You will also like my Orange Drizzle Cake!

Orange Olive Oil Cake Recipe

This easy orange cake is has been buried in the blog archives, largely ignored, until I realised that it finally needed a spot in the spotlight!

Baking with olive oil may be slightly unusual but it yields amazing results! This cake is soft, tender and moist with a delicate orange fragrance.

The cake stays fresh for days and is delicious as a snacking cake simply dusted with icing sugar or drizzled with a simple glaze.

But if you like to jazz it up a bit then turn it to a layered cake by slicing in half and filling with your favourite frosting!

Slice of orange olive oil cake on a patterned plate

How to Make Orange Olive Oil Cake

↓ For the full ingredients and detailed method, jump to the recipe card.

STEP 1 Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F). Line a 2lb loaf tin with baking paper, letting the edges hang over the sides of the tin. Pulse the pecans in a food processor until finely ground.

STEP 2 Put the orange zest, olive oil, sugar, eggs, orange juice and yogurt in a mixing bowl and either beat together to combine using a hand mixer or vigorously mix together with a wooden spoon.

STEP 3 Stir in the ground pecans and sift in the flour, spices, salt and raising gents. Mix well until you have a smooth batter.

mixing batter for orange cake in a large bowl

STEP 4 Spoon the batter into the tin and level. Bake for 50-55 minutes – testing with a skewer to see whether the cake is ready. The skewer should come out clean and the cake should feel firm on top. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes and then lift out using the paper. Let the cake cool completely before slicing in half, if you wish to fill it.

STEP 5 Whisk cold double cream and icing sugar together until you have firm peaks. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip
Pipe a generous amount of filling over the bottom layer and top with the second.

STEP 6 Put all the glaze ingredients in a bowl and mix together with a spoon, adding a bit more orange juice if needed until you have a thick glaze.

Drizzle the cake with the glaze, letting it drip down the sides. Add orange slices (or candied orange slices) and dust with icing sugar.

Tips and FAQs

Use a light olive oil instead of an extra virgin. It is cheaper and just right for baking.
Add a simple orange glaze to keep the layers moist. Alternatively you can brush the cake with some (warmed up) marmalade!
The (unfilled) cake will stay fresh for several days in a cake container at room temperature.
You can use walnuts instead of pecans if you like.