Orange Olive Oil Cake
Yield: 6-10 Servings

1¼ Cups Plus 2 Tablespoons Orange Infused Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons Ginger Sugar
1 Cup Organic Cane Sugar, Divided
2 Cups All Purpose Flour
1/3 Cup Almond Flour
2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Bean Sea Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Ground White Peppercorns
1 Tablespoon Finely Grated Orange Zest
3 large eggs
1 Teaspoon Almond Extract
1 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
1/2 Cup Ground Almonds
Our Orange Olive Oil Cake is a favorite around MorningStar Kitchen. We love it not just because it is off-the-charts, standalone delicious, but also because it's so versatile. Sometimes we top it with a fresh pomegranate or cranberry sauce. Other times we serve it with homemade vanilla ice cream and drizzle a little warm Lavender Blueberry Jam on top. And it's great served alone as a coffee cake. No matter how (or when) you serve it, your guests will beg for seconds! Plan to make it well ahead of time because this cake gets better with time. In fact, it's downright perfect after 2-3 days!
Note to Chef: We often make our own orange-infused olive oil to have on hand for use in a variety of recipes. We use it in this Orange Olive Oil Cake, and believe it creates a depth of flavor that you can’t get from plain olive oil. If you use plain olive oil, you will need to add 3 tablespoons of fresh orange juice to the batter.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a spring form pan with parchment paper, then spray entire pan and paper with olive oil. Generously sprinkle pan with ginger sugar; tilt to coat in an even layer and tap out excess.
Place flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pepper in a medium bowl and whisk together to remove any lumps.
Combine eggs, orange zest, and 1 cup sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer equipped with whisk attachment. Beat on high speed until mixture is very light, thick and pale, 3-5 minutes, depending on mixer. With mixer still on high speed, add extracts and gradually stream in 1 ¼ cup oil, beating until mixture becomes smooth and thick. Reduce mixer speed to low and add dry ingredients, 1/3 at a time.
Remove whisk attachment and fold ground almonds into the batter. Spoon batter into prepared pan.
Place cake on center rack of preheated oven and bake for 50-60 minutes until cake is golden brown and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cake cool in pan 15 minutes.
Remove cake from pan, invert, and place on baking rack. Use a skewer to poke holes in top of cake. Drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and allow cake cool completely. Once cooled, wrap cake tightly in aluminum foil and allow to stand for 1-2 days before serving.