It's time for an absolutely delicious and seasonal Vegan Orange Olive Oil Cake with freshly squeezed Cara Cara orange juice, orange blossom water, pomegranate, and ripe juicy figs. This vegan orange cake is so moist, perfectly tender, and absolutely delicious!
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.
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 olive oil, plant-based milk, orange blossom water, freshly squeezed orange juice, orange zest, and sugar. Then, use a whisk or fork to blend everything together.
What is orange blossom water?
dishes and you may have even had it in baklava before. For this recipe, I used Nielsen-Massey Orange Blossom Water which is consists of water distilled from the blossoms of the bitter orange tree. It has a sweet, yet slightly bitter taste, similar to the taste of an orange peel. Though it doesn't taste great on its own, when mixed with sugar and baked into a cake, it adds a WONDERFUL flavor!
It should be noted you only need 2 tsp 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 cake is in the pan, bake for 48-55 minutes at 350F.
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.
P.S- did you know you can also turn this recipe into cupcakes? Just follow the baking instructions in my Vegan Lemon Olive Oil Cupcakes for baking time and other cupcake-making tips!
FAQ & Tips:
For all of my olive oil recipes on SGTO, I use extra virgin olive oil and I don't skimp on a cheaper alternative. Extra-virgin olive oil is 100% cold-pressed olive oil, has a really great flavor, and usually is the highest quality.
The olive oil you put into your cake will directly affect the flavor of the cake that comes out. There's no "right" olive oil, but make sure you like the flavor of the olive oil you are using before baking with it. Here's a great guide from Serious Eats to find the perfect olive oil.
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.
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 it in any method. The fruit needs to be refrigerated and, if left on the cake, can turn it soggy.
Yes, though it slightly changes the texture of the cake. If you are using all-purpose flour, remove 2 Tbsp of flour for each 1 cup of flour required and replace it with 1 Tbsp of cornstarch.
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 options as it's a STUNNER. Enjoy!
-TSG
More vegan cupcake & cake recipes you will love:
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Vegan Orange Blossom & Fig Olive Oil Cake
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients:
- ¾ cup almond milk *or other milk alternative
- ¾ cup organic sugar
- ½ cup olive oil
- 2 tsp orange blossom water
- ¼ cup cara cara orange juice *strained so no flesh/pulp- other orange varieties also work
- 2 tsp orange zest
- 2 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
Dry Ingredients:
- 2 cups pastry flour or cake flour
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp baking soda
Glaze & Toppings:
- 1 cup organic powdered sugar
- 2 Tbsp 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 or 9-inch springform pan and set aside. If you do not have a springform pan, line a 8 or 9-inch pan with parchment paper on the bottom for easier removal.
- In a large mixing bowl whisk together your almond milk, sugar, olive oil, orange juice, orange zest, orange blossom water, and vanilla bean paste/extract. 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 springform 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 45 minutes-50 minutes until the cake is browned on top and cooked throughout.
- Remove the cake from the oven and let cool to room temperature.
- While the cake is cooling, 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 or even a little almond milk.
- Apply the glaze once the cake has reached room temperature so that it does not melt. 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 Tbsp of flour for each 1 cup of flour required and replace it with 1 Tbsp 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!
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. 🙂
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
So glad you loved the orange blossom!
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!
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!
ShortGirlTallOrder says
it really does! One layer cakes are the best 😉