Blood Orange Olive Oil Cake

Yield: 6-10 servings Active Time: 45 minutes Cook Time: 45 minutes Total Time: 1.5 hours

Olive oil cake is one of those dishes that often spurs a heated debate between seasoned foodies and those who tend to stick to the classics. When developing this recipe, I was motivated to end this debate once and for all by proving that contrary to the later belief, olive oil is not just for savory use! Olive oil adds richness without leaving an overpowering taste in a baked dessert such as a cake. The floral notes of a high-quality olive oil, pair so beautifully with the citrus and almond flavors of this cake. The oil’s properties also make for a luscious, moisture-laden crumb. Olive oil cake is is traditionally enhanced with the addition of fresh fruit. The natural beauty inside citrus, make them the perfect fruit to adorn the cake. By slicing them thinly while keeping the rind in tact, they tend to keep their shape, creating a beautiful mosaic border when you flip the cake out of the pan. If you are someone who immediately turns their nose up at the idea of using olive oil in dessert, I PROMISE this rendition will change your mind!

Ingredients

  • For the batter: 

    • 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar

    • 3 eggs

    • 1 1/2 tsp almond extract

    • 1 1/2 cups olive oil

    • 2 1/2 cups cake flour

    • 2 tsp baking powder

    • 1/2 tsp baking soda

    • 1 tsp salt

    • 1 1/2 tbsp orange zest

    • 2 tbsp orange juice

  • For the topping: 

    • 1/2 cup blood orange juice

    • 1/2 cup granulated sugar

    • 2 blood oranges; thinly sliced

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

  2. Start the blood orange simple syrup by stirring together the juice and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook for about 5 minutes until the sugar is dissolved. Increase the heat and simmer for another 5 minutes. Pour the simple syrup in a heat-safe container and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside and let cool to room temperature.

  3. Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

  4. Add the eggs and sugar to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat on medium-high speed for about 5 minutes until light and silky. Add the almond extract and stir to combine. On medium speed, slowly stream in the olive oil into the egg mixture. Mix for 2 minutes.

  5. Add the dry ingredients to the mixer and beat just to combine, about 1 minutes. Stir in the orange juice and zest.

  6. Line the bottom of a spring-form pan with parchment paper. Pour the simple syrup into the pan and spread into an even layer. Place the blood orange slices on top of the simply syrup later in a single layer.

  7. Pour the batter over top of the simple syrup and orange slices and spread into an even layer.

  8. Bake the cake for 40-45 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in the pan until room temperature before releasing from the springform pan and flipping to reveal the oranges on top.

Recipe Tips

  • Springform pans make upside-down cakes easier! You never want any cake to fall apart when you are flipping it out of the pan but especially not when the top of the cake is exposed and the element that makes the cake such a showstopper. Lining the bottom of a greased springform pan with parchment paper is a doubly effective way to ensure that the blood orange design comes out perfectly by providing an easy way to pop the cake out of the pan

  • My favorite olive oil brands. Since I insisted you use high quality olive oil for this recipe, I thought that I would recommend a few of my favorite brands that you can find at Whole Foods and similar stores.

    • California Olive Ranch

    • Claudio Vignoli

    • Olio Verde

    • Frankie’s

  • There is beauty in the imperfections! When I was first developing this recipe in my head, I envisioned the blood orange slices in an even round layer. However, as you can see in the photos, they ended up forming more of a circular border around the cake instead. This is because I was not careful enough when pouring the batter on top of the slices BUT I found that I really like the border style better because it gives it a unique look and reveals the golden color of the cake!