Here’s the paradox of producing a healthy cookbook: the stress of it leads to cravings for all kinds of not-so-healthy things. Like, mac and cheese. Pizza, delivered. Spoonfuls of vanilla ice cream. Those chocolate coconut almonds from Trader Joe’s (have you tried them?!). I’m only human.
I’m in the thick of recipe writing now, and it’s tedious work. I think and re-think how to structure each recipe so it’s easy to understand. I wonder how much detail to include—will this tip help you along, or just complicate matters?
Such as, do you need to know the weight of apples used in a salad? (Leaning toward no.) Do I tell you how to toast the nuts in every recipe that calls for toasted nuts? (Leaning toward yes.) How do I best explain how to shape veggie burgers to someone who hasn’t made them before? So on and so forth.
I’m so in love with the recipes, though. I have 100 sweet little recipe babies, and I’m struggling to keep them all to myself until next spring. They’re also keeping me from spending as much time here as I’d like. Please forgive me if I’m slow to answer your comments—they’re so important to me, and it’s killing me that I can’t get to each one.
I decided to indulge my sugar craving with a citrusy winter cake. This olive oil cake has made a couple of appearances on the blog already (orange poppy seed and lemon blueberry), and it’s always tender, light and complex in flavor. This time, it’s a pretty pink blood orange cake with blood orange icing.
The only problem is that blood oranges don’t have a ton of flavor compared to other citrus, so it’s not as intensely citrusy as the pink frosting would suggest. The lemon and regular orange versions definitely pack more of a punch, so I thought I would present this cake as a design-your-own olive oil cake with tips on how to change it up. You can use any crazy variety of winter citrus you can find!
Citrus Olive Oil Cake Tips
Use any variety of citrus here. The stronger the citrus flavor, the more it will shine through in the cake. You could use this recipe to make a lemon, orange (maybe Cara Cara?), lime (or key lime), grapefruit or clementine cake. Hell, you could probably make a kumquat cake if you really want to juice a bunch of kumquats. Keep in mind that the smaller the fruit, the more you will need for zesting and juicing.
Health note: Kristen, a registered nurse, informed me that blood oranges can have the same harmful interaction with medications that grapefruit can, so if you know you need to avoid grapefruit, please also avoid blood oranges!
Add mix-ins, if you’d like. I’ve added poppy seeds (up to 1/3 cup) before, or fresh or frozen blueberries (1 cup, tossed in flour to prevent them from sinking). I imagine that an equal amount of other small berries or sliced fruit would be great. I wish I had thought to add small segments of blood orange to this cake like Melissa Clark did here.
Top with glaze, if you’d like. This cake is lightly sweet and full of flavor as is. You can infuse it with even more fresh citrus flavor by brushing the warm cake with lightly sweetened citrus juice, like I did for my blueberry cake. (In a small bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons citrus juice and 2 teaspoons honey or maple syrup—you might need to warm the mixture to get the honey to incorporate.)
Or, you can top it with a thicker glaze made with powdered sugar, like I did here (see recipe below). Whether you glaze or not, another option would be to layer candied citrus on top like Tessa did on this gorgeous pavlova.
Serve with or without accompaniments. I like slices as is, or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, plain yogurt or whipped cream.
More Homemade Cakes to Make
Like this recipe, these homemade cake recipes are simple and delightful. Browse all cake recipes here.
- Blueberry Lemon Yogurt Cake
- Favorite Banana Cake
- Gluten-Free Almond Cake with Berries on Top
- Orange Poppy Seed Pound Cake
- Simple Blueberry Cake
Citrus Olive Oil Cake
- Author: Cookie and Kate
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 55 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 1 cake 1x
- Category: Dessert
This tender olive oil cake recipe is infused with fresh citrus flavor. This cake is really easy to make (no mixer required). I used blood orange here, but feel free to use lemon, orange or any fresh citrus fruit you’d like (see tips on how to change up this recipe above). Recipe yields 1 loaf cake.
