This pumpkin Olive Oil Cake is made with pumpkin puree and extra virgin olive oil. Olive oil makes it moist and soft. Topped with an aromatic rose water icing

Disclosure: Goya sent me three of their extra virgin olive oil products (through the Meatless Monday movement). No monetary compensation was provided.  All opinions and notes are my own. 

Can you believe I baked a cake?

I had to pinch myself several times to make sure I wasn’t dreaming.

As you all know, I have long since known that I wasn’t born with a flour thumb!

But, I baked this cake and it turned into a soft, moist, fluffy and delicious pumpkin dessert!

Just like how a cake should be!

Front view of a crossection of olive oil cake on a brown chopping board with orange slices on the left and a rose on the right

Tips for making this vegan cake

– Use a bread pan instead of a cake pan for a more softer cake recipe.  I also like my cakes “taller” and not “wider” which is why I used the bread pan.  My pan is (affiliate link) 5.75″ x 3″ from Amazon.

– I used all purpose flour instead of cake flour. I find it easier to work with, but, you can also use cake flour or pastry flour

– I went easy on the sugar in this recipe because my icing was sweet.  You can adjust the sugar level by tasting the batter

Overhead view of a slice of olive oil cake on a plate with 2 small slices of orange on the side and a rose next to the plate

– Mix the wet and dry ingredients separately. Its much easier to mix them separately first before mixing it together

– When the cake is done, turn off the heat and leave it in the oven for about 5 minutes.  This will make the pumpkin cake softer

– About 5 minutes before the cake is done, you can place thin slices of oranges on top of the cake.  It gives it a nice texture and design to the cake

– If you don’t want the rose water in the icing, you can add it to the cake mix.  Or, you can do what I did and add it to both

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Why I love this olive oil pumpkin cake

Overhead view of the Olive OIl Cake on a brown board surrounded by orange slices on the left and 2 roses on the right

Take a look at that perfect texture of this olive oil cake! Its light and airy.

Plus, its all vegan!

I didn’t need to use eggs in this recipe.  The olive oil does the job of the egg which is awesome!

I also used almond milk instead of heavy creams or milk.  The almond milk gives this pumpkin olive oil cake the softness and that practically-melt-in-your-mouth texture.

Even before you taste it, you get a wonderful whiff of pumpkin, vanilla and roses.  That’s because I used the rose water in it which I had left over from my roasted vegetable recipe from last year.

Do not skip the rose water because it really makes this recipe taste heavenly!


Olive oil cake origin

Front view of the icing being drizzled on the olive oil cake

Baking with olive oil has been a tradition for centuries.  Mediterranean countries, Italy and even Spain have used it for generations to bake scrumptious desserts

Olive oil producing countries have long since used it in their baking because it makes the dessert very sweet.  They have used in breads, cakes and all kinds of desserts

My recipe is a blend of Spanish, Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine.  Its also inspired, in part, by Short Girl, Tall Order’s recipe.

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Front view of Goya Organics Premium Extra Virgin Olive OIl with a crossection of olive oil cake and a rose all on a brown board

❓ Answering Common Questions

Can you taste the olive oil in this cake?

No, not at all.  The olive oil doesn’t add flavor to this cake. It’s mostly here as a replacement for the eggs. It also makes the cake very moist and spongy.

Why are eggs not needed to bake this cake?

This cake is moist and delicious, without eggs, because the olive oil does a great job of bringing all the ingredients together. It acts as the binding agent and gives the cake that characteristic spongy texture. If you use eggs in your baking, try this easy Japanese style mini soufflé cheesecake recipe by Little Bit Recipes. Or, you can make a straight up, delicious vegan pumpkin spice cake where you won’t miss the eggs!

Can this cake be made without pumpkin flavors?

Yes, you can easily bake this cake without pumpkin. Just adjust the milk and sugar amounts.

If you have leftover pumpkin puree, check out how I preserve the pumpkin puree and use it all year round.

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How to bake this cake

PREHEAT OVEN TO 350°

1) In a large bowl, sieve 2 cups of unbleached all purpose flour

Overhead view of unbleached all purpose flour on a blue sieve - Vegan Pumpkin Olive Oil Cake

2) Add vegan sugar to the sieve.  Its not necessary to sieve the sugar; I did it because my sugar had clumps

Overhead view of 1/2 cup of sugar on a blue sieve - Vegan Pumpkin Olive Oil Cake

3) Add the baking powder, salt and baking soda to the sieve

1/4 tsp filled with baking powder placed on top of a blue sieve - Vegan Pumpkin Olive Oil Cake
1 tsp filled with salt placed on top of a blue sieve - Vegan Pumpkin Olive Oil Cake
1 tsp filled with baking soda placed on top of a blue sieve - Vegan Pumpkin Olive Oil Cake

4) Add 1/4 cup fresh orange juice

Fresh Orange Juice being poured into the flour bowl- Vegan Pumpkin Olive Oil Cake

5) Add 1/2 cup Goya Organics Premium Olive Oil

1/2 cup of goya organics premium extra virgin olive oil being poured into the bowl- Vegan Pumpkin Olive Oil Cake

6) Add 1/2 cup pumpkin puree to the bowl.  You can mix at this point, if you want

1/2 cup pumpkin puree being added to the bowl- Vegan Pumpkin Olive Oil Cake

7) Add 3/4 cup almond milk.  The image shows half cup, but, I added more after that.

