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Winter Citrus Olive Oil Cake topped with a Citrus Cream

5 from 3 votes
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes

Equipment

  • 9" round cake pan

Ingredients
  

  • 1&1/2 cup All purpose flour
  • 2 tsps baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 2 large eggs
  • 3/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1/2 cup plain yogurt
  • 1/3 cup of orange juice
  • 2 tbps orange zest
  • 1 cup sugar
  • Pinch of salt
  • 2 tsp Vanilla paste or extract if you have orange extract, you can use that too.

Citrus Curd

  • 2 eggs
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 3/4 cup sugar ( if you want the curd to be less sweet, reduce to 1/2 cup)
  • 1/2 cup orange juice
  • 1 tbsp orange zest
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp of cornstarch
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/2 tsp orange extract optional

Whipped Cream

  • 1 &1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1/3 cup of powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla paste or orange extract

Instructions
 

Citrus Curd

  • In a medium size bowl, add the sugar and orange zest. Using your clean fingers, massage the zest into the sugar. Doing this will release the oil from the orange zest.
  • Pour the mixture into a small saucepan and add the egg yolks, whole eggs, pinch of salt, orange juice, cornstarch and lemon juice. Whisk everything until well combined.
  • Place pan over medium heat and stir constantly so the mixture heats up evenly.
  • Continue to whisk until the mixture has thickened. The mixture has thickened when it coats the back of a spoon.
  • Turn off the heat and stir in the butter.
  • Pour the hot mixture through a strainer to remove any clumps and ensure the curd is smooth and lump free.
  • Place a plastic wrap on top of the curd to prevent a skin forming. Place in the fridge to chill for about 2 hours or until it is set.

Citrus Olive Oil Cake

  • Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and line a 9” cake round pan with parchment paper.
  • In a large bowl, add the sugar and orange zest. Using your clean fingers, massage the zest into the sugar. Doing this will release the oil from the orange zest.
  • Add the two eggs, vanilla extract and whisk for about 30 seconds to 1 minute until mixture is light and fluffy.
  • Now add the olive oil, orange juice and yogurt. Mix everything together really well.
  • In a separate bowl, sift in the dry ingredients : all purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients in two parts and mix gently until combined. Do not over mix the batter.
    Tip: Do not over mix the batter. Just mix until just combined. I suggest using a spatula to incorporate the flour.
  • Pour the batter into your greased and lined with parchment paper round cake pan.
  • Place the pan on the middle rack and bake for about 35 minutes or until golden all over and when gently pressed , it springs back and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  • Once the cake is done, Allow the cake to cool for 10-13 minutes in the pan before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely.
    Optional Step: For extra moisture, you can gently poke some holes all over the top of the cake while it's still warm and spread either 2 tbsp of orange blossom sugar syrup or 1 Tbsp of olive oil over the cake.

Whipped Cream

  • In a large bowl, beat the heavy cream with powdered sugar until medium stiff peaks form.
    Optional: You can add either vanilla extract or orange extract to the whipped cream.

Assembling the Winter Citrus Olive Oil Cake with Citrus Curd Cream

  • The cake needs to be cooled completely before decorating. This is a very important step.
  • Top the cooled cake with the whipped cream and using an angled icing spatula, spread the whipped cream gently. Dollop some chilled citrus curd over the whipped cream and using the spatula, spread it out. Be creative, see image for reference. Decorate the cake with dried oranges slices, orange zest, squeeze some blood orange juice for color, and delicate/ edible flowers.
  • If serving this cake for an occasion ( dinner party, brunch, birthday etc. ), I love to place a bowl of orange curd on the table right by the cake for guests to have the option to top with extra orange curd.
    Enjoy!

Notes

Extra Moisture: For extra moisture, you can gently poke some holes all over the top of the cake while it's still warm and spread all over with
  • 2 tbsp of orange blossom syrup ( recipe here. ), 
  • 1 Tbsp of olive oil over the cake,
  • a simple syrup, or
  •  brush all over with 2 tbsp of milk. 
Storing:
  • Cake: Since this cake is made with olive oil, it keeps really well covered at room temperature. If you end up decorating the cake with the curd cream, store the cake in the fridge and take out of the fridge 30 minutes before serving so it can come back to room temperature. 
  • Citrus Curd: You can store any leftover curd in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.  
Decorating: Below are some decorating options that you can do instead of the curd cream. 
  1. Powdered Sugar : After the cake has cooled completed, sprinkle powder sugar. 
  2. Orange Blossom Syrup: Poke the cake while warm and pour some orange blossom water syrup all over. You can find the recipe for the syrup here. 
  3. Before baking the cake, top with sliced almonds and sprinkle some sugar and then bake. 
 
Measuring the flour: When measuring the flour, it’s best to use the spoon and level method. 
  • First, you’ll start by fluffing the flour a little with a spoon.  
  • Second,  you’ll spoon the flour into the measuring cup, let the flour flow over a little and then,
  • Third, you’ll use the back of a knife to level the top off.
Doing this spoon and level method  when measuring your flour, will ensure accuracy.
Equipment: 
  • I used an angle icing spatula.You can purchase one from here. 
  • I used a 9" round cake pan. You can purchase one from here.