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 ½ cups white whole wheat flour or regular whole wheat flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons citrus zest (I used 2 blood oranges here)
- ¼ cup fresh citrus juice
- 1 cup sugar (I used organic cane sugar)
- ¾ cup plain whole-milk yogurt
- 3 eggs
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Glaze (optional, see other ideas above recipe)
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar (here’s how to make your own)
- 2 to 3 teaspoons fresh citrus juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Generously butter and flour an 8½ by 4¼-inch loaf pan. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
- Pour the sugar into another medium-sized mixing bowl. Use a Microplane to grate 2 teaspoons zest from your fresh citrus fruits and add it to the bowl. Rub the zest into the sugar until the sugar takes on the color and fragrance of the citrus.
- In a liquid measuring cup, measure out ¾ cup yogurt and squeeze in about ¼ cup citrus juice to yield 1 cup total liquid. Whisk the yogurt and juice, eggs and vanilla into the sugar mixture until well blended.
- Gently whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, just until incorporated. Switch to a spatula and fold in the oil, making sure it’s all incorporated. The batter will be shiny. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top.
- Bake the cake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until the top is golden and the sides start to pull away from the sides of the pan; a toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then run a knife between the cake and the sides of the pan to loosen. Unmold the cake by placing a large plate upside down over the loaf pan and carefully turning them over. Carefully flip the cake back over and let it cool to room temperature.
- To make the glaze (optional): Measure the powdered sugar into a small bowl. Whisk in just enough blood orange juice to make a thick glaze that drizzles easily off your whisk when lifted. Drizzle the glaze back and forth over the cake. The glaze will need about 15 minutes to set, then it’s ready to slice and serve.
Notes
Recipe adapted from my Orange Poppy Seed Pound Cake and Blueberry Lemon Yogurt Cake.
Why buy organic? When you’re zesting citrus, it’s best to use organic fruit, in case the fruit has been treated with pesticides, etc.
Make it vegan: Readers report that flax eggs work well in place of the eggs in this recipe, and non-dairy coconut yogurt should work. Please let me know if you give that a try!
Storage suggestions: This cake keeps well at room temperature for a couple of days, a few days longer in the refrigerator, or up to a few months in the freezer.
Ellie | Hungry by Nature
This cake looks so lovely. And I adore the photos with the shadows – just gorgeous!
Kari
I love the pretty pink color and the fact that I could customize this with any sort of citrus.
Shannon
There have been a lot of blood orange cakes circling the blogosphere this winter, but this one looks like a winner :)
Grace | Eat Write Explore
This looks beautiful! I love using olive oil in cakes, it gives the most lovely texture and taste – will have to try this one out!
Kate
Looks so delicious! Can’t wait to try this out! Best of luck with your recipe writing :D
Kate
Thank you so much, Kate!
Anne Peretti
Kate,
I discovered your amazing blog about a week ago. I have spent way too much time reading your recipes! I especially like that it’s not exotic, requiring one to drive all over town looking for glazed nasturtium blossoms and it’s not all pink and cutesy, either. Your ingredients are in a reasonable price range, too. I cannot wait for your cookbook! And I must mention that Cookie is the most adorable creature on the planet. I’m a devoted fan!
Anne
erin
Absolutely gorgeous shots. And the cake looks like a beautiful texture. Saving this for when citrus is in full swing here is Aus.
Dianne
You dog is just so beautiful !! And the cake looks yummy too!
Kate
Thank you, Dianne! I tell her she’s pretty every day. :)
Karen @ Seasonal Cravings
I’m loving the blood orange icing. Natural food coloring is the best!
Sarah
Love this post! I can only imagine how crazy it is to write a cookbook! I definitely would fall victim to take-out and anything chocolate covered:) haha.
Rosie
Love love love the photography here! I’m very jealous actually, because whenever I try to shoot with that same sunlight effect it never works out for me… Oh well, I guess I’ll just have to keep gazing at that fluffy cake and beautifully coloured icing for a little while longer ;)
Kate
Thanks, Rosie! I’m trying to learn how to use the morning light in my living room so I played around with it. The light was awfully harsh in spots, so I’ll have to hang some sheer curtains to gain more control over it. You can do it!!!
