Moist and so delicious, this orange and olive oil cake is bursting with fruity flavors from fresh orange juice! It can be made 2 days ahead – letting it sit brings out the best flavor of the cake! During the holidays, I add some cranberries for extra fruity goodness and festive flair!

About 2 years ago I found this lovely Orange Cake from Leite’s Culinaria and immediately set out to make it! Often mistaken as a Chiffon or Pound Cake – it is not – it’s denser but really moist and super-delicious.

The Olive Oil used in this cake really made a lot of difference in the taste. When I can find it, I use the Extra-Virgin Olive Oil Fruity Version – not the regular EVOO – the label should state – Fruity. If you can’t find it, you may also use the lighter variety.

The verdict? It was as good as promised in the recipe. I just fell in love with this cake – my ultimate favorite!

Unfortunately, I didn’t have a big enough bundt pan to accommodate the entire recipe as stated on the website. It overflowed when I baked it (and yes I thought my bundt was already big enough for it!).

Of course, the easiest solution would have been to just get a bigger (the largest) Bundt pan that I can find but no, I decided to take the hard way and adjust the recipe so it would just about fit my Bundt pan.

Honestly, it took me nearly a year to get it right! Baking is always a precise business so when I was making this I reminded myself constantly – practice makes perfect! Eventually, I got the right ratio for each ingredient – they seem to have magically worked together. 

I am so glad that all the effort in making it many times finally paid-off. In the end, the result is well worth it.

Not only did I manage to make the measurement fit my bundt I was also able to experiment with using two loaf pans and they both came out great! So don’t despair if you don’t have a bundt pan for this, two regular loaf pans are good to use for this cake as well.

Most of all, when Thanksgiving and Christmas season arrives – I just add a cup or so of chopped cranberries, and then it’s my perfect Thanksgiving/Christmas/Holiday treat!

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FOR FULL RECIPE & INSTRUCTIONS and to PRINT, SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW.

NOTES ON INGREDIENTS FOR Portuguese Style Orange and Olive Oil Cake

• large navel oranges (finely grate the orange rind and set aside the zest then squeeze all the oranges to get about 1
  cup of juice)
• all purpose flour
• baking powder – make sure it’s still good and not expired
• salt
• eggs – allow it to reach room temperature before using
• white sugar – so the cake doesn’t darken or brown too much
• olive oil – get the fresh and fruity kind – see photo below or use the light olive oil
• fresh cranberries (optional but perfect addition for the holiday season)

NOTE!!! The amount of sugar is correct. There’s a lot of oil used and it’s a big cake, too and that amount of sweetness is required to balance the flavors. But, if you wish you can adjust the sweetness to your liking and try 2 cups first and see if it works for you. Thank you!

HOW TO MAKE Portuguese Style Orange and Olive Oil Cake

Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly grease a bundt or tube pan (at least the 10-12-cup one) and set aside. You can also use two loaf pans (9×5). Do make sure that you use light-colored bundt/tube or loaf pans as the dark ones don’t work well for this. The cake gets too dark.

Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Set aside. A stand mixer would be quite handy for this though a handheld one will also do (use a large mixing bowl). Beat the eggs in the mixing bowl on medium speed for about 1 minute or until combined.

Get the sugar and slowly pour it in and continue to beat for about 3-4 minutes until the mixture thickens and becomes a pale yellow. Adjust the speed to low and then alternately mix in the flour mixture and the olive oil – begin and end with the flour. I divide the flour mix into three parts when I do this and then pour olive oil in between.

Pour in the orange juice and beat the batter quickly just until everything is combined. Stop the mixer. Fold in the zest. Use a spatula to scrape the batter on the sides of the bowl and incorporate it with the rest then beat again, just for a few seconds, to ensure an even mix.

Transfer the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 55-60 mins or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with only a few crumbs on it. For the loaf pan, about 45-50 mins.

Check after about 40-45 minutes, in either case, to see if the top is browning too much. If that happens simply cover lightly with a foil and continue to bake until the cake is done.

Remove from the oven and place it in a cooling rack. Cool for about 30-40 mins in the pan before removing it to ensure that the cake does not break when you transfer it. Cool completely in a rack. Dust with confectioner’s sugar, if desired.

