Orange and Cardamom Drizzle Cake with Olive Oil and Yoghurt

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As summer comes to an end, the temperature starts to drop and Autumn is in the air, the wonderful combination of flavours in this light, fluffy, moist orange and cardamom cake, seem to mirror the change of season. The fresh, sweet and juicy orange, reminiscent of summer, combines beautifully with the warm cardamom which brings further citrus notes to the table, as well as warm, peppery, floral flavours. Furthermore, the olive oil and yoghurt guarantee a moist crumb with a slight, complementary tang.

Nothing fancy, quick and easy to make, this cake is delightful served simply with a cup of tea or coffee, at any time of the day. However, it also makes a wonderful dessert, served with some natural yoghurt. It works particularly well as part of a Mediterranean or Middle Eastern spread.

How to make Orange and Cardamom Drizzle Cake with Olive Oil and Yoghurt

Where is this recipe from?

This sponge cake is based on my Butter and Oil Cakes – Core Recipe – a recipe I developed to be able to bake at altitude. Our house in Switzerland is at over 1600m altitude and this makes baking difficult. Some traditional bakes will not rise but cakes made with oil and yoghurt fare better. I love the light and airy texture of this cake and the fact it can be whipped up so quickly.

The changes I have made to the Core Recipe include:

• using just olive oil rather than oil and butter.
• using additional yoghurt to replace the liquid/milk element of the recipe.
• adding orange zest and cardamom to the cake batter and adding a drizzle and icing as well.

Collect all your ingredients together:

Cake –

• oranges
• caster sugar
• olive oil
• eggs
• vanilla extract
• natural yoghurt
• plain/all-purpose flour
• cornflour
• cardamom powder
• baking powder
• bicarbonate of/baking soda
• fine salt

Drizzle –

• orange juice
• caster sugar

Icing –

• icing sugar
• orange juice

How to make this wonderful cake:

1. Collect together your equipment (see Recipe Notes below) and ingredients.
2. Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4 (fan 160°C) and grease and line a 900g/2lb loaf tin. Alternatively, use a cake tin liner. Also, place 2 – 3 muffin cases in a muffin tin.
3. Cake: use a potato peeler or sharp knife to carefully peel the rind from the oranges. Try to remove as little of the white pith as possible as it can be quite bitter.
4. Pulse the orange peelings with the sugar in a food processor until the rind has broken down and is incorporated into the sugar.
5. Add the olive oil, eggs, vanilla and yoghurt and blitz until mixed completely.
6. Now add the remaining dry ingredients and pulse until just mixed. You may need to stop the processor to scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl and then pulse again. Be careful not to over-mix at this stage.
7. Fill the muffin cases 2/3 full and then pour the remaining cake batter into a 900g/2lb loaf tin. Place the loaf tin in the centre of a preheated oven and the muffins on the shelf below. Bake the muffins for around 25 – 30 minutes and the loaf cake for 50 – 60 minutes, or until cooked. They are cooked when:
   • the centre feels springy when lightly touched with your finger and no imprint remains.
   • a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
   • when the cake is beginning to come away from the sides of the tin.
8. NB – Be very quick when taking the muffins out of the oven. You do not want too much cold air going into the oven as this may affect how the loaf cake rises and cause it to sink.
9. Drizzle: heat the juice from 1 orange with the caster sugar in a small saucepan until the sugar has melted. When the muffins and cake have come out of the oven, spoon the syrup over them, making sure the middle absorbs it as well as the sides of the cake. Leave to cool in the tin for 30 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack.
10. Ice the cake: when the muffins and cake have completely cooled, make the icing. Slowly add the orange juice to the icing sugar. Mix thoroughly until you have a thick but easily pourable paste.
11. Remove the baking parchment from the cake and place it, along with the muffins, on a cooling rack on top of a baking tray. (This is simply to ensure easy clean up.) Pour and spread the icing over the surface of the muffins and cake. It is OK for it to spread down the sides of the cake – in fact I like it!

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Made this recipe?

If you make this recipe, do please tag me on instagram @daffodil_kitchen. You could also leave a comment in the box directly below the recipe.