This Orange Olive Oil Cake Recipe is a Spanish inspired cake made with extra virgin olive oil, orange juice, orange peel, dark chocolate ganache, and toasted almonds. It’s a simple, olive oil cake recipe that offers a unique flavor profile and all the benefits of those healthy dietary fats we hear about!
Orange Olive Oil Cake with Dark Chocolate Ganache
This olive oil cake recipe was adapted from Penelope Casas La Cocina De Mama Spanish cookbook.
My interest in Spanish cuisine began years ago when I worked at former, St. Louis Modesto Tapas Restaurant, owned and operated by Chef Grace Dinsmore and Marcia Recks.
In this environment, I had direct access to some of the best flavors I had ever eaten and, let me tell you, I nerded out on all things Spanish cuisine.
After living in Northern California for a few years, I missed my Modesto tapas so much, I went crazy on library cookbooks and tested my hand at preparing Spanish cuisine.
One of my favorite finds was an Orange Olive Oil Cake recipe.
Before I found Penelope’s recipe, it never occurred to me to use olive oil in a cake recipe…not even during my years working in a bakery.
How do you use olive oil in a cake recipe?
Any cake recipe or cake mix that calls for vegetable or canola oil can be substituted with extra virgin olive oil in equal amounts.
What olive oil is best for baking?
While extra virgin olive oil is agreeably more expensive than conventional oils like canola or vegetable oil, the flavor and said health benefits are easily offset by those values, in my mind.
That said, plain olive oil (i.e., not extra virgin) can certainly be used in my olive oil cake recipe, but it isn’t recognized as a heart-healthy oil.
Is olive oil safe in the oven for this recipe?
The smoke point of a high quality, extra virgin olive oil is around 400°.
This olive cake recipe bakes at 325°, so we’re all good for this one!
The original recipe doesn’t call for a chocolate ganache.
That is my own adaptation to an already beautiful recipe.
And, judge if you must, but I use the microwave method for the ganache (am I’m including that method in the recipe below).
It’s so easy and almost foolproof, as long as you don’t boil it…so, don’t do that.
How to make orange olive oil cake with dark chocolate ganache:
1. combine cake ingredients, pour into prepared pan, and bake
2. make the ganache while cake is baking
3. cool the cake
4. ganache drizzle fo shizzle!
5. sprinkle orange peel and toasted, sliced almonds over cake
6. devour!
Orange Olive Oil Cake with Dark Chocolate Ganache Ingredients:
Olive Oil Cake recipe:
- orange juice
- extra virgin olive oil
- orange zest
- almond extract
- cake flour
- baking powder
- sea salt
- eggs
- sugar
Topping:
- 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate chips
- heavy cream
- butter
- sliced almonds
- orange zest
Tools I used for this recipe:
- measuring cup
- mixing bowls
- zester
- bundt cake pan
Traci Antonovich
Yields 4 cups batter
Spanish-inspired cake with extra virgin olive oil, orange juice, dark chocolate ganache, orange peel, and toasted almonds.
15 minPrep Time
45 minCook Time
1 hrTotal Time
Save Recipe5 based on 10 review(s)
Ingredients
- 1 cup Orange Juice (about 4 large oranges, squeezed)
- 1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 tsp Orange Zest
- 1/2 tsp Almond Extract
- 2 cups Cake Flour
- 1 Tbsp Baking Powder
- 1 tsp Sea Salt
- 3 Eggs
- 1 cup White Sugar
- 1 cup 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Chips
- 1/2 cup Heavy Cream
- 1/4 cup Butter
- 1/4 cup Sliced Almonds
- Orange Zest
Instructions
Preheat oven to 325°; grease and flour a 10-cup bundt cake pan; gather ALL ingredients and implement prep steps (chop, dice, etc).
In a measuring bowl, combine and whisk ORANGE JUICE, OLIVE OIL, ORANGE ZEST, and ALMOND EXTRACT until combined; set aside.
In another bowl, sift together CAKE FLOUR, BAKING POWDER, and SEA SALT; set aside.
In a stand mixer on medium speed, whisk EGGS just until beaten.
Continue beating and slowly pour in, one by one, the SUGAR, LIQUID MIXTURE, and DRY MIXTURE; continuously whisking, just until combined (do not overmix).
Pour batter into prepared, bundt cake pan.
Bake 45 minutes; allow to cool 10 minutes; gently remove from pan by turning over onto a cooling rack.
In a microwave-safe bowl, melt CHOCOLATE and HEAVY CREAM on a medium power setting in one-minute increments until chocolate is melted (careful to not boil).
Remove and add BUTTER; whisk until well-combined and pourable; allow to cool a few minutes, if needed; drizzle over cake.
Garnish with SLICED ALMONDS and ORANGE ZEST; allow chocolate to set for 10 minutes.
Serve at room temperature.
Traci Antonovich
About my recipes: Minimal meat & more plants!
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