Violet Love
This cake looks delicious, and that picture of Cookie is super adorbs! <3
dixya @ food, pleasure, and health
love the combo of olive oil and citrus together…oh yum yum yum
Jean
This looks just lovely! A great recipe for spring with a nice cup of tea, yum!
Aimee
Powering through the healthy cookbook must be hard. But this is worth the indulging, I’m sure. It looks so delicious. I love desserts like this that seem like the perfect amount of sweetness.
Kate
Thanks, Aimee! I’m looking forward to the finish line, for sure!
Jessie @ Chasing Belle
I can not wait to make this cake! I made your blueberry cake and it was so yummy!
Gaby Dalkin
The blood oranges are so great, but I do like that this is a “pick your own olive oil cake” adventure
Kate
Thanks, Gaby!
Angela - Patisserie Makes Perfect
Mmm cake – I really need to try making an olive oil cake – it looks really tasty.
This looks delicious, and that glaze… well you have to make the glaze!
Stephanie | Mrs Tea & Mr Coffee
TJ’s chocolate covered almonds just get me! They are my weakness, as are the ones that are covered in chocolate and toffee. Yum. This cake! So pretty :)
Rose
I made this yesterday with a grapefruit and sooooo good! I used about 2 tablespoons of zest, though, as grapefruit isn’t quite the powerhouse of other citrus. Delicious! Next time, I’ll try the lemon and blueberry. Or orange and cranberry. Or espresso and chocolate (mixing cocoa with some batter for a marble effect). Or lime and tequila. Maybe lime and cilantro? Eventually, I’ll likely try “olive” of ‘me. (See what I did there?) Thanks Kate – you’re the best!
Kate
Haha! Love it. So glad your grapefruit came out well. Love all of your ideas, Rose!
Laura (A Beautiful Plate)
I totally get what you mean about re-thinking every recipe – and testers make this better (but also harder in ways!). I don’t want to overload people with information – but also can’t decide if its super helpful to include!
This cake is gorgeous!!!! Love that glaze.
Linda G.
Love this cake! I made it with lemons and chia seeds. I used coconut sugar and whole wheat flour. Delicious! I love the picture of Cookie!! :-)
Kate
Thanks, Linda! I wouldn’t have thought to add chia seeds.
Danica
I think your instincts for what to include or not to include are spot on. I know your cookbook will be fantastic, just like your blog.
This cake looks delicious, by the way.
Kate
Thank you so much, Danica!
Nathalie
Oh la la, just after dinner and wish I could just reach for a slice! I love cooking but somehow baking have taken a step back the last years. Well, now I have a great recipe to try :)
Suzanne
I made this last night and used whole wheat pastry flour, zest from a lemon and mandarin and juice from the lemon and a tangelo, plus I added some poppy seeds and extra vanilla. My husband and I love it so much I had to bring it into the office to share so we wouldn’t devour it all.
Kate
Thank you, Suzanne! Your version sounds incredible.
Daniela Martin
Can this cake be made with less sugar or with honey? Please let me know. I would love to make it but I need to lower the amount of sugar. Thank you for your help. Daniela
Kate
I suspect you could reduce the sugar by half, but the cake won’t be as sweet. I didn’t have the best luck trying with honey. You might like this honey almond cake, which you could add citrus zest to.
Laura (Tutti Dolci)
Gorgeous cake, I love the pretty pink glaze!
Sarah | Well and Full
I LOVE olive oil cake!! And that citrus glaze looks to die for :D
Grey
I made this with a grapefruit last night, and it was very good! There are so many olive oil cake recipes out there right now, so I read several versions before starting. I ended up using yours as the template though, because as always, your directions were meticulously clear. Oh, and we were out of eggs, so I used flax eggs for the binding and a tiny bit more baking powder for leavening. So there’s the vegan variation, should anyone need it.
Grey
Really, not vegan, still used yogurt. Eggless anyway :)
Keaton S
What kind of vegan egg did you use?
Kate
Grey said flax eggs work.
Kate
Thank you, Grey! Glad to know that flax eggs worked well for you.
Tina
Made this last night with navel oranges and added dark chocolate nibs…left off the icing. It was so delicious! You’re recipes are my family’s favorites!
