Clementine Olive Oil Cake

Clementine Olive Oil Cake is a flavorful, moist cake that tastes of sweet clementines and rich olive oil. This dessert is a sweet twist on a classic Italian olive oil cake and has a delicate tender crumb. It's a simple, delicious dessert for any occasion!

The Best Olive Oil Cake

Olive oil cake is a delicate snacking cake. It's the best dessert for a simple weeknight, birthday, or holiday. Clementine Olive Oil Cake is rich in olive oil flavor and tastes similar to a fluffy pound cake. The dairy-free olive oil makes the cake moist and adds a depth of decadent olive oil flavor. It's also a healthier option to traditional cakes, as it calls for olive oil instead of butter for moisture.

Eat olive oil cake on its own, with fresh fruit, or with Easy 2-Ingredient Whipped Cream. It's light and airy enough to have for dessert, brunch, or as a mid-day snack with an afternoon cup of tea or coffee.

It's a simple, elegant cake that will instantly become a classic recipe you will want to make over and over again.

Olive Oil Cake Ingredients

• Eggs - High-quality eggs, room temperature eggs create a rich batter. Room temperature egg yolks break easily and mix evenly with the wet ingredients.
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil - Extra virgin olive oil is an unrefined olive oil. It is the highest quality olive oil available and has the truest olive taste.
• Clementine Juice and Zest - Clementine juice and zest give the olive oil cake a delicate, sweet citrus flavor. The sugar in the juice adds to the cake's moisture, and the zest enhances the clementine flavor.

Equipment Needed

Clementine Olive Oil Cake requires common kitchen essentials. To make this dessert, you need a measuring cup, mixing bowl, 9" cake pan, stand mixer or hand held mixer, and wire rack. Serve it on a cake stand with a cake server.

To explore more kitchen items to make your kitchen complete, head to our Kitchen Essentials Shop.

How to Make Olive Oil Cake

• Heat the oven - Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Mix dry ingredients - In a large bowl, mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
• Mix sugar and wet ingredients - In the bowl of an electric mixer, add eggs and sugar. Whip the eggs and sugar on high until they turn light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Slowly add in the olive oil and whip for another 2 minutes. Turn the setting to low and slowly add in half the flour mixture, and whisk for about 30 seconds. Add the clementine juice, zest, and vanilla, then add the remaining flour mixture and whisk until smooth, about 1 minute.
• Prepare cake pan and bake - In a greased and floured round 9" cake pan, pour the batter. Bang the cake pan on the counter a couple times to remove the air bubbles. Place the oven and bake for 40 minutes, or until the top of golden and the cake test comes out clean.
• Let cake cool - Remove from the oven and let it cool for about 10 minutes. Using a paring knife, run the knife around the edge of the cake to separate the cake from the edge of the pan. Cover the cake pan with a cooling rack or large plate and flip the surface and the cake pan over together. To flip the cake rightsize up, take another cooling rack and place it on the cake. Gently hold the two racks or rack and plate together without squeezing the cake, then flip the cake over so the top is up and the bottom of the cake is on the rack.
• Dust with powdered sugar - Let the cake completely cool on the wire rack. Once completely cooled, dust powdered sugar on top and serve.

Does Cake Need to be Refrigerated?

Olive oil cake does not need to be refrigerated and will stay fresh at room temperature when stored in an airtight container or under a cloche for up to 3 days. If you add a dairy topping, like mascarpone or whipped cream, the olive oil cake must be refrigerated and stored in an airtight container.

Can You Freeze Olive Oil Cake?

Olive oil cake can be frozen for up to 4 months, as long as it is wrapped and stored in an air-tight container. When ready to eat, transfer the cake from the freezer to the refrigerator at least 12 hours before serving. Then place the cake on the counter and allow the cake to reach room temperature before dusting with powdered sugar and serving.

Olive Oil Cake Variations

There are endless olive oil cake variations! Here are some delicious options:

• Meyer Lemon Olive Oil Cake
• Grapefruit Olive Oil Cake
• Chocolate Olive Oil Cake
• Gluten-Free Olive Oil Cake