This vegan orange olive oil cake is super moist and intensely flavorful! It's a simple yet elegant dessert that's super easy to make. You only need one bowl and no electric mixer!
If you find yourself in need of a super simple dessert recipe that's sure to impress, this is your cake!
I know what you're probably thinking, or at least I do if the concept of an olive oil cake is new to you. It's probably the same thing my husband said when I first told him that I was working on an orange olive oil cake recipe.
Interesting.
That's what he said! And I get it. If you've never baked with olive oil the idea might seem a little weird. Olive oil tastes like olives. Do we want olives in our dessert?
We do!
While the olive notes are detectable in this cake, the cake doesn't taste at all like olives. The flavor is an undertone, and a mild one at that. It'll complement the sweet, bright flavors from the orange juice and zest that we'll be using. Trust me.
This cake is also super moist. I fed it to my family (non-vegans, by the way) and was told that the flavor and texture put in on par with a super moist pound cake.
Jump to:
Ingredients You'll Need
- Olive oil.
- Orange juice. Be careful here, as not all orange juice is vegan. Some brands are fortified with animal derived vitamin D3 or fish-based omega 3's. So check the ingredients. Or better yet, squeeze your own orange juice. You'll need to buy oranges to supply orange zest anyway.
- Non-dairy milk. Just about any variety other than canned coconut milk will work fine. Try oat milk, almond milk, soy milk, or cashew milk. Just make sure whatever you use is unflavored and unsweetened.
- Orange zest. See, I told you you'd need this!
- Vanilla extract.
- Flour. I've only tested the recipe with all-purpose wheat flour (also known as white flour), so I can't promise results with any other variety.
- Sugar. Make sure to use organic sugar. Conventional granulated sugar is often processed using animal bone char.
- Baking powder.
- Baking soda.
- Salt.
- Powdered sugar. This is for topping our cake, and it's totally optional. If you do use it, make sure it's organic.
How It's Made
Below is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
Stir your wet ingredients together in a small container, such as a liquid measuring cup. This includes your olive oil, orange juice, non-dairy milk, orange zest, and vanilla. Make sure everything is at room temperature.
Whisk your dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. This includes your flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Tip: The acidity from your orange juice may cause the non-dairy milk to curdle when you combine them, particularly if you're using a high-protein variety like soy milk. This is nothing to worry about.
Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir everything together until smooth. Stop stirring as soon as you've gotten out most (not necessarily all) of the lumps.
Pour the batter into an oiled and floured 9-inch cake pan, smoothing out the top with a spatula if needed. Pop the pan into the oven and bake the cake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack, making sure it's completely cool before inverting it onto a plate. Optionally top your cake with some powdered sugar. I like to garnish mine with some mint leaves and orange slices.
Shelf Life & Storage
Vegan orange olive oil cake will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for about 4 days or in the freezer for about 3 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
I haven't tried making a gluten-free version, but I think the recipe would work with an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend.
Sure. The cake won't be an olive oil cake (obviously), and the flavor and texture might be a bit different, but the recipe should work just fine with just about any type of baking oil.
Definitely! Rather than splitting up the batter (which might require some adjustment to the bake time), I'd recommend doubling the recipe and baking it in two cake pans. Try frosting and filling it with my vegan buttercream frosting or vegan chocolate frosting.
More Vegan Cake Recipes
Like this recipe? If so, please stop back and leave me a review and rating below if you try it! Also be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram, or subscribe to my newsletter for more recipes like this one!
📖 Recipe
Vegan Orange Olive Oil Cake
Ingredients
- ½ cup olive oil
- ⅓ cup orange juice (Note 1)
- ⅓ cup unflavored and unsweetened non-dairy milk
- 1 tablespoon orange zest (Note 2)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup organic granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Organic powdered sugar, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Lightly oil and flour the bottom of a 9-inch round cake pan.
- In a small container such as a liquid measuring cup, stir together the olive oil, orange juice, milk, orange zest, and vanilla.
- Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large mixing bowl.
- Pour the liquid mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir the batter until almost all of the lumps are out. It doesn't need to be perfectly smooth.
- Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan.
- Bake the cake for about 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Place the pan on a cooling rack and let the cake cool completely.
- Once the cake is cool, carefully invert it onto a plate.
- Optionally sprinkle the cake with powdered sugar. Slice and serve.
Notes
- Be sure to check the ingredients if using store-bought orange juice, as many brands contain animal-derived additives. If using freshly squeezed, you'll need about two decent-sized oranges.
- Two oranges should be more than enough to give you this amount of zest.
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This recipe is a keeper!! I had some oranges to use up quickly so I was in search of a super simple vegan orange and olive oil cake. The batter was super easy to put together and baked without any issue. I didn't have a 9 inch pan, so I used my 8 inch, and added 5 minutes or so to the baking time (checking doneness with a toothpick). I also added a crunchy sugar topping. The cake rose beautifully and made my house smell divine!!