Kate
Orange and chocolate sounds fantastic! Thanks, Tina!
Evelyn
This looks gorgeous, so pretty in pink! And the picture with Cookie as a princess in that chair is so sweet :)
Writing a cookbook sounds really quite stressful indeed, especially when you also have a blog to run. But I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to it! This is my go-to blog for dinners and many friends who don’t even eat vegetarian loved the food and didn’t miss the meat at all. I’m really excited there’ll be a cookbook, too, and I hope you also have a blast putting your baby together. And in the meantime, I’m glad to see you’re still posting several times a week, and that you keep us updated with the cookbook journey, because I find it really interesting to read how it’s all coming along. I’m sure you’ll make a stellar book out of it, can’t wait until it’s spring 2017 :)
Kate
Thank you, Evelyn! I really can’t tell you how much I appreciate your kind comments. They are much needed right now. :)
Caryn
This cake looks amazing. And I love a cookbook with lots of weights, fwiw. I think it’s so much easier to cook from weight than from volume.
Kate
Thanks, Caryn! I’ll try to include weights as best I can.
Keaton S
This looks SOO fabulous!!! I just picked about 15 pounds of oranges from a local farm today and remembered this recipe you had posted! Do you have any suggestions on how to make this vegan? Thanks so much :)
Kate
Hey Keaton, I think you could use a vegan yogurt (coconut?) and flax eggs.
Lia
Thank you… I made this yesterday and I could have sat and ate the whole loaf! I used juice from tangelos and lemon zest. I added blueberries as well. It was so moist and lovely… I’m making again tomorrow!
Kate
Thank you, Lia! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Tina
IMO you are better off over-explaining in recipes than not providing enough detail about things like toasting nuts
Love your recipes. I do wish that people who have not tried a recipe would comment less and those who have tried it would comment more.
Kate
Thanks, Tina! I hear you on the comments… but to be honest, I appreciate every one of them. You’ll usually find more comments from people who have made the recipe near the bottom of the comments section.
Kelly @ Foodie Fiasco
I LOVE olive oil in desserts. I was just craving something like this, so you read my mind!
Jessica Moore
I love that this cake is adaptable — I was just given a huge box of frozen Wild Maine Blueberries– so, I’ll have to try a lemon blueberry combination. (I love that you use whole wheat flour).
J
I made an olive oil cake once using a recipe form another website and it turned out dry and crumbly. I used your recipe as a base, added blueberries and rosemary, topped it with a light honey/blueberry juice glaze, and it turned out great- not dry at all.
Thank you, Kate! I’ve never been disappointed with a recipe from your website.
Kate
Thank you, J! So glad to hear it. :)
Alida @mylittleitaliankitchen
I love cakes with citrus fruit and we should make the most of them at this time of year. I love your addition of olive oil so much healthier and lighter too!
Who Let the Mum Out?
This looks so tasty! I gotta make this one soon.
Danica
I used oranges from our orange tree in our yard to make this lovely cake. It was wonderfully moist with a good crumb, and got better after sitting out a while. I prefer white flour, so I used only .5 cup whole wheat. I also opted for no glaze. I think next time I’m going to just use white flour, and skip the whole wheat completely.
Kate
Thanks, Danica! Have you tried white whole wheat flour? I really can’t taste any “whole wheat” flavor in it, but it has all of the health benefits of whole wheat flour.
Faith
Made this with Cara Cara oranges and rosemary infuses olive oil, which is all I had on hand. When it was still warm the rosemary flavor was strong, and it made for a delicious savory flavor. The next day the flavor settled into a sweet citrus cake with a hint of rosemary. Delicious and easy to make! Can’t wait for your cookbook! Love your blog b
Kate
Thank you so much, Faith! Your Cara Cara/rosemary cake sounds wonderful.
Danica
I am having a love affair with this bread. I never have made bread with olive oil in it and it is simply divine!
I added 1 tsp of chai spice blend to the gaze and it made it incredibly good.
Thank you for sharing this recipe
Kate
Thank you, Danica! I’m going to go add that spice blend to my wish list. :)
Jo
Hi Kate!
