You are going to love this Vegan Orange Blossom Fig Olive Oil Cake made with freshly squeezed orange juice, orange blossom water, pomegranate, and ripe juicy figs. This vegan orange cake is so moist, perfectly tender, and absolutely delicious!
*Recipe originally shared October 2019 and updated November 2023*
When it comes to cupcake & cake recipes, olive oil is my go-to oil since it gives such a tender crumb and keeps baked cakes super moist for days. I've used it in some of my most popular recipes such as my Vegan Pumpkin Sheet Cake and Vegan Lemon Cupcakes.
When combined with fresh orange juice & orange zest, it adds such a bright flavor to this orange fig cake!
Ingredients:
Ingredient notes:
- Orange Blossom Water: If you've never had orange blossom before it has a sweet, slightly bitter taste similar to an orange peel. It essentially consists of water distilled from the blossoms of the bitter orange tree.
- I recommend using Sasaf Orange Blossom Water or Nielsen-Massey Orange Blossom Water
- Oat milk: This is my go-to for vegan baking but almond milk or soy milk also work great in this vegan olive oil cake!
- Olive oil: It's SUPER important to use high-quality olive oil in this cake as the flavor really shines through. There is not a good substitute for olive oil to get the right flavor for this cake.
- Pastry flour: This is the best flour to use for this cake as it gives it such a tender crumb. Pastry flour has less protein in it than all-purpose, which leads to less gluten development and a lighter cake.
- To swap for all-purpose flour, remove 2 tablespoon of flour for each 1 cup of flour required and replace it with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch.
How to make a vegan orange olive oil cake
My favorite part about making this vegan orange cake is that you can make it in ONE BOWL with minimal tools! No creaming butter and sugar and NO standing mixer needed.
Plus, this recipe was adapted from my Vegan Grapefruit Olive Oil Cake and Vegan Blood Orange Chocolate Olive Oil Cake which are two of the most popular recipes on SGTO!
Mix wet ingredients
First, mix all the wet ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. In this recipe, the wet ingredients include plant-based milk, sugar, orange juice, orange zest, orange blossom water, and vanilla.
Then, use a whisk or fork to blend everything together.
Also, I want to note that you TRULY only need 2 teaspoon of orange blossom water to get the flavor throughout the entire cake in this recipe. Less is more when it comes to baking with orange blossom water!
Add dry ingredients
Next, mix in the dry ingredients including the pastry flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Finish by whisking together until a thick batter forms.
It's worth noting that it's super important to use pastry/cake flour over all-purpose flour in this recipe to get the right tender and light cake texture.
Bake the orange blossom cake
Then, pour the orange blossom cake batter into the baking pan! For this recipe, I used my 8-inch springform pan because it makes releasing this vegan orange cake SO easy after baking.
Once the orange cake batter is in the pan, bake for 42-50 minutes at 350F until cooked through and golden on top. Then, let cool completely before adding the orange glaze & fresh fruit toppings!
Add orange glaze and fresh figs
As the last step, whip up some orange glaze to pour over the cake! Finally, top with fresh figs and pomegranate for a festive vegan fig cake.
FAQ & Tips:
What orange variety works best in this cake?
Without a doubt, Cara Cara oranges are my FAVORITE orange variety to use in this orange olive oil cake. They are in peak season between December and April and happen to be sweeter than other varieties.
Their sweetness also helps to balance out the bitter flavor of the orange blossom water. Even so, other orange varieties such as navel oranges, tangerines, or even blood oranges will work in this vegan orange cake.
Whatever you do, PLEASE use fresh-squeezed juice directly from citrus fruit! I prefer to strain the juice so that the flesh of the orange doesn't go into the batter. This also goes for the glaze- which is just a mixture of cara cara orange juice and powdered sugar.
How do I store this vegan orange olive oil cake?
This cake (without the fruit on top) is best sliced and then stored in a closed container. It will keep at room temperature for 1-2 days, in the fridge for 3-4 days, or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
I recommend removing the fruit from the cake before storing it in any method. The fruit needs to be refrigerated and, if left on the cake, can turn it soggy.
To sum it up, this Vegan Orange Blossom Fig Cake is truly the BEST vegan orange cake to bake this Fall! I know I already have plans to make this cake the star of our Vegan Thanksgiving dessert table as it's truly a STUNNER. Enjoy!
-TSG
More vegan cake recipes you will love:
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Vegan Orange Blossom & Fig Olive Oil Cake
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients:
- ¾ cup oat milk *or other dairy-free milk
- ¾ cup organic sugar
- ½ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup cara cara orange juice *strained so no flesh/pulp- other orange varieties also work
- 2 teaspoon orange zest
- 2 teaspoon orange blossom water
- 2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
Dry Ingredients:
- 2 cups+ 2 Tablespoons pastry flour or cake flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
Glaze & Toppings:
- 1 cup organic powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoon cara cara orange juice *other orange varieties work
- 1 cup fresh figs *halved/quartered
- ¼ cup fresh pomegranate seeds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease an 8-inch springform pan and set aside. If you do not have a springform pan, line an 8-inch pan with parchment paper on the bottom for easier removal.
- In a large mixing bowl whisk together the oat milk, sugar, olive oil, orange juice, orange zest, orange blossom water, and vanilla.
- Then, add the pastry flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt to the large mixing bowl. Mix until a smooth cake batter is formed.
- Pour the batter into the greased or parchment-lined springform pan. Before putting the pan into the oven, tap the cake pan on the counter to release any large bubbles.
- Add the cake to the oven and bake for 42-50 minutes until the cake is browned on top and cooked throughout.
- Remove the cake from the oven and let cool to room temperature. I recommend moving to a wire rack to cool so the bottom of the cake does not get soggy.
- Once the cake has cooled, make the glaze by adding the powdered sugar and orange juice to a small bowl and whisking until a thick smooth glaze forms. For a thinner glaze, add additional orange juice.
- Apply the glaze to the cooled cake. Then, top with the fresh figs and pomegranate seeds. Slice into 8 even pieces and enjoy!
Notes
- Cara Cara Oranges are my favorite orange to use for this cake, however, any orange variety works including navel, blood orange, or even tangerines. Fresh orange juice is a must though!
- Extra virgin olive oil is another must for making this cake and there isn't a great substitute to get the right texture.
- If you are using all-purpose flour, remove 2 tablespoon of flour for each 1 cup of flour required and replace it with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch.
- This cake (without the fruit on top) is best stored in a closed container and will keep at room temperature for 1-2 days, in the fridge for 3-4 days, or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
- If freezing the cake, I recommend cutting it into slices first. Also, I recommend removing the fruit from the cake before storing in any method. The fruit needs to be refrigerated and, if left on the cake, can turn it soggy.
- This is the 8-inch springform pan I used for this recipe
Pippa says
Drooling, can't wait to try this! Any extra modifications necessary when using almond flour?
Megan Horowitch says
So glad! Unfortunately this cake wouldn't work with almond flour as it does not work the same as all-purpose flour 1:1. If you need it to be GF, your best bet would be to try a 1:1 GF baking mix. Enjoy!
ShortGirlTallOrder says
So glad you loved the orange blossom!
Crystal says
Love this simple and delicious recipe! I wasn't familiar with orange blossom in desserts before, and it adds the most delicious flavor and fragrance. Didn't have figs so topped with strawberries instead. 🙂
ShortGirlTallOrder says
it really does! One layer cakes are the best 😉
Ciarra says
This cake is so stunning! I love that's just one layer--makes life so much easier! Can't wait to try it!