Super Moist Orange Olive Oil Tea Cake
I can’t wait for you to try this super moist and tender Orange Olive Oil Tea Cake. This cake is the easiest to bake but is so elegant. You are going to love it!
Orange Olive Oil Cake is one of my favourite desserts. I mean who doesn’t like sweetness with a bit of citrusy flavour. This cake is loaded with bright citrus flavour from orange and has super moist texture from olive oil.
The best part about this cake is that it is so easy to make. It can be served with a sprinkle of powdered sugar or with a simple orange glaze or just as it is. You can also frost the cake with mascarpone or cream cheese frosting.
It pairs beautifully with a coffee or espresso, doesn’t require any complicated technique or tools to make it and of course taste absolutely fantastic.
More About Orange Olive Oil Cake
Olive Oil cakes gained an overnight popularity some years back when Kylie Jenner shared it on Instagram. Since then, the whole olive oil cake thing took on a whole life of its own and EVERYONE started baking these.
There are tons of recipes on the internet but most of them use a lot of olive oil which makes the flavour too strong and the texture of the cake a bit too greasy and dense.
I prefer this recipe as there is a good balance of fat from olive oil and freshness from oranges. To make this cake healthy, I have substituted half of refined wheat flour (maida) with wholewheat flour. Also, instead of using refined sugar, I have used unprocessed cane sugar.
Does Olive Oil Cake Taste like Olive Oil
Olive oil cakes do not taste like olive oil. It is added to add richness and moisture to the cake. It also gives cakes a wonderfully moist texture and a light, subtle flavour that pairs perfectly with other ingredients like fresh fruit and nuts.
Olive Oil is also a much healthy alternative to store-bought butter as it is rich in antioxidants and packed with good fats. It is great for people avoiding dairy or people who are lactose intolerant. You’ll want to use good quality extra virgin olive for this recipe or else you might just end up with an oily cake.
Ingredients Needed
Olive oil: Of course! I used cold pressed extra virgin olive oil for this recipe.
Fresh Unsweetened Orange Juice and Orange Zest: Fresh juice is always better than canned ones. It tastes better and is definitely a much healthier option than store-bought ones. You can use any orange. For orange zest make sure to use organic oranges.
Flour: I used a mix of wholewheat flour and all purpose flour. You can bake it with just all purpose flour alone or with just whole wheat flour. I have tried this cake with just wholewheat flour. The taste is excellent but it is slightly denser than the one with all purpose flour. So, I chose a mid way and went with half and half.
Vanilla extract: Go for pure vanilla extract and not the essence. It tastes much better while the latter gives a very synthetic like flavour.
Baking Soda and Baking Powder: These are leavening agents and must be used. Do not use baking soda or powder that is older than 1 year.
Castor Sugar: You can also bake this cake with unprocessed sugar like palm sugar or coconut sugar. But do remember that this will alter the taste a bit because palm sugar does have an earthy and a rustic taste. I prefer white castor sugar for this recipe.
Salt: Salt balances and accentuates the sweetness of the cake.
Eggs: Eggs bring in that much needed texture, lightness and fluffiness.
- Substitute of Eggs: You can use flaxeggs as a substitute of eggs. Take 1 tbsp of coarsely ground flaxseeds and mix them in 4 tbsps of water. Let it sit for 10 to 12 minutes or till it gets a gel like consistency and use it place of 1 egg. So, if the recipe calls for 2 eggs, take 2 tbsps of flaxseeds and 8 tbsps of water.
- You can also use 1/4th cup of Greek yogurt or buttermilk or milk to replace 1 egg. So, if the recipe calls for 2 eggs, take 1/2 cup of yogurt/buttermilk/milk.
Cornstarch: This helps reduce the protein content in the flour, making the cake more tender. In some countries it is called corn flour.
Step by Step Instructions
For detailed recipe, please jump to the recipe card below
1. Pre-heat oven to 180 C and line a 6” round pan with a parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl add olive oil and castor sugar. Whisk till well combined.
3. Then add 2 eggs, one by one and whisk till it becomes foamy. Now add vanilla extract and whisk again for a minute.
4. Sift in all the dry ingredients, wholewheat flour, all purpose flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and cornstarch in a pan.
