Orange and cranberry olive oil cake

Orange and cranberry olive oil cake

An elegant cake that is perfect for breakfast, snacking or dessert

We love to bake with olive oil.  In part this is because growing up, our parents very rarely used butter in their cooking or baked goods.  This was not because butter is not delicious, but because of our mom’s dietary restrictions and the underlying philosophy that despite the fact that butter may makes things better, olive oil makes them best.  The other reason that we love baking with olive oil is that sometimes we find ourselves out of butter, but we can’t remember a day when we looked around our kitchens and discovered we were all out of olive oil.  Lucky, for sure.

This is not the first olive oil cake that we have posted, and it surely won’t be the last.  We’ve already shared a lemon olive oil cake with you that is light and scrumptious (and which was baked for a very special event).  We find that citrus and olive oil complement each other beautifully, and so here we have combined the zest and juice of oranges with the sharp tang of cranberries.  Married together, these flavours bring out the fruity notes of the olive oil and enhance its rich yet subtle flavour profile.  Also, we don’t really talk like that but we’ve been watching a lot of cooking shows on The Food Network, so we thought we would give it a try.  The truth is, oranges are in season, we’ve got bags of frozen cranberries in the freezer and we like ’em both.

Orange and cranberry olive oil cake

Helpful hints

Cakes made with olive oil are particularly delicious; the oil lends a beautiful colour, flavour and texture to these baked goods.  Because the olive oil is such a prominent ingredient, it is important to use the best quality olive oil you can find.  Because of the controversies surrounding the purity of olive oil, it is a good idea to do your research and try to find local distributors you know you can trust.  You may end up paying a little bit more for your oil, but remember, pure olive oil is liquid gold, and you get what you pay for.

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You can use either fresh or frozen cranberries for this cake.  We tend to use frozen cranberries because we like to stock up when they are readily available in the grocery store and freeze them for future use.

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Prior to zesting the oranges for the recipe, be sure to wash them thoroughly, and use organic oranges if possible.  We like to use a citrus zester to remove the zest from our oranges.  This little gadget is easy to use and ensures that you don’t get any of the white pith, which can be somewhat bitter, removed along with the zest.  The problem with the zester is that you can end up with long strips of zest.  Use a knife to chop them up more finely.  Alternatively you can use a box grater, if yours has a side with very small holes.

Watch how we make it!

Looking for some more sweets you can bake in a bundt pan, try these:
Marble cake
Halva
Zucchini bread

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Orange and cranberry olive oil cake
Orange and cranberry olive oil cake
Orange and cranberry olive oil cake
Orange and cranberry olive oil cake

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Orange and cranberry olive oil cake

An elegant cake that is perfect for breakfast, snacking or dessert!
5 from 17 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 12 pieces
Calories: 386kcal
Author: Mia Kouppa

Equipment

  • Bundt cake pan
  • mixer

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp grated orange zest tightly packed
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 12 ounce bag cranberries (frozen is fine, see notes below)
  • 3 large eggs room temperature
  • 1 cup orange juice
  • 1 cup olive oil

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • In a medium sized bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Set aside
    2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • In a small bowl, combine the orange zest with the sugar and use your fingers to rub the two together.  This will help release the fragrant oils from the zest and will give the sugar a nice, light orange hue.
    2 tbsp grated orange zest, 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the eggs together with the sugar and zest.  Beat for a few minutes and then slowly pour in the orange juice and then the olive oil.
    3 large eggs, 1 cup orange juice, 1 cup olive oil
  • With the mixer on low, slowly add in the flour mixture,  leave behind about 1/4 cup of the flour.  Add the cranberries to this 1/4 cup of flour and toss to coat.  Once the flour in the mixing bowl has been well incorporated with the wet ingredients, add in the flour coated cranberries.  Mix only until incorporated; do not over mix because doing so might crush your cranberries.  Alternatively, you can add and mix in the cranberries by hand using a rubber spatula.
    12 ounce bag cranberries
  • Grease a bundt pan with cooking spray or vegetable oil.  Pour in the batter and then use a knife to swirl the batter a bit, in order to help distribute the cranberries evenly.
  • Bake on the middle rack of your oven for approximately 60 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool almost completely before removing it from the bundt pan
  • Enjoy!

