This Cranberry Orange Olive Oil Cake has a highly refined fruitiness from extra virgin olive oil, fresh tart cranberries, and the citrus flavor of navel oranges. It’s a simple seasonal, one-layered cake to be enjoyed amongst your closest friends and family.
Cranberry-orange is a classic seasonal fruit combination I’ve grown to appreciate more and more as the years pass. My family never made homemade cranberry and orange sauce for their Thanksgiving turkey or a sweet cranberry-orange bread loaf or cake served as part of brunch or as a dessert around Christmas.
As a matter of fact, I remember as a young child having a strong distaste for cranberries. It wasn’t until I started this blog, when I decided to give many of the flavors I once loathed, another try and to explore further into others that I have yet tried. You may be surprised to know, many of the recipes on this blog are not recipes I grew up with.
Needless to say, mixing cranberry and oranges together creates a beautiful sweet yet citrus essence. Never overwhelming but rather a soft and welcoming fragrance. It’s to no surprise candles and potpourri commonly use this scent during the fall and winter seasons.
These two fruits together are known to be one of the most prevalent fruit combinations used towards the end of the year and most consumed around the holidays. You can enjoy this cake anytime from the end of September through January as both of these fruits are at its prime.
I chose to keep this cake recipe simple; single-layered with minimal effort needed for decorating. It’s so basic, it doesn’t require a glaze, a frosting or a sauce. Trust when I say, if you follow the recipe as is, you wouldn’t need it. But if you’re like my mother who believes everything needs some sort of sauce, you can use this orange glaze as a pour over or drizzle on the sliced cake.
Going back to its simplicity, I kept in mind that with much cooking and baking around the holidays, most of us I presume, would rather keep their desserts easy and relatively quick. I mean, who really has time to bake multi-layered cakes and such when you have extended family coming over? Okaay, I know some of us would prefer it but I promise you, I’ll bring you a layered cake soon… pinky swear promise!
How to make a Cranberry Orange Olive Oil Cake:
Main ingredients needed 
Beat eggs, sugar and oil until just combined. 
Mix in butter, orange juice and orange zest. 
Mix in flour, baking soda and salt until just combined. 
Batter will be thick. Stir in the sour cream. 
Fold in cranberries. Pour or scoop batter into the prepared baking pan. 
Smooth out the top. (not shown in this image) 
Bake at 350 F for 35 to 40 minutes. Allow cake to cool for 10 minutes before removing the pan. 
While cake is still hot, brush coat with olive oil. 
Once cooled, sprinkle powdered sugar and decorate with sugared cranberries and sugared rosemary.
Every now and then you may bite into a tart cranberry, but with the delicate citrus aroma and soft sweetness all throughout, this cake’s every bite is quite enjoyable. And let’s not forget the major role of its side kick, extra virgin olive oil that delivers full-bodied fruity flavor all on its own. Plus, olive oil has impressive health benefits with the amount of monounsaturated fats. All in all, this is a cake worth sharing with others!
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Cranberry Orange Olive Oil Cake
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 8-inch cake 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This Cranberry Orange Olive Oil Cake has a highly refined fruitiness from extra virgin olive oil, fresh tart cranberries, and the citrus flavor of navel oranges. It’s a simple seasonal, one-layered cake to be enjoyed amongst your closest friends and family.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (240 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon (4 grams) baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon (3 grams) salt
- 2 large eggs (100 grams)
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (112 grams) plus 1 tablespoon (14 grams) Bertolli extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1/4 cup (57 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temp
- 1/4 cup (72 grams) fresh orange juice
- 1 teaspoon (3 grams) orange zest
- 2 tablespoons (30 grams) sour cream
- 1 cup fresh cranberries
- 1/2 cup (58 grams) powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup sugared cranberries
- 4 sprigs fresh rosemary
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour the bottom and sides of an 8 inch (20 cm) round baking pan; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.
- In a bowl attached to a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment on medium to high speed, beat eggs, sugar and 1/2 cup of oil until smooth and pale yellow, about 2 to 3 minutes. Mix in melted butter, orange juice and orange zest until just combined.
- With the stand mixer on low speed, gradually add in the flour-mixture. Continue to mix until just combined. Stir in sour cream. Fold in 1 cup fresh cranberries. Batter will be thick but do not overmix.
- Pour batter evenly into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Allow cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring onto a wire rack to cool completely. While cake is still hot, brush-coat the top with 1 tablespoon of Bertolli Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
- Once cake is to room temperature, sprinkle the top with powdered sugar. Place sugared cranberries and sprigs of rosemary. Slice and ENJOY! Cake may be stored in the fridge. Best served warm or at room temperature.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Cuisine: American
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