Note: Patience is a virtue — do not even think about touching it (I know it’s tempting but don’t!) or eating it until at least after a day. The second day, if you can wait, is even better. This cake is worth the wait. I just leave the cake in the kitchen for the waiting period (and pretend it’s not there so I am not tempted to eat it!) but in the Philippines where the weather is warmer, perhaps it’s better to place it in the fridge though you may want it to reach room temp before you eat it.

If you like what you see and would like to receive new recipe updates, we’d love you to subscribe to our posts via email or through our feed or join our site. Needless to say, we’d love you to like us on Facebook or follow us on Pinterest where you can get more recipes and updates. Thanks and happy browsing!

Orange and Olive Oil Cake

Manila Spoon

Moist and so delicious, this orange and olive oil cake is bursting with fruity flavors from fresh orange juice! It can be made 2 days ahead – letting it sit brings out the best flavor of the cake!

5 from 16 votes

Print Recipe Save Saved!

Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Course Desserts

Cuisine Italian, Portuguese

Servings 12

Ingredients

 

1x2x3x

• 4 pieces large navel oranges, finely grate the orange rind and set aside the zest then squeeze all the oranges to get about 1 cup of juice
• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1½ tsp salt
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 2½ cups white sugar
• 1 cup light or fruity olive oil, (get the fresh and fruity olive oil or use the light olive oil NOT extra-virgin as that's too intense)
• 1¼ cup cranberries, coarsely chopped (optional but great for holiday season)

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly grease a light-colored bundt or tube pan (at least the 10-12-cup one) and set aside. You can also use two loaf pans (9×5). Make sure that you use light-colored bundt/tube or loaf pans as the dark ones don’t work well for this. The cake gets too dark.
• Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
  
• A stand mixer would be quite handy for this though a handheld one will also do (use a large mixing bowl). Beat the eggs in the mixing bowl on medium speed for about 1 minute or until combined.
  
• Get the sugar and slowly pour it in and continue to beat for about 3-4 minutes until the mixture thickens and becomes a pale yellow. Adjust the speed to low and then alternately mix in the flour mixture and the olive oil – begin and end with the flour. I divide the flour mix into three parts when I do this and then pour olive oil in between.
  
• Pour in the orange juice and beat the batter quickly just until everything is combined. Stop the mixer. Fold in the zest. Use a spatula to scrape the batter on the sides of the bowl and incorporate it with the rest then beat again, just for a few seconds, to ensure an even mix.
  
• Transfer the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 55-60 mins or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with only a few crumbs on it. For the loaf pan, bake for about about 45-50 mins. Check after about 40-45 minutes, in either case, to see if the top is browning too much. If that happens simply cover lightly with a foil and continue to bake until the cake is done. Using a lighter colored pan would diminish the darkening of the cake as it bakes.
  
• Remove from the oven and place it in a cooling rack. Cool for about 30-40 mins in the pan before removing it to ensure that the cake does not break when you transfer it. Cool completely in a rack. Dust with confectioner’s sugar, if desired.
  

Notes

TIPS & TRICKS

The amount of sugar is correct. There’s a lot of oil used and it’s a big cake, too and that amount of sweetness is required to balance the flavors. But, if you wish you can adjust the sweetness to your liking and try 2 cups first and see if it works for you. Thank you!

Using a lighter colored pan would diminish the darkening of the cake as it bakes so use that if possible.

Patience is a virtue — do not even think about touching it (I know it’s tempting but don’t!) or eating it until at least after a day. The second day, if you can wait, is even better. This cake is worth the wait. I just leave the cake in the kitchen for the waiting period (and pretend it’s not there so I am not tempted to eat it!) but in the Philippines where the weather is warmer, perhaps it’s better to place it in the fridge though you may want it to reach room temp before you eat it.  Trust me, it’s worth all the effort as it’s such  a delicious cake!

 

Keyword orange and olive oil cake, orange cake with cranberries, portuguese style orange and olive oil cake

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Last updated on May 1st, 2024 at 09:48 pm