Fresh-Pressed Olive Oil Club

Orange and Rosewater Olive Oil Cake

Orange and Rosewater Olive Oil Cake

Rosewater adds a light yet irresistible perfume to this Moroccan-inspired citrus cake—a little goes a long way. For an equally delicious variation, use lemon juice and zest in place of the mandarin oranges. Note: The whole-wheat pastry flour adds some fiber to the cake.

Ingredients

For the cake:

  • ½ cup medium or bold extra virgin olive oil, plus 1 teaspoon or more for the pan
  • 2 extra-large eggs
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • ¾ cup Greek yogurt
  • Zest of 3 mandarin oranges or clementines
  • ½ cup fresh mandarin orange or clementine juice 
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or paste
  • 1 teaspoon rosewater
  • 1-½ cups pastry flour
  • ½ cup whole-wheat pastry flour
  • 1-½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt

For the icing:

  • 3 tablespoons mandarin orange or clementine juice
  • 1 cup confectioner’s sugar
  • ¼ cup or more shelled pistachios 

Directions

Step 1

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Oil a Bundt pan with olive oil. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until no whites are visible, and then slowly whisk in the sugar, followed by the yogurt, the ½ cup olive oil, the juice and zest, the vanilla, and the rosewater.

Step 2

In a separate bowl, combine the flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and fold into the egg-oil mixture with a spatula until combined.

Step 3

Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 40–45 minutes, depending on your oven. The cake’s done when a dinner knife inserted in its center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning the cake out onto a wire rack to cool it to room temperature.

Step 4

To make the icing, whisk the juice and sugar until incorporated, and drizzle it over the cooled cake. Carefully sprinkle on the pistachios and let the icing set for about 15 minutes before serving.

Yields 8–10 servings.