I couldn't resist eating a warm slice, which tasted phenomenal, had a sturdy and moist crumb, and was browned beautifully without being dry at all. It tasted great when cooled down, but the next day, its flavours really blossomed! I can taste the olive oil that I was hoping to detect, and the orange has almost an orange blossom flavour. Perfect for spring time! I bake a lot and my husband said this was one of his all time favourites. I will be keeping this recipe handy for when guests show up with little notice- you'll be sure to impress with it. Thanks for this amazing recipe!!
Need your advice. I am not sure what I am doing wrong. I tried the recipe with Dragon Fruit sugar and Coconut flour, and the batter was dry and crumbly ... very tasty but the cake did not turn out well.
Then, I tried the recipe with all-purpose flour, cane sugar, and 2% cow milk. It too was dry and crumbly, so I added more milk and an egg ... again very tasty but mushy in the middle.
Thanks for trying it! This recipe was tested as written, so changing ingredients or measurements can lead to issues like dryness or texture problems. I recommend sticking with all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, non-dairy milk, etc. Also, be sure to measure carefully, as small differences can affect how the batter turns out. I hope you’ll give it another try—good luck!
Made this cake into a two layer cake with vanilla buttercream and pistachio topping/filling and it was a huge hit! It was so flavorful and moist. Love it!
I really liked the orange cake, but next time I would use less sugar.
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.
This cake was a huge hit at work, I've already been asked to bring it in again since the first one got eaten so quick. Super easy, as well!
Hi.....do you think ultrafine almond flour would work ok in this recipe?
I wouldn’t recommend it — almond flour behaves very differently from wheat flour, so it won’t work as a direct substitute in this recipe.
Our go-to olive oil in our house is EVOO. But I find that it gives my baking products a greenish tinge, which is a turn-off for me, so I rarely bake with olive oil. Do you have any solutions?
Some EVOOs are greener and more intensely flavored than others, which can slightly tint light batters. I recommend choosing a mild, golden-colored EVOO rather than a bold, grassy one.
This cake is a huge hit! It is also easy to make without messing up.
This is the recipe that I'm always asked to bring to a party.
I'm definitely storing it f or parties or potlucks! I love that it has those Mediterranean flavours and feels almond-y without actually having an allergen!
Delicious!
Incredibly easy, perfect for making along with your kids, recipe works every time, and doesn't require special baking skills (which i lack). Beautiful cake, tender, flavorful, and can be made and baked in less than 35mins, si that's the recipe i use when i have unexpected guests. Congratulations for a unique and perfect recipe.
It sort of sunk a little on the middle but I'm not sure of this is normal. Not sure where I went wrong!
Sorry to hear that! This cake never sinks for me. My best guesses would be that the batter was overmixed or the cake was underbaked. Make sure to just mix until the ingredients are combined (a few lumps are okay), preheat the oven, and test it for doneness with a toothpick rather than just going by time.
Mind did the same :( Hopefully will taste OK
Thank you for the lovely recipe. I substituted the sugar with date sugar and it turned out to be so good.
Could I substitute fresh orange juice for canned mandarin oranges to make this?
I don’t think canned mandarins would work here — they’d make the batter too wet and change the flavor. Fresh or bottled orange juice is definitely the way to go.
Hi! Great news, I was able to make it work with the addition of a can of canned sliced mandarin oranges as well as an extra 1/2 cup of flour. I kept the rest of the recipe the exact same. The cake came out moist and delicious!
Just made this on a whim, absolutely excellent recipe, very lovely moist and light sponge. I substituted baking soda for baking powder but I don't think it hurt the rise or taste. Definitely gonna make this one again!
Love this recipe!!!! I made it with olive oil plant based butter stevia and oat milk instead otherwise made to a T exactly as recipe said turned out perfect whole family loved it and we were extremely happy to have something for my vegan brother on his birthday!!! Thanks very much!!!
I made this cake and it was incredible!!!! seriously so easy and such a hit! I paired it with a orange blossom flower curd + homemade whipped cream:P num!!
I was wondering if you have ever made a chocolate olive oil cake? If so, how do I modify this recipe to add in the cocao? Any guidance would be great because I am not a natural baker LOL thanks:-)
Lovely cake which turned out perfectly for me,I’ll definitely be making this again. I didn’t have quite enough caster sugar so had to top up almost half the amount with light soft brown sugar also I only had extra virgin olive oil. Still it turned out great! Delicious, soft, light sponge. Thanks for a lovely recipe!
