Fluffy and citrusy Sicilian orange olive oil cake with a honey mascarpone frosting! Perfect winter dessert for a Sunday bake or afternoon treat!
This orange olive oil cake with mascarpone frosting is the perfect winter cake!
It's soft and spongy, easily made in one bowl, loaded with vibrant citrus flavor, and great for a crowd.
The mascarpone honey frosting is super smooth and creamy and you can taste the sweet honey flavor right through.
Alternatively, you can top it with lemon or orange curd, Italian pastry cream, or with a scoop of Italian ice cream.
Family and friends absolutely LOVE this delicious Sicilian cake - together with my limoncello cake, this is one of my most requested holiday desserts.
Sicilian orange cake ingredients
For this olive oil orange cake, you'll need basic ingredients you most probably have in your pantry already.
As a nice bonus, if served without the frosting, this is a completely dairy-free orange cake!
If you don't want to skip the frosting, just replace the mascarpone with a vegan version.
Here are the 8 ingredients you'll need:
- Flour: I use regular all-plain flour or Italian 00 flour.
- Eggs: Go for medium-sized eggs.
- Sugar: Use regular granulated sugar for this recipe. You can also use raw cane sugar.
- Olive oil: I use light olive oil, but you can substitute it with sunflower oil or an equal amount of melted (and cooled) butter.
- Orange: You will need both the juice and zest, so I recommend organic unwaxed oranges.
- Baking powder: A little baking powder gives the cake a soft and bouncy texture.
- Mascarpone: Use store-bought or homemade mascarpone cheese (made with just 2 ingredients!). You can replace it with ricotta cheese if you like.
- Honey: pick a high-quality honey, it will add an incredible depth of flavor to the mascarpone frosting.
For this recipe, I love using Fulmer Brouyee-Saferno honey.
This limited-produced honey is a cuvee of rare and original heather honey produced close to the ocean area in France, and the honey of the crowned honeysuckle, which grows on the volcanic ash of Mount Etna in Sicily.
This special honey has a deeply floral aromatic flavor, and pairs very well with citrusy fruit.
With over 100 years of experience, the Fulmer family is one of Europe's leading suppliers of natural honey, and they work with farmers to ethically source and produce the best honey.
This post is sponsored by Fulmer. All opinions are my own.
Equipment
The good news is you don't need any professional equipment to make this orange honey cake recipe.
Here are the kitchen tools I use:
- 8-inch cake pan - You can use an 8-inch or 9-inch (20 or 22 cm) loaf pan, round cake pan, or bundt cake pan.
- Hand mixer - You can also use a stand mixer or an old-fashioned whisk.
How to make orange olive oil cake
This Sicilian orange cake with honey frosting couldn't be easier to make!
It's all made in one bowl and comes together in 5 minutes.
Here's a quick recipe overview with step-by-step pictures.
Scroll down until the end of the post for the full recipe
STEP 1. Whisk eggs and sugar until you have a pale and fluffy mixture.
STEP 2. Slowly whisk in olive oil, orange juice and zest. Place a sieve over the bowl and add flour and baking powder, mix briefly to combine all the ingredients.
STEP 3. Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake for about 30-40 minutes. Remove from the cake from the oven and allow it to cool.
STEP 4. Whip the mascarpone cheese with honey and orange zest, then spread the mascarpone frosting over the olive oil orange cake and serve.
Storage Tips
- Serve: You can leave your Italian orange cake at room temperature for up to 30 minutes, or longer if you place it in an airtight container in a cool dry spot in your kitchen.
- Fridge: The cake will keep well in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can definitely freeze orange cake! Cut the cake into slices, place them on a tray, and freeze for 30 minutes, then transfer them into individual ziplock bags.
You can store frozen cake slices in the freezer for up to 1 month.
You can freeze the mascarpone frosting in an airtight container for up to one month.
When defrosted, it might become a little grainy, so stir it well until it reaches a creamy texture again.
More Italian Dessert Recipes To Try
Looking for more dessert recipes? Try these traditional Italian desserts:
- Limoncello Tiramisu': A zesty twist on the classic tiramisu' with a refreshing limoncello kick.
- Lemon Ricotta Cake: Light, moist, and bursting with citrus flavor.
- Hangover Cake: A rich, comforting cake that’s perfect for any time you need a little indulgence.
Did You Try This Recipe?
Please let me know how you liked it! Leave a comment below and share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #thepetitecook!
Don't forget to subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for the latest updates.
Recipe
Orange Olive Oil Cake
Ingredients
- 4 eggs
- 180 g sugar, approx ¾ cup + 2 tbsp
- 120 ml extra-virgin olive oil, approx ½ cup
- 150 ml fresh orange juice, approx ⅔ cup (juice from 2 oranges)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- zest of one orange
- 300 g all-purpose flour, approx 2+½ cups
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
For the frosting:
- 250 g mascarpone cheese, 8.8 oz
- 3 tablespoon Fulmer Brouyee-Saferno honey
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 340°F/170°C and line a 9-inch or 10-inch springform cake pan with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl whisk the eggs and sugar with a hand mixer until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Continue to whisk and slowly pour in the extra-virgin olive oil, followed by the orange juice and zest.
- Place a sieve over the bowl, add the flour and baking powder and sift the ingredients into the bowl. Whisk all the ingredients gently until just combined, do not over-mix.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake pan. Place in the oven and bake for about 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- In the meantime, prepare the mascarpone orange frosting. Place the mascarpone cheese in a bowl and whisk it until creamy. Add the honey and orange zest and whisk until combined. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool completely at room temperature, then remove it from the cake pan.
- Spread the mascarpone frosting over the top and serve.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
JMG says
May I use canola or vegetable oil instead of olive oil? I am not a fan of olive oil.
Andrea says
Hi! You can definitely substitute olive oil with canola oil, but I’m not sure how it will affect the taste, as I have not tried it 🙂
Andrea B says
Have you ever tried the cake with almond flour vs regular flour? TIA!
Andrea says
Hi Andrea (love your name!), I wouldn't recommend replacing all purpose flour with almond flour, because it wouldn't work. However, you can definitely add chopped almonds in the batter if you like. If you want to make this cake gluten-free, then I recommend using an all purpose gluten-free flour blend, a few brands I love are Bob red's mill, Schar, Caputo.