Vibrant & Sweet Cara Cara Orange Olive Oil Cake
Enjoy a twist on a classic cake recipe with this Cara Cara orange olive oil cake. The pink-red Cara Cara oranges add extra colour and sweet berry flavours to this classic cake. Quick and easy to make, this orange olive oil cake has a velvety moist texture. It’s simple enough to enjoy as an everyday treat or equally impressive for serving on special occasions.
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Cara Cara oranges
Cara Cara oranges, also called scarlet navels, are a popular variety of oranges for cooking baking. This natural orange cultivar was originally discovered in Venezuela and has beautiful pink coloured flesh. Cara Cara oranges are a medium sized fruit without seeds and have a slightly sweet flavour, with slight berry undertones. The pinkish colour and sweet flavour add something unique to this traditional olive oil cake recipe
If you can’t source Cara Cara oranges for this recipe, you can easily substitute any other variety of navel orange and the cake will still be delicious. Try Dolci oranges for a delicious sweet flavour, but less intense colour.
For cooking with store bought oranges rather than home grown or organic, remove any citrus wax before using the zest in this recipe.
Cara Cara orange olive oil cake ingredients
To make this orange olive oil cake, you’ll need:
- 1 and 1/2 cups self raising flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup caster sugar
- 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- zest of 1 Cara Cara orange
- 1/4 cup Cara Cara orange juice (equivalent to juice of half an orange)
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup sour cream
You might be wondering about the use of sour cream in this cake. Using sour cream gives a hint of tang and balances the richness of the olive oil. It also gives this cake a wonderful moist and light texture.
To decorate, you’ll need:
- 1 Tablespoon icing sugar (powdered sugar/confectioners sugar)
- Fresh or dried Cara Cara orange slices
- Sprig of rosemary (optional)
Method
Preheat oven to 350F/180C. Grease and line a 20cm/8inch round cake pan with non-stick parchment paper. (I prefer to use compostable parchment paper.)
Place sugar, olive oil, Cara Cara orange zest and juice in a large bowl and stir to combine. Add 2 eggs and beat the mixture until smooth. (It’s fine to do this by hand rather than with a mixer).
Gradually add the self-raising flour (sifted) and the salt and stir to combine. Sir through the sour cream and mix until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the centre comes out cleanly.
Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 5 to 10 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Once the cake has cooled, dust sifted icing sugar, fresh Cara Cara orange slices and a sprig of rosemary.
Serves 8.
Making ahead and storage
Orange and olive oil cakes stay moist and can even develop stronger flavours over a day or 2. Store this Cara Cara orange cake in (cool) room temperature, well covered, for 2 to 3 days. Alternatively keep in the fridge for 3 to 5 days.
You can also freeze this cake for up to 3 months (and just garnish after defrosting).
More citrus inspired recipes
For more delicious citrus flavoured cakes, try our blood orange loaf cake or whole lemon and poppy seed cake recipes. Or for more about cooking with oranges, discover over 60 flavours that go with orange.
There are lots more tasty citrus recipes to try on our recipes page, using oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruit, yuzu and more.
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Cara Cara Orange Olive Oil Cake
Equipment
- 1 8 inch (20cm) cake pan
- 1 mixing bowl and spoon
- 1 citrus zester
- 1 citrus juicer
- measuring cups and spoons
- 1 wire cooling rack
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/2 cups self-raising flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup caster sugar
- 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- zest of one Cara Cara orange
- 1/4 cup Cara Cara orange juice
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 Tablespoon icing sugar to decorate
- Fresh Cara Cara orange slices to decorate
- Sprig rosemary to decorate (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F/180C. Grease and line a 20cm/8inch round cake pan with non-stick parchment paper.
- Place sugar, olive oil, Cara Cara orange zest and juice in a large bowl and stir to combine. Add 2 eggs and beat the mixture until smooth. (It's fine to do this by hand rather than with a mixer).
- Gradually add the self-raising flour (sifted) and the salt and stir to combine. Sir through the sour cream and mix until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the centre comes out cleanly.
- Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 5 to 10 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.Once the cake has cooled, dust sifted icing sugar, fresh Cara Cara orange slices and a sprig of rosemary.