5. Add orange zest and mix until well combined.
6. Now add dry ingredients to wet ingredients in batches. Keep alternating between dry ingredients and orange juice. Add one batch of dry ingredients followed by little orange juice and then gently fold till combined. Keep repeating till all the dry ingredients are used up and the batter is well combined.
Note: Do not over mix the batter. Gently cut and fold.
7. Pour the batter into a prepared pan. Tap on the counter 2 or 3 times to clear air pockets.
8. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes or till toothpick inserted at the center comes out clean with moist crumbs attached.
9. Allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes then demould by running a knife along the edges. The cake will come out smoothly.
10. Allow it to cool completely on wire rack before dusting it with powdered sugar or glazing it.
Storage
This cake stays fresh for 2 or 3 days when stored at a room temperature. Wrap the cake with a cling film or butter paper to prevent it from drying out and store it in an airtight box. You can refrigerate the cake and use it within 5 days.
Pro Tips
- Orange: To get more juice out of an orange, roll it under your palm on the countertop to loosen the juices.
- Sugar: Ensure the unprocessed sugar is smooth and fine to avoid grainy batter. You can sieve the powder to get rid of grainy bits.
- Muffins: This recipe can also be used to make muffins. It will give 10 to 12 muffins.
- Orange Zest: It’s much easier to zest the oranges before juicing, so make sure to zest first. Be sure only to zest the orange portion as the white parts will be bitter.
- Folding: Always fold the batter in cut and fold method. Do not whisk or over mix the batter. This will result into a dense and crumbly cake.
- Room Temperature: Make sure the ingredients especially eggs that you are using are at room temperature. The reason for this is that, it makes it easier to incorporate air, which gives your cake structure and softness.
Orange Olive Oil Tea Cake | Ridiculously Easy | Super Moist
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
- 1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive oil cup measurement 250 ml
- 125 ml Orange Juice
- 1/3 cup Unprocessed Castor Sugar you can use 1/2 cup if you prefer more sweetness
- 2 large Eggs room temperature
- 1/2 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1.5 tbsp Orange Zest
Dry Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Wholewheat Flour
- 1/2 cup All Purpose Flour
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1 tbsp Cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
Instructions
Prepare Batter
- In a large bowl add olive oil and castor sugar. Whisk till well combined.
- Then add 2 eggs, one by one and whisk till it becomes foamy. Now add vanilla extract and whisk again for a minute.
- Sift in all the dry ingredients, wholewheat flour, all purpose flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and cornstarch in a pan.
- Add orange zest and mix until well combined.
- Now add dry ingredients to wet ingredients in batches. Keep alternating between dry ingredients and orange juice. Add one batch of dry ingredients followed by little orange juice and then gently fold till combined. Keep repeating till all the dry ingredients are used up and the batter is well combined.
- Pour the batter into a prepared pan. Tap on the counter 2 or 3 times to clear air pockets.
Bake
- Pre-heat oven to 180 C ten minutes prior to baking and line a 6” round pan with a parchment paper.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes or till toothpick inserted at the center comes out clean with moist crumbs attached.
- Allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes then demould by running a knife along the edges. The cake will come out smoothly.
- Allow it to cool completely on wire rack before dusting it with powdered sugar or glazing it.
Notes
- Orange: To get more juice out of an orange, roll it under your palm on the countertop to loosen the juices.
- Sugar: Ensure the unprocessed sugar is smooth and fine to avoid grainy batter. You can sieve the powder to get rid of grainy bits.
- Muffins: This recipe can also be used to make muffins. It will give 10 to 12 muffins.
- Orange Zest: It’s much easier to zest the oranges before juicing, so make sure to zest first. Be sure only to zest the orange portion as the white parts will be bitter.
- Folding: Always fold the batter in cut and fold method. Do not whisk or over mix the batter. This will result into a dense and crumbly cake.
- Room Temperature: Make sure the ingredients especially eggs that you are using are at room temperature. The reason for this is that, it makes it easier to incorporate air, which gives your cake structure and softness.
Try this super moist orange olive oil tea cake recipe and let me know what you think. Drop a comment below- I would love to hear your feedback! 🙂
