Orange Olive Oil Loaf Cake; a soft, effortlessly fluffy, orange-scented loaf cake that’s completely vegan!
Citrus season is almost over for this year, but my obsession with fresh sour flavours is not.
Oranges and their sexier cousins, blood oranges, are still at their best in early March. Before the spring brings us rhubarb and berries, there is time to enjoy these tangy orange gems.
YOU CAN WATCH A VIDEO VERSION OF THIS RECIPE ON YOUTUBE, CLICK HERE!
Since moving to Italy, I’ve enjoyed the citrus hype even more so than usual. In the UK, oranges, mandarins, satsumas, and the like are often reserved to late December. The Christmas period happily brings with it orange-spice this and orange-chocolate that, but I feel the humble orange is often forgotten as winter begins to subside.
Here, they grow. They are still everywhere in greengrocers and supermarkets, and they really do taste better than what I’m used to from imports in Scotland.
These lovely juicy things (and the lack of equipment in my new kitchen set-up at the moment) are the inspiration for today’s recipe, an Orange Olive Oil Loaf Cake. A simple cake incorporating classic Mediterranean flavours in a way you may not have tried before.
Love orange flavours? Try these White Chocolate Orange Blondies!
Fluffy, moist, and bursting with both orange colour and flavour. Fresh zest and juice impart beautiful natural flavour, with the gentlest whisper of extra virgin olive oil. Sink your teeth into a fat slice, piercing through the tangy sugar glaze into soft sunny cake.
It’s ideal as a teatime snack, a dessert, or even a light breakfast with a cup of milky coffee!
Thanks to an absence of eggs in my kitchen, and a pinch of inspiration from another fabulous vegan orange cake recipe, this Orange Olive Oil Loaf Cake is completely plant-based. No milk, no butter, no eggs. (However, if you’d like to make this cake and don’t have non-dairy milk sat in your fridge, cow’s milk will do the job just fine!) This means it’s suitable for:
- vegans
- vegetarians
- those with egg allergies
- those with a dairy intolerance
You’ll need a loaf tin, I used an IKEA tin that was 10cm x 30cm (4 in x 12 in), but you can half each ingredient to make one for a standard smaller loaf tin. You’ll also need a jug, a mixing bowl, and a whisk. Otherwise, no fancy equipment or utensils needed!
I hope you love this Orange Olive Oil Loaf Cake as much as we do, and I hope March is treating you well so far.
Want to save this Orange Olive Oil Loaf Cake recipe for later? You can pin the image below!
To make this Orange Olive Oil Loaf Cake, simply follow the recipe below:
Ingredients
For the Orange Olive Oil Loaf Cake:
- 275ml (1 cup plus 2 tbsp) vanilla soy milk, or any other milk you have (add 2 tsp of vanilla extract for flavour if using other milk!)
- 190ml (¾ cup) extra virgin olive oil
- Zest of 2 large oranges
- Juice of 1 large orange
- 425g (3 ½ cups) plain or ‘00’ flour
- 225g (1 cup plus 1 tbsp) caster or granulated sugar
- Generous pinch of salt
- 2 tsp baking powder
For the glaze:
- 75g (½ cup) icing sugar (minimum, you can make as much or as little glaze as you like!)
- Orange juice to liquefy
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
For the Orange Olive Oil Loaf Cake:
- Preheat your oven – 180 C / 160 C fan / gas mark 4 / 350 F – and grease and line a 10cm x 30cm (4 in x 12 in) loaf tin with some olive oil and greaseproof paper.
- In a large jug or bowl, stir together your milk, oil, zest and juice. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, stir together your flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently whisk together until just combined into a semi-smooth cake batter. (Try not to over-whisk as this can cause a dense and chewy cake!)
- Tip your cake batter into your prepared tin and smooth out the top with a spoon or spatula.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 50-60 minutes. When cooked, a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake should come out clean!
- Remove the finished cake from the oven and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes while you prepare your glaze.
For the glaze:
- In a small bowl, stir together at least 75g of icing sugar with the salt and a bit of juice from the un-squeezed orange. If you prefer a lot of glaze, feel free to double the quantity. If you prefer a runny glaze, add more juice. If you prefer a thicker glaze, add more sugar.
- Once smooth, spoon half of the glaze over the still-warm cake in the tin.
- Allow the cake to cool completely in the tin.
- When cooled, remove the cake, and pour over the remaining glaze just before slicing and serving.
- Enjoy!
BE A MAVERICK: why not make this recipe with lemon, grapefruit, or blood orange instead?
FOR SMALLER LOAF TIN: half the measurement of each ingredient and check the cake after just 40 minutes!
This Orange Olive Oil Loaf Cake will keep well in an airtight container for up to 3 days but is best enjoyed fresh!
Have you tried this as muffins?
Hi Sue, I haven’t tried this recipe as muffins, but I’d love to know how it turns out if you give it a go!
Magnifique! Merci !
This was absolutely divine! I made it with my 2 year old who is allergic to eggs and dairy and we both loved it! Thank you so much!
Glad you enjoyed Isabelle, and thanks for such a lovely comment!