Candied Orange Olive Oil Cake (Printable Version)

A fragrant cake with olive oil, almond flour, and sweet candied oranges, offering a moist and tender texture.

# What You'll Need:

→ Candied Oranges

01 - 2 medium oranges, thinly sliced
02 - 3/4 cup granulated sugar
03 - 1 cup water

→ Cake Batter

04 - 2 cups almond flour
05 - 1/2 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour blend
06 - 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
07 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
08 - 3 large eggs, room temperature
09 - 3/4 cup granulated sugar
10 - 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
11 - 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
12 - Zest of 1 orange
13 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

→ Garnish

14 - Powdered sugar for dusting
15 - Fresh mint leaves

# Steps to Follow:

01 - Combine 3/4 cup sugar and 1 cup water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add orange slices in a single layer and simmer gently for 20–25 minutes, turning occasionally, until translucent. Remove from syrup and cool on a parchment-lined tray.
02 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch round cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
03 - Arrange cooled candied orange slices on the bottom of the prepared pan, overlapping slightly if needed.
04 - In a large bowl, whisk together almond flour, gluten-free flour blend, baking powder, and salt.
05 - In another bowl, beat eggs and 3/4 cup sugar until pale and slightly thickened, approximately 2–3 minutes. Whisk in olive oil, Greek yogurt, orange zest, and vanilla extract until smooth.
06 - Gently fold dry ingredients into wet mixture until just combined.
07 - Pour batter over candied oranges, smoothing the top with a spatula.
08 - Bake for 40–45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then invert onto a serving plate and carefully peel off parchment paper.
09 - Dust with powdered sugar and garnish with fresh mint leaves if desired. Serve at room temperature.

# Additional Tips::

01 -
  • It tastes like you spent all day in the kitchen, but the actual hands-on time is surprisingly forgiving.
  • Gluten-free or not, everyone asks for the recipe because the texture feels both light and substantial.
  • Those candied oranges on top are an edible reason people remember this cake weeks later.
02 -
  • Do not cool the candied oranges in the syrup overnight; they'll continue cooking and turn to marmalade, which defeats the entire purpose of having distinct slices on top.
  • If your cake sticks to the pan, it means you either didn't grease thoroughly enough or you unmolded it before it had cooled the full 10 minutes—learn from it and adjust next time.
03 -
  • Room temperature ingredients mix together smoothly and incorporate evenly, which means your cake rises more reliably and bakes level.
  • If you don't have Greek yogurt, sour cream or crème fraîche works beautifully and adds different character to the final crumb.
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