Blood Orange Olive Oil Loaf Cake
Blood orange is one of my favorite flavors, so when I saw them in my local grocery store (a rare sight!) I knew I had to get some to bake with. I thought the citrus and sweet notes in cardamom would pair nicely with the blood orange, and both would help balance out the richness of olive oil cake. And so this recipe was born!
Making the Batter
This loaf cake has the density of a standard pound cake, but is a little more moist thanks to the olive oil. Plus, it is very quick to prepare without the need to worry about the temperature of butter.
Begin by whisking together the dry ingredients - flour, baking powder, cardamom, and salt - in a medium bowl and set it aside. In another bowl, whisk together the remaining cake ingredients - eggs, sugar, olive oil, sour cream or plain Greek yogurt, honey, blood orange juice and zest, and vanilla extract. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until fully combined and smooth.
Choosing the Right Pan
This recipe was designed to be baked in two mini loaf pans. I love this size so I can eat one loaf right away and freeze or gift the other one! The pans I use are 5.75 in. x 3.25 in. This is slightly larger than some other mini loaf pans on the market, but you can use whatever you have.
I have not tried this recipe in a standard sized loaf pan, but I would not recommend it. The mini loaves ended up being just shy of overbaked around the edges by the time the center was fully cooked, so they may become too browned if the bake time was increased to accommodate the standard size loaf.
Baking and Glazing
Prepare your pans by greasing with olive oil and dusting with flour or lining with parchment paper. Fill your prepared pans about 3/4 of the way full of batter.
Bake at 350°F for about 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean. If the tops start browning too much before the interior is fully baked, you can tent them with aluminum foil. Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for 5-10 minutes before removing them and transferring to a wire cooling rack.
While the cakes are cooling, prepare the glaze. To do so, simply whisk together powdered sugar, blood orange juice, and cardamom until smooth. Pour the glaze over the cakes when they are still slightly warm.
These cakes are best served fresh, but leftovers can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days or in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. You can also freeze them tightly wrapped in plastic wrap for up to 3 months.
Blood Orange Olive Oil Loaf Cake
Ingredients
- 1 and 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp ground cardamom
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt, room temperature
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 tbsp blood orange juice
- 1 tbsp blood orange zest
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp blood orange juice
- 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare 2 mini loaf pans by greasing with olive oil and dusting with flour or lining with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cardamom, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, olive oil, sour cream, honey, blood orange juice, zest, and vanilla until smooth.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk until fully combined.
- Fill your loaf pans about 3/4 full with batter. Bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool in the pans for 5-10 minutes before removing and transferring to a wire cooling rack.
- For the glaze, whisk together the powdered sugar, blood orange juice, and cardamom until smooth. Pour over the cake when the loaves are still slightly warm. Allow to cool.
Notes
- Storage Instructions: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days, in the refrigerator for 3-4 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Pan Size: I used mini loaf pans that are 5.75 in. x 3.25 in. Some mini loaf pans may be slightly smaller. I have not tried this recipe in a standard size loaf pan, but I would not recommend it because the outsides of the loaf may become overbaked before the center is fully cooked.
- Variations: If you can't find blood oranges, any other type of orange would work well in this recipe as well.