Was wondering how you think this would hold up/unmold as a bundt cake. I have a williams sonoma pan with deep crevices. I would test it myself this week, but I’m on bedrest from a running injury, and won’t be able to try until this weekend- for my sisters bridal shower : )
I guess worst case, it crumbles and I get to eat it all myself!
That picture of Cookie snuggled in the sunlight is killing me
Craving your mushroom quesadillas right now!
Kate
Hi Jo! I’m sorry, I missed your comment until now. I hope you’re all better now. Did you try it in a bundt pan? I think it would hold up fine, although I’m not sure about the baking time. My only concern is that you might need more batter to get a proper bundt shape out of it. Some of the recipes I just looked at called for twice as much flour, so you might need to double the whole recipe.
Lisa
Hi Kate,
This recipe looks and sound amazing! Wondering if you have any suggestions on making a gluten-free version, or if anyone has tried it with success. Thanks in advance!
Kate
Hi Lisa, if I remember correctly, I tried a variation on this cake with Trader Joe’s GF flour blend. It was delicate, but it worked—it would have worked better if it had cooked through the middle, so be sure to check that and bake longer if necessary.
Marija
Looks great! Can’t wait to try this recipe :)
Andrea
If I wanted to sub maple syrup for sugar, would that work as well?
Ash
Just made this last night! I used a mixture of blood orange and lemon juice, and I added poppy seeds! It turned out delicious. Had my first slice with a scoop of ginger ice cream last night. & I’m eating it with a spoon-full of yogurt and pumpkin seeds for breakfast this morning. Thanks so much Kate!
Podgora sea
Cake looks fine, but to be true, I have never seen so dark orange before.. Is that some special orange, couse I have few orange trees of a different kind in my front yard…?
Kate
It’s a special orange called a blood orange! You can absolutely use your oranges from your front yard, though!
Andrea
Just had to try this recipe, I couldn’t even wait to go shopping first so I made do with the two lemons I had lying around. It is soooo moist and delicious! I can’t wait to try it with some beautiful blood oranges!
Laura
Baked this cake today using navel oranges and it was DELICIOUS! Super moist and flavourful, and not crazy-complicated to make either. Bookmarking this so I can recreate it with other citrus fruits in the future.
Valerie
I made the cake last night and it took every once of willpower I had not to dig into it with a very large spoon. I made mine with grapefruit and lemon and it smells fantastic. I didn’t make the glaze but probably will when I get home tonight (if there’s any left). Thank you for the recipe, I’ll most likely be making this again.
Arpita
Hi Kate,
First of all, absolutely amazing work. I have made a lot of people smile with food using your recipes, so thank you.
I am baking a cake for a baby shower this weekend and I would like to use this recipe to make the sponge, modifying the citrus for key lime. I was wondering if you would have any suggestions for healthy frosting recipes that hold well for making layered cakes, like greek yoguhrt or something else low in fat and sugar? I need to make a pink coloured frosting.
Any advice would be appreciated.
Thank you in advance.
Samia
I just made this cake and it is delicious! My husband and I loved it! Thank you for this recipe! I also had one question: is it possible to sub the sugar with honey or maple syrup? Many thanks!
Brenda
Samia
I was wondering the same – is there an alternative to the cup of sugar that could be used – I was afraid of using honey or maple syrup incase it would be too runny and not bake .
Kate
I’m sorry, I’ve tried replacing the sugar with honey and it didn’t turn out very well. There’s a chance coconut sugar might work; it will make the cake a little darker in color. Please let me know if you try!
Brenda
Kate thanks for your reply – I have some coconut sugar in my cupboard so I will try using this as an alternative to sugar and let you know how it works out – but it is delicious with sugar and I used orange in mine but will try with lemon next time – ohhh so excited for you new book – cannot wait… sure to be a best seller.
satchi1010
Hello! I love your blog and every recipe I’ve tried from you turns out so well (really really looking forward to your new cookbook later)!
