California grown Blood Oranges are one of my absolute favorite citrus fruits and this Blood Orange and Vanilla Olive Oil Snack Cake Recipe really captures the spring time flavors beautifully. This is an incredibly easy vanilla cake recipe that is infused with the floral and fragrant essence of blood oranges that is perfect as a simple birthday cake or as part of a delicious brunch menu.
We're also savoring the beautiful Sonora whole wheat flour from our recent Farmer Mai Flour CSA Share. The cake is buttery and bright. It's an easy snacking cake that works for afternoon tea or a simple spring time dessert. Scroll down to see how we make this and print or pin the recipe card to make this easy dessert today.
What You'll Love About This Blood Orange and Vanilla Snack Cake Recipe
This is a delicious vanilla cake recipe infused with blood oranges and olive oil that makes for a fabulously quick dessert that's ready within an hour. It's one of those easy cakes you can whip up on a Sunday morning before heading to brunch. You'll love this single-layer cake for its simplicity and elegance that truly hits the sweet spot for a delightful cake made with fresh fruit. This cake feels like the right size for any gathering large or small.
Ingredients for This Blood Orange and Vanilla Snack Cake Recipe
We'll need the following basic ingredients to make this Blood Orange and Olive Oil Snack Cake:
Blood Orange Olive Oil Cake
- 250 grams Sonora whole wheat flour sifted. You'll see we're weighing our dry ingredients here in this recipe. If this is your first time baking with these type of measurements, you'll want to make sure you've got a food scale on hand. The more I bake the more I realize that the best cake results are made when we're weighing the dry ingredients. This yields a more consistent bake.
- 4 grams baking powder
- 2 grams kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 180 grams granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon blood orange zest from 2 to 3 blood oranges
- ⅔ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup plain greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste. You can substitute for vanilla extract if you don't have vanilla bean paste. I will say that the vanilla bean paste amps up the vanilla flavor in this delicious homemade vanilla snack cake with blood oranges.
- 2 large eggs
Blood Orange Simple Syrup
Instead of an icing or frosting for our simple vanilla cake with blood oranges, we'll make a yummy blood orange simple syrup to brush all over the top of our snack cake. Here's what we'll need for that simple syrup:
- ¼ cup blood orange juice from 2 to 3 blood oranges
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 small sprig fresh rosemary about 2 inches in length
Snack Cake Garnish Options
- Powdered Sugar
- Optional: Candied Orange Slices
How to Make This Blood Orange Olive Oil Snack Cake
This is a go-to recipe for the beautiful blood oranges that can be ready in under an hour. Here's how we make it:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 9-inch round pan with unsalted butter and flour. Set aside while prepping cake batter.
- In a large bowl, measure out granulated sugar. Zest 1 tablespoon blood oranges and, using your hands, work the zest into the sugar to infuse it with the flavor of the blood orange zest.
- Next, add the ⅔ cup olive oil, the ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt, the 2 whole egg, and vanilla bean paste. Whisk everything together until well combined and smooth.
- In a separate medium bowl, sift the Sonora flour, using a food scale to weigh the needed amount. Next, add the baking powder, kosher salt, and ground cinnamon. Stir to combine the dry ingredients together.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Fold gently to combine both the flour mixture and sugar and egg mixture, taking care to not over mix the batter.
- Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until cake tester comes out clean in center and edges of cake are golden.
- While the cake bakes, prepare the blood orange simple syrup. In a small saucepan, bring the blood orange juice and granulated sugar to a boil over medium heat until syrupy, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
- Once cake is baked, using a wooden toothpick or skewer, pierce the top of the snack cake all over then brush the top of the cake with the blood orange simple syrup.
- Cool completely before garnishing with powdered sugar and fresh—or candied—blood orange slices.
More Blood Orange and Citrus Recipes
Blood Orange and Vanilla Olive Oil Snack Cake
Equipment
- 1 9-inch round cake pan
- 1 3 quart sauce pan
Ingredients
Blood Orange Olive Oil Cake
- 250 grams Sonora whole wheat flour sifted
- 4 grams baking powder
- 2 grams kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 180 grams granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon blood orange zest from 2 to 3 blood oranges
- ⅔ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup plain greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 2 large eggs
Blood Orange Simple Syrup
- ¼ cup blood orange juice from 2 to 3 blood oranges
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 small sprig fresh rosemary about 2 inches in length
Snack Cake Garnish Options
- Powdered Sugar
- Optional: Candied Orange Slices
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 9-inch round cake pan with unsalted butter and flour. Set aside while prepping cake batter.
- In a large bowl, measure out granulated sugar. Zest 1 tablespoon blood oranges and, using your hands, work the zest into the sugar to infuse it with the flavor of the blood orange zest.
- Next, add the ⅔ cup olive oil, the ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt, the 2 eggs, and vanilla bean paste. Whisk everything together until well combined and smooth.
- In a separate mixing bowl, sift the Sonora flour, using a food scale to weigh the needed amount. Next, add the baking powder, kosher salt, and ground cinnamon. Stir to combine the dry ingredients together.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Fold gently to combine both the wet ingredients and dry ingredients, taking care to not over mix the batter.
- Pour batter into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until cake tester comes out clean in center and edges of cake are golden.
- While the cake bakes, prepare the blood orange simple syrup. In a small saucepan, bring the blood orange juice, sprig of rosemary, and granulated sugar to a boil over medium heat until syrupy, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly. Discard the rosemary sprig.
- Once cake is baked, using a wooden toothpick or skewer, pierce the top of the snack cake all over then brush the top of the cake with the blood orange simple syrup.
- Cool completely before garnishing with powdered sugar and fresh—or candied—blood orange slices.
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