SO MANY DOUBTS - I might've added a little extra zest - was just eyeballing it. The batter was weirdly thick and sticky, like cookie dough, and shrunk from the sides of the pan while I was trying to spread it before baking. Left it in maybe 3 or 4 extra minutes after reading comments about a wet center. Yum, yum, yum. Baked well, no wet center, didn't fall, very moist, slightly crunchy edges, perfect kiss of salt. I might go eat the whole thing by myself. Will definitely make again.
The flavour of this cake is amazing! I have followed the directions precisely and my batter is not runny like a typical cake batter. Rather, it is more dough like. Is this normal?
I'm glad you like it! The batter should be a bit on the thick side, but not quite a dough. It's more like a muffin batter. Check out the process photos within the blog post to get an idea of what it should look like!
Absolutely love the cake! I’ve made it twice and everyone raved about it. However it has sunk in the middle both times. Any tips to prevent that?
I'm so glad it's a hit! There are lots of things that could cause it to sink. First, make sure you're not underbaking it, and maybe try giving it an extra minute even after the toothpick comes out clean. You could also check your oven temperature with an oven thermometer. If you're following the recipe to a tee, measuring everything correctly, not overmixing the batter, etc., it might be worth trying a different baking pan. I hope that helps!
Followed the recipe exactly, double checking measurements, oven temp, etc. multiple times. I used a 9in round pan. The cake did not rise as expected and was incredibly oily after 25 minutes in the oven. It didn't rise at all and was a goopy mess. Bummed because I was super excited for this cake.
Sorry this didn't work out for you! I'd recommend checking your baking powder and soda, as they can often be the culprit for baked goods that don't rise. You can find details on how to do that here: https://www.tasteofhome.com/article/testing-baking-powder-and-soda/
Hello, I was thinking of doubling the recipe and making in a rectangular pan. Would this change the bake time or temperature?
I'd keep the temperature the same, but it will probably need more time in the oven. I'd start checking it at minutes, then every five minutes after that. If I had to guess I'd say 40 minutes would be just right, but I haven't tried, so I'm not totally sure. I'd love to hear how it turns out!
Could I use maple syrup or honey instead of the sugar in the cake part?
I wouldn't risk it. It'll thin the batter and the cake might not bake up properly. Another type of granulated sugar like coconut or turbinado might work though!
Lovely cake, very easy to make, very light and given all the talk recently on seed oils I like that it uses olive oil. Thank you for a lovely recipe!
A great recipe easy to make cake had a slight problem with it being gooey in the middle and that was with extra cooking time of 10 mins not sure why followed recipe exactly 😁 it was still very yummy With an almost fudgey center
Another 5 star recipe from Connoisseurus Veg. I can always count on you for great recipes. This recipe is quick and easy and super delicious. Thank you for making me look like a great baker.
Hi, what is the temperature for the oven to bake this?
350°F - it's in step 1. :) Enjoy!
Absolutely delicious! What an amazing cake. It took more than 20 minutes to bake, still the result was amazing!! Thanks for such a tasty recipe!
Looks great and I'm planning on making this. Have you tried making it with orange slices on the bottom so they caramelize, like an upside down cake? Any suggestions if I try it that way? Thanks in advance.
Thank you! I haven't, but it sounds absolutely delicious! You could try using a similar method and topping to my pineapple upside down cake recipe, which uses brown sugar and vegan butter: https://www.connoisseurusveg.com/vegan-pineapple-upside-down-cake/ I'd also recommend placing something under the cake when it bakes, just in case there's some batter spillage. I'd love to heat how it turns out if you try it!
How tall is this cake? Or how much will it rise? Just a relative measure is what I need. Will it be about the same height as the batter? 1.5 times? 2 times? The photos seem to be taken in a way that you can’t tell how tall the cake is.
It's not very tall. I've never measured it, but I'd say definitely less than an inch, or about the thickness of a single layer in a layer cake. Check out the last photo, just above the recipe card.
Not really a baker. But, this was a simple recipe! I had orange juice I needed to use up, so this worked out. Great recipe and turned out beautifully. I didn't have orange zest, but used some Trader Joe's candied orange, finely chopped. This will be one of my go to recipes to have on hand.
This is so easy and so yummy. I used organic fresh oranges.
Made it. It was fantastic. A big hit with everyone. Thanks for a great recipe!
This cake is decadent and so easy! I make it often and everyone wants the recipe. Use a very good quality EVOO. The batter almost seems to heavy to rise but after baking it is so light! I usually need an extra 5 min baking time! Try it !
Light cake. I like the taste very much. Very easy to make.
I’m making this later today when I return from my walk.
Okay hope you had a good walk.
Can this be made gluten free?
I haven't tried making this particular cake gluten-free, but I have substituted Bob's Red Mill all-purpose baking blend in similar recipes and it worked. I can't see why it wouldn't work here!