I really would like to try this (I love citrus cakes too much and would love a healthier option so I don’t feel as guilty when I eat the entire thing) but strangely enough I’m allergic to yogurt cultures. Do you have any tips or idea for a non-yogurt version? Thank you very much!
Hilary
what about sour cream?
Erin
Just made this cake and it’s so damn good!
I did a vegan low fructose version with an orange and rosemary glaze; my oven was a bit high so it came out a bit blonde oh well.
Blake
Do you think you could use non-fat plain Greek yogurt instead and still get the same result? Love your recipes and website!!
Kate
I think so!
Ashley
This cake is a great savory but sweet cake with the use of the olive oil. Chose lemon for the juice and received compliments :).
Kate
Wonderful!
Brenda
This cake is delicious – moist and so moreish!! I was wondering as my husband is diabetic would there be an alternative to the cup of sugar?? love your log and website.. thanks
Kate
Hi Brenda, I’m so sorry, your comment slipped by me. I think you could probably halve the amount of sugar and still get good results. I usually try to stick with natural sweeteners, but I’ve tried making this one with honey and that didn’t work so well! In theory, the whole grain flours and healthy fats in this recipe should slow the blood sugar effect, at least a bit.
Jodi
HI!! I really want to make this but not a big fan of citrus. Do you have any ideas of what I could use to substitute the citrus juice?
Kate
Hi Jodi! I think you could easily replace it with water, although the cake won’t be as flavorful.
Emily K
I used organic navel oranges in this recipe, since my grocery store didn’t carry organic blood oranges.
This recipe was SUPER easy and barely made a dent in my kitchen as far as mess. And the cake came out amazingly! The scent was absolutely heavenly while it was baking, and it tastes great. Everyone that tried it loved it! I’m going to make this again in the future for sure!
Kate
Great! The scent of oranges is amazing, I have to agree with you. Thanks for commenting and providing a review, Emily!
Aleicia
Just made the vegan version with flax eggs and Daiya greek yogurt alternative and it turned out great!
My glaze was a little runny so it didn’t turn out as pretty as in the picture but it was tasty so that’s all that matters to me :)
Kate
Thanks for sharing! I appreciate the review.
georgia campbell
My husband recons this is better than the banana bread which he said was the best he’d ever had. I say they are both off the scale good.
Kate
Thanks again!
Alexia
Delicious and well balanced, family devoured in less than a day!
Kate
Thank you, Alexia!
Sarah
I made this on a whim because I wanted to serve something sweet but not heavy after a huge Italian dinner. It was perfection, even the kids loved it! I used Cara Cara Oranges and it was insanely moist with just the right amount of citrus. When the heaters get turned on in the winter and the air gets too dry, this is a great way to get the oils internally. Thank you Kate!
Kate
You’re welcome, Sarah! Thanks or sharing.
Cathlyn Yong
I made this a couple years ago for a big event at church. I remembered a young lady asked around to figure out i was the one who made it. She approached me and thank me for making the cake because it reminded her of her grandma who was in Latin America! Her grandma used to bake citrus cake for her and this recipe tasted similar to her grandma ‘s recipe. That was the best cake i ever made!
Kate
How fun! Thank you for sharing, Cathlyn.
Nicole
The cake is delicious, but it didn’t rise as much as yours. Should I try adding more baking powder next time?
Emilie
Wonderfully simple and delicious. I had Spanish olive oil, Persian limes and Greek yogurt. It was perfect for sharing with my guests and a light tea service cake. Definitely will make it again!! Thank you
Kate
You’re welcome Emilie!
Angela
Hi! Could you use almond milk + apple cider vinegar like you have suggested in previous recipes in place of the yogurt?
Kate
Hi Angela, maybe! I haven’t tried to be able to say for certain. Typically when I do that, I use less “buttermilk” than yogurt.
Becca
My husband loved this recipe!! Thank you that it’s not super fatty either!!! :)
Kate
I love that it’s a hit with him! Thank you for your review, Becca.
PG
Wow! This cake looks delicious :) Do you think the recipe would work with small chunks of candies ginger added in?
Kate
You could try it!
Gretta
This looks delicious and I love all of your recipes Kate. Can I use plain organic AP flour instead?
