This super moist Vegan Blood Orange Chocolate Olive Oil Cake should officially be on the baking "to-do" list before citrus season ends! With fresh blood orange juice, olive oil, and rich cocoa powder, this is truly the ultimate vegan chocolate orange cake!
The best blood orange chocolate cake
So...I think it's time to tell a confession. Before I started baking vegan, I never actually LOVED store-bought cake.
Here's the thing. I find a lot of cake, even from the best of bakeries, can go one of two unideal ways; super dry and not at all flavorful or too sweet where all I can taste is sugar. Now, there are exceptions to this rule, but the moral of the story is that store-bought cake led to more duds than I like to admit.
I'm not trying to complain, but all of this is to get to WHY I love vegan olive oil cakes so much.
Using olive oil makes this orange chocolate cake incredibly light, moist, and tender. Plus, using olive oil instead of butter lets the flavor of the blood orange and chocolate truly shine through.
I am here to tell you that any recipe made with olive oil on this site will NOT disappoint! I've made quite a few olive oil cakes including this Vegan Grapefruit Cake & Vegan Orange Blossom Fig Cake which are worth trying next!
Tips for the making chocolate olive oil cake:
- The Quality of Olive Oil you use in olive oil cakes DOES matter. High-quality olive oil will lead to a better crumb, texture, and more moist orange chocolate cake.
- The cocoa powder you use is super important too. Use high-quality cocoa powder and don't use dutch processed as it's not a 1:1 substitution.
- Make sure to sift together your dry ingredients. I know a lot of recipes call for this and you're probably like, BUT WHY. I usually skip it, this time I'm telling you not to. The cocoa powder easily clumps together if it is not sifted and no one wants clumps of bitter cocoa throughout their cake.
- To get the most out of your blood oranges, use a citrus juicer. I've found that I can usually get away with squeezing lemons with my hand, but that's not the case with oranges. A juicer is really necessary to get the most out of blood oranges!
Vegan blood orange frosting:
The most fun part of baking this vegan chocolate orange cake is decorating it!
I included the recipe for vegan blood orange frosting below so go check it out if you choose this option! If you do go this route, definitely make sure you have both shortening and vegan butter on hand for the best texture. If you don't have shortening on hand, it is a 1:1 substitute with vegan butter.
To make the vegan frosting, you will also need an electric mixer or standing mixer for the whipped texture you see in the pictures.
Also, Here's a recipe you can follow for Easy Candied Blood Oranges that make a great topping for this vegan blood orange cake!
I hope you are as excited as I am to bake this Vegan Blood Orange Chocolate Olive Oil Cake. If anything, I hope that the recipes on this site give you a deeper appreciation for the magic of olive oil in cakes. Enjoy this chocolate cake with blood orange frosting!
-TSG
More Vegan Dessert Recipes featuring citrus you will love:
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Vegan Blood Orange Chocolate Olive Oil Cake
Ingredients
Vegan Blood Orange Chocolate Cake
- 1 ½ cups pastry flour or cake flour
- ½ cup cocoa powder unsweetened
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon espresso optional, but enhances the chocolate flavor
- ¾ cup almond milk
- ½ cup olive oil
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed blood orange juice
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons orange zest
Blood Orange Frosting
- ½ cup vegan butter
- ⅓ cup shortening
- 2-3 Tablespoons freshly squeezed blood orange juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- ½ Tablespoon coconut cream optional but highly recommended for fluffy frosting
- 1 cup organic powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease an 8 or 9-inch spring-form pan and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl sift together your dry ingredients including your cake/pastry flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and espresso. Set the bowl aside.
- Next, whisk together your almond milk, olive oil, sugar, blood orange juice, vanilla bean paste/extract, and orange zest in a separate mixing bowl. Once evenly mixed, slowly incorporate the bowl of sifted dry ingredients until a smooth cake batter has formed.
