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. 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:

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

More Citrus Cake Recipes: 

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