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
The following 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
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Vegan Orange Olive Oil Cake
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!
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
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Preheat the oven to 350°F.
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Lightly oil and flour the bottom of a 9-inch round cake pan.
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In a small container such as a liquid measuring cup, stir together the olive oil, orange juice, milk, orange zest, and vanilla.
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Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large mixing bowl.
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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.
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Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan.
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Bake the cake for about 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
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Place the pan on a cooling rack and let the cake cool completely.
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Once the cake is cool, carefully invert it onto a plate.
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Optionally sprinkle the cake with powdered sugar. Slice and serve.
Recipe 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.
Anna Notaro says
Can this be made gluten free?
Alissa Saenz says
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!
Diane says
I’m making this later today when I return from my walk.
Ariana says
Okay hope you had a good walk.
Christiane says
Light cake. I like the taste very much. Very easy to make.
Kathy says
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 !
D Dale says
Made it. It was fantastic. A big hit with everyone. Thanks for a great recipe!
Debbie says
This is so easy and so yummy. I used organic fresh oranges.
Ramona says
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.
T says
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.
Alissa Saenz says
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.
Susan Kaufman says
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.
Alissa Saenz says
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!
Barbara C Price says
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!
Rebecca says
Hi, what is the temperature for the oven to bake this?
Alissa Saenz says
350°F - it's in step 1. :) Enjoy!
Denise says
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.
Joanne says
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