Almond milk being poured into the bowl- Vegan Pumpkin Olive Oil Cake

8) Optional: Add 1/8 tsp vanilla essence and 1/8 tsp rose water to the batter

9) Mix well and set aside

Mixed cake batter in a glass bowl- Vegan Pumpkin Olive Oil Cake

10) Lightly oil two 5.75″ x 3″ pan

Lightly oiled bread pan- Vegan Pumpkin Olive Oil Cake

11) Slowly pour the cake batter into the pan.  Fill it up about 3/4 of the way.  Use the remainder in the 2nd pan

Cake batter poured into the oiled bread pan - Vegan Pumpkin Olive Oil Cake

12) Smooth out the top of the cake and gently tap the pan on a flat surface to remove any air bubbles

Cake batter in the bread pan; flattened and top surfaced smoothed - Vegan Pumpkin Olive Oil Cake

13) Place the pans in the oven on the bottom rack

Bread pan in the lower rack in the oven- Vegan Pumpkin Olive Oil Cake

14) At about the 35 minute mark, gently pierce the side of the cake with a toothpick

Tooothpick sticking out of the cake in the oven- Vegan Pumpkin Olive Oil Cake

15) If it comes out clean with no liquid on it, the cake is ready.

Clean toothpick that was pulled out of the cake pan - Vegan Pumpkin Olive Oil Cake

16) Turn off the heat, but, do not remove the cake from the oven.  You can move it to the top rack.  Keep the oven door closed and the cake in there for about 5 more minutes

Overhead view of the baked olive oil cake in pan on top of a wire rack with two flowers on the side

17) Prepare the icing by adding (affiliate link) 1/2 cup vegan powdered sugar and 1.5 Tbsp of almond milk to a bowl

A blue bowl filled with powdered sugar and almond milk with a spoon stirring it - Vegan Pumpkin Olive Oil Cake

18) Add 1/8 tsp of vanilla essence to the bowl

1/8 tsp filled with vanilla essence placed on top of the bowl with icing sugar - Vegan Pumpkin Olive Oil Cake

19) Add 1/8 tsp of rose water to the bowl. Mix well

1/8 tsp filled with rose water placed on top of the bowl with icing sugar - Vegan Pumpkin Olive Oil Cake

20) After the cake has cooled to room temperature, drizzle the icing on top of the cake and set it aside for about 10 minutes before serving

That’s it!

How to serve this cake

This olive oil cake can be considered a coffee cake! That means that it can be served with coffee at anytime. It’s a great Mother’s Day brunch recipe or serve it as a birthday cake.

It tastes so good with frappucinos or Macchiatos. There is something so delicious about coffee and olive oil cake!

If you love to dress it up, top it with a blueberry crumble!

Try these dessert recipes

  • Air fryer snowball cookies – This is a super easy way to make snowball cookies (AKA Italian wedding cookies).
  • Vegan French toast pudding – This is one of my favorite holiday desserts. It’s made with simple ingredients and so easy.
  • Cranberry loaf – This loaf is similar to my olive oil cake, but it’s made with a chia egg. It’s also a great coffee cake and great for holiday season.

Sharing is caring

Don’t be shy, chime in below in the comments. Let me hear your opinion on this olive oil cake recipe. If you enjoyed this, please give it 5 stars and share it on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram

Overhead view of a slice of olive oil cake on a plate with 2 small slices of orange on the side and a rose next to the plate

Olive Oil Cake

Rini
Olive Oil Cake made with pumpkin puree and rose water
Go Ahead, Rate it now!
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Cooling Time 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 4 people
Calories 647 kcal

Ingredients
  

For the Olive Oil Cake

For the Icing

Instructions
 

To Bake the Cake

  • Preheat Oven to 350°
  • In a large bowl, sieve the unbleached all purpose flour
  • Add vegan sugar
  • Add baking powder, salt and baking soda
  • Add fresh orange juice
  • Add Goya Organics Premium Olive Oil
  • Add pumpkin puree to the bowl and mix
  • Add almond milk
  • Optional: Add 1/8 tsp vanilla essence and 1/8 tsp rose water to the batter
  • Mix well and set aside
  • Lightly oil two 5.75″ x 3″ pan
  • Slowly pour the cake batter into the pan
  • Fill it up about 3/4 of the way. Use the remainder in the 2nd pan
  • Smooth top of the cake and gently tap the pan on a flat surface to remove air bubbles
  • Place the pans in the oven on the bottom rack
  • At about the 35 minute mark, gently pierce the side of the cake with a toothpick
  • If it comes out clean with no liquid on it, the cake is ready.
  • Turn off the heat, but, do not remove the cake from the oven. 
  • Move cake to the top rack and keep the oven door closed for about 5 more min
  • Let it cool to room temperature

To make the Icing

  • In a small bowl add the vegan powdered sugar and almond milk
  • Add vanilla essence and rose water to the bowl; Mix well
  • Drizzle the icing on top of the cake and set it aside for about 10 minutes
  • Serve with milk or coffee

Video

Notes

– You can substitute all purpose for cake flour or pastry flour
– To make vegan powdered sugar, you can take regular vegan sugar and blend it until its powdered.  I found that coffee grinders do a great job of blending the sugar
 

Nutrition

Calories: 647kcal
Keyword cake with no eggs, How to bake an eggless cake
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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