Citrus Olive Oil Cake

This citrus olive oil cake is my favorite cake in the whole wide world! Inspired by Maialino's Olive Oil Cake, it’s insanely moist and tender, keeps well for a few days (if it lasts that long in your home!), and will turn any olive oil cake skeptic into a true believer.

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When I say I love this olive oil cake, I’m not exaggerating. In fact, I used this exact recipe for my own wedding cake. So, it’s with complete confidence that I promise this cake will be a true crowd-pleaser!

Whether you make it for your next dinner party, family gathering, or just to have around the house, you really can’t go wrong.

What You’ll Need:

Go ahead and preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Then, gather your ingredients! You can find exact amounts in the recipe card below, but for this deliciously moist citrus olive oil cake, you’ll need:

• High-quality extra virgin olive oil is an essential part of this cake’s flavor, so be sure to choose

an oil you enjoy on its own.

• Whole milk

• Large eggs: these should be room temperature

• The zest of an orange and a lemon

• Fresh orange juice (you can substitute Grand Marnier, limoncello, or Orangecello if you prefer)

• All-purpose flour

• Sugar

• Kosher salt

• Baking soda and baking powder

How to Make this Citrus Olive Oil Cake:

This really is such an easy cake recipe. All you need is your ingredients, a couple of bowls, and a whisk to bring this batter together. First, I like to start by cracking all three of my large, room-temperature eggs into a medium mixing bowl and giving them a light whisk to break them up. Then, I whisk in the sugar.

Now it’s time for this citrus olive oil cake’s magic ingredient: extra virgin olive oil! Slowly pour your olive oil into the mixing bowl, whisking as you go. Then, add your milk and orange juice (or citrus-flavored liqueur) and whisk some more. You might notice that the oil doesn’t quickly combine with your other wet ingredients, but don’t worry. Just keep whisking, and it will all come together beautifully.

Finally, zest your orange and lemon into the wet ingredient mixture, whisk, and set that bowl aside for a moment. Let’s move on to those dry ingredients! In another large mixing bowl, combine your flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.

After you’ve whisked your dry ingredients together, you’ll begin combining your wet ingredients with your dry ones. Slowly pour some of your wet mixture into your flour bowl, whisking as you go. Pause when you’ve added about half of the wet mixture and whisk thoroughly to break up any remaining clumps of flour. This will help give you that smooth, silky batter we’re looking for.

Then, slowly pour in the remainder of your wet ingredients and whisk until combined.

That’s it! Your citrus olive oil cake batter is ready to pour into a pre-greased cake pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 55-60 minutes until the top of your cake is golden and a toothpick in the center comes out clean.

After it has cooled for half an hour, run a knife around the edge of your cake pan, turn out the cake, and allow it to cool completely. Finally, top with a dusting of powdered sugar or a light glaze, and serve!

This moist, flavorful olive oil cake truly can’t be beaten! I hope you enjoy it as much as I have. If you love this recipe, you can find more delicious, Italian-inspired recipes here. You can also visit my YouTube channel to see the full video tutorial for this recipe and more.

‍Until then, Buon Appetito!