This simple Olive Oil Cake is made with pumpkin puree and its beyond delicious. 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!
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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
– Mix the wet and dry ingredients separately. I didn’t do that when I made this cake, which was a mistake. 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
– Refrigerate any left over cake for no more than a week. Although, I doubt you will have any leftover!
Why I love this pumpkin cake
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
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.
Questions when baking this cake
Is the taste of olive oil overpowering in this recipe?
No, not at all. I, personally, didn’t taste it at all in my cake. Family members got a hint of the extra virgin olive oil when they tasted it, but, it was very little.
If you are worried about olive oil overwhelming the recipe, start with a mild olive oil that is not extra virgin. This will give you a better sense of the taste of the cake.
I don’t know if the the mild oil will have the same effect on this cake. I can’t say if it will be soft and moist, so, experiment with it. Get back to me with your results because I am very curious.
What does olive oil cake taste like?
This pumpkin olive oil cake has a very light and airy taste. Its very soft and will practically melt in your mouth with just one bite.
The cake has a very sponge like texture because of the olive oil. The cake retains it texture for weeks, if refrigerated. So, go ahead and make a big loaf of this olive oil cake and enjoy it for months.
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.
So, go ahead and bake this eggless olive oil cake for any of your vegan guests. They will love it. Even the egg lovers won’t be able to resist eating a few pieces of it.
More Pumpkin Recipes
I don’t have too many pumpkin recipes, so, I am including a couple from my fellow food bloggers in this list.
Which one is your favorite?
I made a pumpkin smoothie with a delicious blueberry sauce. It was delicious!
Add butter beans to pumpkin soup and it will give you the perfect textured hearty pumpkin soup
This dip is perfect for any fall appetizer, so, be ready to make a whole batch of it
Talk about a quick, fast cake recipe! This pumpkin mug cake is ready in less than 5 min
If you have left over pumpkin puree, check out how I preserve the pumpkin puree and use it all year round.
How to bake this cake
PREHEAT OVEN TO 350°
1) In a large bowl, sieve 2 cups of unbleached all purpose flour
2) Add vegan sugar to the sieve. Its not necessary to sieve the sugar; I did it because my sugar had clumps
3) Add the baking powder, salt and baking soda to the sieve
4) Add 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
5) Add 1/2 cup Goya Organics Premium Olive Oil
6) Add 1/2 cup pumpkin puree to the bowl. You can mix at this point, if you want
7) Add 3/4 cup almond milk. The image shows half cup, but, I added more after that.
8) Optional: Add 1/8 tsp vanilla essence and 1/8 tsp rose water to the batter
9) Mix well and set aside
10) Lightly oil two 5.75″ x 3″ pan
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
12) Smooth out the top of the cake and gently tap the pan on a flat surface to remove any air bubbles
13) Place the pans in the oven on the bottom rack
14) At about the 35 minute mark, gently pierce the side of the cake with a toothpick
15) If it comes out clean with no liquid on it, the cake is ready.
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
17) Prepare the icing by adding (affiliate link) 1/2 cup vegan powdered sugar and 1.5 Tbsp of almond milk to a bowl
18) Add 1/8 tsp of vanilla essence to the bowl
19) Add 1/8 tsp of rose water to the bowl. Mix well
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!
I hope your family enjoys this cake as much as we did!
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Olive Oil Cake
Ingredients
For the Olive Oil Cake
- 2 cups unbleached all purpose flour see notes
- 1/2 cup vegan sugar
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 cup fresh orange juice free of pulp and seeds
- 1/2 cup Goya Organics Premium Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 3/4 cup almond milk
- 1/8 tsp vanilla essence optional
- 1/8 tsp rose water optional
- Oil to grease the pan
For the Icing
- 1/2 cup vegan powdered sugar see notes
- 1.5 Tbsp almond milk
- 1/8 tsp vanilla essence optional
- 1/8 tsp rose water optional
- 1/2 tsp Orange Zest optional
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
Have Questions? Tried a recipe? Want to voice an opinion?