Video

Notes

If using frozen cranberries, no need to defrost first.  

Nutrition

Calories: 386kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 0.004g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 195mg | Potassium: 82mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 29g | Vitamin A: 122IU | Vitamin C: 16mg | Calcium: 51mg | Iron: 1mg

Thanks for sharing!

38 Comments

  1. Marisa's Italian Kitchen says:

    My mom never baked with butter as well. Olive Oil was always her preference. Orange and cranberries are a winning combination and your cake looks wonderfully moist and fluffy! I love it!

    1. miakouppa says:

      Thank you so much Marisa!!!

  2. Punam Paul says:

    This is very wonderful Recipe. The cake was so delicious that not a single bit is left. Cranberry added extra flovour to it.

    1. miakouppa says:

      Thank you so much!! We’re really thrilled that you liked it!

  3. Yum-this looks so good!

    1. miakouppa says:

      Thanks so much Nancy. It is actually a great recipe! We think you’ll love it, especially when you see how easy it is to whip together 🙂 Have a great day!

  4. Could you please give me the flour measurements in grams? thank you!

    1. miakouppa says:

      Apologies! We don’t have that available right now, but the next time we make this cake we’ll try to remember to weigh out our quantities and edit the recipe 🙂

  5. Can you make this recipe into cupcakes?

    1. miakouppa says:

      We don’t see why not!!! This would be delicious as cupcakes. Just be sure to reduce the cooking time; our guess is that it would take approximately 12 – 15 minutes for them to cook through, but of course that will depend on your cupcake pan, and how large your cupcakes are. Keep us posted!

      1. Nikki Woodman says:

        My daughter in law is from Istanbul and I am going to surprise her with this cake. Just need to find a high quality olive oil. Hope she likes it.

      2. miakouppa says:

        Oh we hope so too!!! Please let us know what she, and you, think! xoxo Helen & Billie

  6. Do you need to thaw cranberries if using frozen or use as is?

    1. miakouppa says:

      Hi Patricia. No need to thaw, just use the cranberries frozen. Hope you enjoy the cake. It’s one of our favourites 🙂 xoxo Helen & Billie

  7. Sophia Ninou Koblinski says:

    There are so many recipes I wish I got from my Mom. She’s 84 & can’t remember many of them now to give me. She lives with us. Now, thanks to Mia Kouppa & Greek Boston I make so many of the recipes I grew up on and my Mom is thrilled!
    Thank you!

    1. miakouppa says:

      You’ve made us so happy with your comment Sophia. We are so happy that you found us, and humbled to be part of your lives – and that your Mom is pleased!!! Whew!! xoxo Helen & Billie

      1. Hi!
        I wanted to know if it’s ok to use dried cranberries as fresh/frozen ones are not easy to come by where I live. Thank you!

      2. miakouppa says:

        Hi Mavis. We have never made this cake with dried cranberries, but assume it would work fine. You might want to try plumping them up in some warm water first. Let them soak for about an hour and then drain well. You can also use fresh or frozen blueberries, or even cherries, if those are easier to find. Happy baking! xoxo Helen & Billie

  8. Konstantina says:

    Ladies, this is a definite 10 STAR **********
    Knowing how much I absolutely love this combination, I doubled the recipe. Made cupcakes and added chopped pistachios into the batter, and made the Bundt Cake as well. The house smells DELICIOUS!!!
    I always use olive oil in all my cooking and baking even when recipe calls for butter..always lighter and tastier, guess we found the reason us Greeks are healthier and live longer!!!!! Now for self-control and wait for everything to cool, that’s the toughest part of this recipe!!!

