Olive Oil and Orange Cake
An easy to make cake scented with Cara Cara oranges, extra virgin, and cardamom. Wildflower honey creates a perfect and subtly sticky-sweet crust. Perfect for breakfast or to serve after dinner.
Servings: 6
Equipment
- 1 Stand mixer or handheld electric mixer and bowl
Ingredients
- zest from 1 ½ Cara Cara oranges or other similar variety
- 3/4 cup juice from fresh squeezed Cara Cara oranges from about 3-4 oranges
- 1 ¾ cups flour, spooned and leveled all-purpose, unbleached
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/8 tsp cardamom ground
- 3/4 tsp fine sea salt
- 3 eggs
- 1 ¼ cups sugar granulated
- 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- honey for brushing
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Prepare a 9-inch springform pan with baking spray or grease with butter and lightly coat with flour, shaking off the excess. Set aside.
- Wrap the bottom of the pan with foil to catch any drips. Press tightly to smooth.
- Press and roll the oranges beneath your palm on a hard surface to help break up the membranes and release more juice. Zest 1 ½ oranges, set zest aside. Squeeze oranges to yield 3/4 cups of juice. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, salt and cardamom. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the three eggs and beat on medium until well combined, about 1 minute.
- Add the sugar to the eggs and beat on medium-high until well combined and pale yellow, about 1 minute.
- On low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and olive oil, mixing until just combined after each addition (Note - be sure to begin and end with flour. A proper emulsion will create the perfect light texture).
- Add the zest and orange juice and mix on low to combine (Note that it might be helpful to get it going by hand first as the mixture is lightly to splash in the beginning).
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with only a scant amount of crumb.
- Allow the cake to cool for 5-10 minutes before brushing honey in a thin and even layer over the top (brushing while the cake is still quite warm is helpful for spreading the honey evenly).*Remove the springform ring. Set the cake on a cooling rack.
- Allow the cake to cool before serving. Cake is even better when served the following day. Store in an airtight cake pan with a locked lid (if you can wait that long!).
Notes
* Do not add a heavy layer of honey. It’s helpful to add the honey to a small bowl alongside the cake and use a pastry brush, this will allow you to control the amount of honey used. The layer of honey should be thin and even, it will sink and settle into the cake as it cools, offering a subtly sticky-sweet crust. It should not be overpowering.
This is the perfect cake to serve if hosting company for cocktails, or alongside a meat and cheese board. It's also perfect for breakfast with a coffee or tea, or to serve after a hearty meal for a subtly sweet treat.