Kate
I haven’t tried it, but it should work.
Carole Watson
I have made Citrus cakes in the past (before diabetes) and love all types of citrus!!! I was so happy when I found this recipe and intend to make it today using Stevia and either tapioca flour or almond flour so I can eat some of it.
I will experiment with it until I get it right!!! Thank you for your “great” recipes!!
PS. Give Cookie a hug from me!!
Kate
Thank you, Carole! I will be sure to give Cookie an extra hug.
Hilary
Hi Kate,
Thanks for your recipes, they are always amazing. I would like to make sure the olive oil flavour really shines and the cake is very moist, could I add extra, like 3/4 cup? And if so, should I reduce the yogurt to 1/2cup or could it handle the extra fat? Also, I see some other recipes add grand marnier, which I happen to have, do you think this would be best in the batter or the frosting?
Thanks for your insight, will post a star rating when I make it this weekend!
Kate
Hi Hilary, I wouldn’t know without trying it since baking can be very specific.
Elena
I’ve made this cake today and it is super delicious my daughter, who is the toughest judge of my baking, absolutely lived it!!! Thank you very much for your blog Elena
Kate
That’s great! I’m glad she enjoyed it, Elena.
Robyn
I made this with flaxseed eggs and it turned out great. This cake is so moist and delicious!
Anne
Hi
Instead of yogurt what else could be used in this cake?
Kate
Hi Anne, since this is a baked good, I’m hesitant to recommend an untested substitution. Perhaps buttermilk would work, but you might need to scale bake on the quantity a bit—baking is really a science!
Kim Cordeiro
I made this cake with lemon as I could not find blood orange at the market. I did not have whole milk yogurt, so I substituted half low sugar 2G yogurt (vanilla) and half sour cream. This cake is a winner. With every bite, I loved it more. Glad I made a double batch. I’ll be giving some to a friend and some to my college student. This cake will be wonderful with tea or coffee, and I suspect that it will hold up well in the fridge for a few days. Also easy to make, no mixer required. Love the whole wheat base. Great recipe – thank you!!
Maria T
Such a unique, moist, delicious cake. I used sour cream because I did not have yogurt, and it came out just as delicious! Thanks for sharing!!
Deepika
Amazing recipe Kate! My parents and I absolutely love it! I followed the recipe exactly, except I used flax eggs, since my mom does not prefer eggs. It came out perfectly. I loved making this and I stood in front of the oven, watching it rise. Thank you for this recipe Kate!
Sarah
Wondering if this could be made in a Bundt pan and if so, would I adjust cooking times at all?
Kate
Hey Sarah! I’m really not sure. You would need to double or triple the recipe to make it work, depending on the size of your bundt pan.
Victoria
I was so intrigued by the idea of an olive oil cake, so I did a search online and found your recipe. So easy and absolutely moist and delicious! I made mine with lemon, but will definitely try other citrus fruits next time. Oh yes, there will be a next time!
Karen
I love your recipe. My whole life I have enjoyed baking but I am very bad at it. My father lovingly calls my cookies rocks but eats them anyways.
Kate , thank you so much . I made this cake and it is coming out great.
For the first time in my life, I feel like I have a cake that I can make to say thank you with but have always resorted to gift cards. I am 43.
Enjoy it so much. During this time it won’t stay in the pan for long! Also I just use lemon.
Kate
Karen, I’m so happy to hear it! Thank you for letting me know. Your friends are lucky to have citrus cakes in their futures. :)
Deepika Vadlamani
Kate, this recipe is wonderful! I have made it twice so far and will be making it again for a family get together. Do you think a butter frosting will go well with this? I was thinking of an orange cake with pink frosting from beets, just for the color of course. I’d like to make this a bit fancier for show, so do you have any other suggestions?
Kate
Hi Deepika! I think that sounds delicious and decadent. :)
Irene Dailey
The recipes in your book that call for roasted veggies have changed my life! That’s how I do veggies now! Oven-roasted crispy tofu – that’s how I do tofu now! Peanut Sauce – delicious! Tahini Sauce – love it over carrots. And that recipe got me to try farro – love it, too! (But it is hard to find these days.)