    1. miakouppa says:

      Youppi!!! So happy to hear that you think so!! Love your addition of the pistachio nuts. Extra deliciousness! xoxo Helen & Billie

  9. This cake is delicious and moist !!! It looks so pretty too, beautiful. This impressive cake would be a lovely addition to any buffet or dinner table. The perfect cake to take to friends when invited for dinner too. My hubby loved it.
    I took exactly 1 hour to cook and needs no changes what so ever, it’s perfect as it.
    I am so happy to have found your recipe and your happy stories on your site.
    My thanks to Billie and Helen (and the parents :-)).
    Darlene
    Nova Scotia

    1. miakouppa says:

      Oh that you Darlene for taking the time to share such a lovely comment! We’re so happy that you tried, and loved, our orange and cranberry olive oil cake – it’s one of our favourites too! We hope you continue to find much to love on our site, and we’re so happy that you found us too! xoxo Helen & Billie

  10. David Wright says:

    This looks wonderful! Would a citrus infused olive oil (lemon or orange) enhance the flavours? Or maybe this is a terrible idea?

    1. miakouppa says:

      Hi David!! Thanks so much 🙂 Although we’ve never made this cake with a citrus infused olive oil, it would probably work pretty well – so long as the infused flavour is not too overpowering (which is likely wouldn’t be). If we had to choose, we would stick with orange, given that this is the flavour throughout the rest of the cake. Having said that, infused oils tend to be a little pricier than your typical olive oil – and given that you need an entire cup of it for this cake, you may want to stick with regular, uninfused oil. Save some money and the infused stuff to make something delicious like an olive oil dip! 🙂 https://miakouppabbbwpc.wpcomstaging.com/olive-oil-dip/ Let us know what you decide to do, and how it works out! xoxo Helen & Billie

  11. GREAT cake. I made it as the recipe indicates, perhaps adding a little more orange zest and hand-squeezed juice ((because I had a lot of good oranges) and maybe 1/4 less sugar. Added walnuts. Perfect cake, just what I wanted. Moist, flavorful, and big. Thank you!

    1. miakouppa says:

      Yay!! So happy to hear that you loved it! This is truly one of our favourite cakes, and it’s pretty to look at too with the bursts of cranberry. Thanks for letting us know! xoxo Helen & Billie

    2. I just made this again (it’s in the oven…) and I was reminded that I meant to ask you to clarify the recipe a bit, because I think 2 3/4 c flour is 330g (at 120g/cup) but you indicate 410g. I guessed that you were using grams, as I do, so I followed that, but if someone is following the cup measurement, I think it’s in error –?

      1. miakouppa says:

        Thanks for pointing this out….it seems that cup measurements vary in their equivalence in grams, depending on who you ask. It’s been a very frustrating thing to deal with! Our 2 3/4 cups actually is 410 grams. How did your cake turn out?

  12. I made the cranberry cake this evening, it’s out of this world loved it!
    Easy to make and delicious!! Thank you Helen and Billie!!

    1. miakouppa says:

      Yay!!! This makes us so happy! Thanks for taking the time to comment 🙂 xoxo Helen & Billie

  13. What’s the size of ur pan?

    1. miakouppa says:

      Hi Farah,
      We use a standard bundt pan for this recipe, which holds a volume of 10 cups (your batter will not fill the pan of course) You can use a different type of pan so long as the batter only comes up 2/3 of the way. Enjoy!

  14. Hi there from The Netherlands, could this cake be made with less sugar? And if so: does that change the measurements of the other ingredients? Thank you very much for your help.

    1. miakouppa says:

      Hi Andrea! Welcome from the Netherlands! So happy you have found us. You can try reducing the sugar by about a 1/3 to start – leave all the other ingredients as they are. The cake should probably work out fine and if you are satisfied with the result, you can even consider cutting it down further. This will be trial and error however as we have not made these modifications to the recipe. Happy baking! xoxo Helen & Billie

  15. hello helen! marina here. just to let you know that I made this recipe with success. my only adjustment was to use both lemon and orange juice and peel. I was drawn to it because it looked sooo good.5 stars

    1. miakouppa says:

      Thank you for letting us know Marina! So happy that you enjoyed this cake, and your adjustment sounds great! Enjoy the cake 🙂 xoxo Helen & Billie

  16. Anna Forlini says:

    I make this recipe at least on a weekly basis.
    I make up to 18 muffins , moist & delicious !!5 stars

    1. miakouppa says:

      That is amazing to hear Anna!! So happy that you love this cake – it is one of our favourites as well. Nice idea to turn it into muffins 🙂 xoxo Helen & Billie

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