Are you in the mood to pulverize a whole orange? Are you flush with olive oil? If so, the Tunisian Orange Olive Oil Cake is what you should bake today! This is a great little cake recipe from Zingerman's Bakehouse, and it's perfect for when you want a small cake to go with your fresh berries and whipped cream.
The recipe is from the Zingerman's Bakehouse Cookbook, a book sent to me by my good friend Taneka who attended a signing at their bakery in Ann Arbor. This is one of the first recipes I've tried from the book. Given that the title of the recipe is Tunisian Orange Olive Oil Cake, it would have been fun to use Tunisian olive oil, but what I hand on hand was Greek and it worked just fine. The original recipe calls for a 9 inch round pan, but I used a 6 inch Bundt pan and had perfect results without altering the time.
Best Olive Oil for Cake
We love trying different brands of olive oil, and because we use it for dipping we prefer olive oils that are more robust and flavorful. Occasionally we'll buy one that's just a little too mild for our tastes, and when that happens I usually use it in baking. This Tunisian Orange Olive Oil Cake is one recipe where a milder flavored extra virgin olive oil works well.
Recipe
Tunisian Orange and Olive Oil Cake
Ingredients
- 1 very large seedless orange 320 grams
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar 200 grams
- ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 130 grams
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 2 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour 290 grams
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 6 inch Bundt pan or a 9 inch round cake pan.
- Cut the ends off the orange and then cut it into quarters. Put quarters in a food processor and grind into a pulp. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar. Add the olive oil and whisk until blended, then whisk in the orange pulp. Next, stir in the salt and baking powder, making sure the baking powder is evenly distributed and doesn’t clump, then add the 2 cups of flour and stir until blended.
- Pour batter into pan and bake at 350 for 35 minutes or until a pick inserted comes out clean. Allow cake to cool for about 10 minutes in the pan, then carefully invert. Let cool, then dust cake with powdered sugar and serve with sweetened whipped cream and fruit.
Anna says
Hi John,
Thanks for letting us know about the clementines. They're on sale right now and are what we usually have around, too. Glad you liked it! If you're in the market for a new cookbook, I recommend the Zingerman's Bakehouse book, as many of the recipes are interesting (like this one) but simple.
John Rogers says
Wow, this was a wonderful cake! I used clementines instead of a large orange (it's what I had). The peel gives it an amazing taste and texture. I might consider, when I make it again, adding a little extra peel, chopped finely rather than processed along with the orange, to give the cake a little more of the beautifully bitter and chewy bits.
Anna says
Yes, you process the whole orange.
Sue says
I’m still fascinated by recipes for baked goods that call for olive oil. No doubt I will try this someday.
So you process the orange peel and all minus the ends?
Anna says
Karen, I haven't made a Kiss Me Cake in a years so I couldn't tell you. As for the brownies, I think the old copycat Zingerman's recipe (which is quite different) is better. The new recipe is a lot like Maida's Palm Beach Brownies but not as rich and the bake time seems to be too long. I'm going to make them again. All I can say is people really liked them, and I liked that they weren't just over the top fudge bombs. However, they could have been a little less dry. So I need to make them again. The book is really fun to read, though.
karenb says
Anna, does this taste similar to the "Orange Kiss Me Cake" from Pillsbury?
Would Butter instead of the Olive Oil, add additional flavor or richness?
I heard the Brownie Recipe in that book is outrageous! I don't own the book, but I visited Zimmerman's in Ann Arbor, MI, years ago and their Brownies were INCREDIBLE!! If you try that recipe and it is fantastic, please post
T. Martin says
Happy to see you're enjoying the book!