Thanks, Kate, for changing my life for the good! Love your emails and Cookie.
Julia
Delicious! This is the perfect afternoon tea cake. Just the right amount of sweetness. I did it with a regular orange and it was great, but I’ll definitely experiment with other citrus in the future as well. Yum!
Bec
I halved the recipe, and used non-dairy soy yoghurt, lemon & rosemary instead. Did not make glaze. Baked in small tiny 11 cm loaf tins. They are absolutely delicious! I couldn’t even wait for them to cool down before demolishing all of them at one go! Will have to bake again!
G
Kate, this looks lovely, do you think kefir would work in place of the yogurt?
Kate
Hi G, I have’t tried it to say for sure. There may be too much liquid/water in it to get the same result.
Katrina Bradbury
I have recently been diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver. I’m wondering if your olive oil cakes can be made using sugar substitute as I have to avoid sugar, fat, flour (other than whole wheat) any recipes that will help me would be much appreciated x thank you
Kate
Hi Katrina, I’m sorry to hear about your diagnosis. I wish I could be more helpful with modifications for this recipe. Baking is very precise and changing one element (or more) would require a different recipe if it could work.
hilda
What can I use other than a yogurt? Prefer not to use yogurt.
Kate
Hi Hilda, please see my vegan notes in the recipe notes section. I don’t know of other options that could work. Sorry to not be more helpful!
Poppy
I made this cake,it seemed coarse and dry.
Kate
Hi Poppy, I’m sorry to hear that. How did you measure your flour? How long did it bake for?
Sarah Koval
This looks amazing—do you think silken tofu would substitute the yogurt? I can’t have dairy or coconut sadly :(.
Kate
Hi Sarah! That is an interesting idea. I haven’t tried it, so I can’t say for sure.
Sarah Koval
I tried substituting the yogurt with silken tofu, 1:1, worked beautifully!
Tamara
I’ve made this twice — first with lime and next with lemon and berries mixed in — and it’s sweet enough without the glaze. Perfect with a cup of coffee! Any suggestions if I want to use less sugar? Thank you!
Cherie
Can you substitute in regular flour?
Kate
Hi, typically an all purpose flour can work as a substitution but I haven’t tried it myself for this recipe.
Nancy
Do you think I could bake it in an 8” springform pan? It’s 3”deep. I’ve made this before, but thought a round pan would be fun to try.
Kate
Hi, I haven’t tried it so can’t say for sure. Sorry! It may be too flat.
Antonella
Instead of sugar what can I use if I am diabetic.
Kate
Sorry to disappoint, but I don’t have an option I have tested other than this recipe.
Annalee
Made this gluten-free with 1 cup of a gluten-free flour mix and 1/2 cup almond flour! It turned out absolutely delicious and super moist! I will definitely make this again!
Maya
Um… This cake was OUTSTANDING. We made it with blood oranges for Valentine’s Day and it was absolute perfection. So easy that my 4-year olds had no problem helping me make it! We used AP flour because I was out of white whole wheat and worried that regular whole wheat would give it too earthy a flavor for the citrus to really shine. Also, I used whole milk Greek yogurt (instead of regular yogurt), so I’m wondering if that’s why my cake required a full 60 minutes of baking. Regardless, it came out moist on the inside with that lovely caramelized shell on top, and the blood orange glaze was the perfect topping. We will DEFINITELY be making this one again!!!
Kate
Thank you, Maya! I’m excited you loved it and it worked well with your adjustments.
Gayle
I made this today for my own birthday lunch! Absolutely delicious. I used the blood oranges and it had such a nice flavor. . I love the pink icing too. Everything good about an olive oil cake is in this recipe. Thanks Kate!
Kate
Happy belated birthday! Thank you for your review. I’m glad you loved it, Gayle.
Tove
Made this during the weekend and it was SO delicious and perfectly moist and tangy.
Used 50/50 lemon and orange and made the glaze with orange juice.
Major bonus is how extremely easy it is to make! This one will definitely be on rotation (along with the delicious healthy banana bread I tried out today).
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Tove! Sounds great.