- Add the batter to the greased spring-form pan. Before putting the pan into the oven, tap the cake pan on the counter to release any large bubbles. Add to the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the middle. If you are using a larger pan, check the cake at the 25 minute mark as it will cook faster.
- Remove the cake from the oven and let cool to room temperature.
- While the cake is cooling, make the frosting. Start by whipping together your vegan butter and shortening until smooth. Then add in the vanilla bean paste/extract, blood orange juice, and coconut cream and whip for another 30 seconds. Finally, begin to gradually add the powdered sugar until no clumps remain and the frosting is smooth.
- Top your cooled cake with the blood orange frosting and use a spatula to smooth. Slice into 8 even pieces and enjoy!
Notes
- If you aren't a fan of vegan buttercream, you can also top this cake with a blood orange glaze (I've tried it and it's just as good!). Simply whisk together 1 cup powdered sugar with 2 Tbsp blood orange juice and 1 tsp orange zest for a thick and delicious glaze
- I don't recommend refrigerating cake as it dries it out, however this cake can be stored in a closed container in the freezer for 1 month. I would recommend slicing before freezing.
- If you need to make the cake ahead of time, bake it and cover it in plastic wrap. It will keep at room temperature for 2-3 days. Do not frost the cake until you are ready to eat it.
Crystina Condon says
Just curious if its safe to use vanilla extract if I can't find vanilla paste?
Megan Horowitch says
Of course! I would just double the amount since paste has a stronger flavor.
Jennifer Willner says
This beautiful cake came out PERFECTLY. The flavors are wonderfully sophisticated, the candied blood oranges divine! I made it for my Niece's birthday and she was all thank you for making me a "real" cake! I'm like, a real cake? She says you know, not vegan. Surprise I say! Vegan!!! The frosting needs to chill or set before applying it to the cake. A smaller springform pan yields a taller cake. I'll definitely make this cake again!!!
Jennifer Willner says
This beautiful cake came out PERFECTLY. The flavors are wonderfully sophisticated, the candied blood oranges divine! I made it for my Niece's birthday and she was all thank you for making me a "real" cake! I'm like, a real cake? She says you know, not vegan. Surprise I say! Vegan!!! The frosting needs to chill or set before applying it to the cake. A smaller springform pan yields a taller cake. I'll definitely make this cake again!!!
ShortGirlTallOrder says
That's amazing!! I'm so glad you both loved this cake 🙂 Thank you so much for the kind feedback!
KH says
I made this for my adult daughter's birthday yesterday - it did not disappoint! the complex flavors are delightful and perfect. I did sub raw cacao for the cocoa and it worked well. This was my first time using a new springform pan, and I did not realize it was 10" -- I may have overcooked it a bit, the cake was not quite as moist as I wanted it to be, but I took it out after 33 minutes because I could smell it browning, I wish I had checked it earlier. So for anyone using a larger pan, check after 25 minutes.
I will definitely make this again, thank you!
ShortGirlTallOrder says
Thank you for the feedback Kristy and so glad you loved the cake! I will make a note in the baking time to check at 25 minutes if using a larger pan 🙂
Mia says
Hello, I am planning on making this cake in the weekend. However I have not been able to find blood oranges which is a shame. Do you think normal oranges would still work? Also how did you get the fruit on top of the cake to look like that? Did you candy it and then role it in sugar?
mhorowitch8 says
Hi Mia! I do think normal oranges will work, it just will slightly change the flavor and color of the cake and frosting/glaze (it will be lighter). To get the blood oranges to look like that I candied them, rolled them in sugar, and then let them dry overnight before placing them on the cake. Hope that helps and hope you enjoy the cake!
Jasmin | Ve Eat Cook Bake says
Chocolate and Blood Orange sounds like an amazing combo. Love the color of the cram btw.
It is on my list to try it out.
mhorowitch8 says
Blood Orange really does make the best color frosting! I hope you try this cake and love it 🙂