe and made some substitutions – orange juice for milk, applesauce for sugar, half cup oil and half tsp salt. Turned out nicely and hubby loved it.
Thanks for the five star review and I’m glad it turned out great for you with your substitutions.
Going to make this for NYE and am th king to use triple sec for the grand marnier still cheaper!
I hope it turns out great for you!