Orange Olive Oil Cake

This gorgeous cake is not only beautiful to look at, it tastes just as good! It’s so moist and with a soft crumb.

The wonderful olive oil flavor really shines through but it’s nicely complimented by the orange zest and cardamom flavor.

If you like, you can make the candied oranges a day ahead to intensify the orange flavor some more. Simply cover the syrup and orange slices separately then chill. Then, when you are ready to use them, return the orange slices to room temperature and rewarm the syrup slightly.

Orange Olive Oil Cake

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup olive oil plus more for brushing
• ½ cup sugar, divided
• 2/3 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
• 1 ½ tsp. grated orange zest
• ½ cup semolina flour
• 3 large eggs, separated
• 1 tsp. ground cardamom
• 1 ½ tsp. baking powder
• ¼ tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• ½ tsp. kosher salt

Candied Orange & Syrup:

• 1 small orange, thinly sliced
• 1 cup sugar
• ¾ cup orange blossom honey
• 3 Tbsp. green cardamom pods, crushed

Orange Olive Oil Cake

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Brush a 9″ spring form pan with oil, then set aside.
3. Whisk together the all-purpose flour, semolina flour and baking powder, cardamom, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl, then set aside.
4. In a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat ¼ cup sugar and ½ cup oil for 1 minute.
5. Then add in the egg yolks and beat to combine.
6. Then gradually add in the flour mixture and mix to combine.
7. Add in the yogurt, zest, and vanilla and beat to combine.
8. In a separate bowl, using clean dry beaters, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in the remaining ¼ cup sugar until firm peaks form.
9. Fold the egg whites into batter just to blend in two additions.
10. Transfer the batter into the prepared baking pan and smooth the top.
11. Place in the oven and bake for about 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
12. Remove from the oven and pierce the hot cake all over with a skewer. Slowly drizzle ¾ cup warm syrup all over. When syrup is absorbed, slowly pour ¾ cup more syrup over. Reserve remaining syrup for serving.
13. Allow the cake to cool in the baking pan on a wire rack. Then run a thin knife around the edge of the pan to release cake.
14. Arrange the candied orange slices over the cake and drizzle with more syrup, if desired.

Orange Olive Oil Cake

For the Candied Oranges and Syrup:

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and set aside.
2. In a medium heavy saucepan, add in the sugar, honey, cardamom and 3 cups water and bring to a boil stirring until the sugar dissolves.
3. Add in the orange slices and reduce the heat to medium-low, simmer for about 40 minutes, turning the orange slices occasionally, until tender and syrup is reduced to about 3 ¼ cups.
4. Then arrange the orange slices in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet, remove the cardamom pods and seeds and strain the syrup.