Say it with me friends, Aperitivo. Orange. Olive. Oil. Cake.

Now take a moment to think about all those words together, creating  the most moist and luscious, rich yet bitter-sweet, slightly orangey and perfectly sweetened cake. That’s this cake.

Made with olive oil, orange zest, and Bruto Americano it’s a keeper for any time of year, any time of day (think breakfast here, people. Breakfast. 😉

I find this cake best paired with coffee, or a cocktail.

Need some ideas? How about the Classic Americano? Nope, not coffee but equally delicious.

Or check out this Bourbon Paper Plane, which I did paired with this cake for a happy hour – and pair well it did!

Aperitivo Olive Oil Cake

Super moist, delightfully creamy, full of flavor, and absolutely delicious. This Aperitivo Olive Oil Cake is easy to make and bright in flavor. Fresh orange and herby botanicals are well balanced, this cake is light and fluffy, and perfectly sweetened.

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Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Servings 12 servings

Ingredients

  

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 ¼ cup granulated sugar + 1 tbsp sugar reserved for topping
• 1 tsp fine sea salt
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• 1 ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 ¼ cup oat milk or milk of choice, at room temp
• 3 large eggs at room temp
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 ½ tbsp orange zest zest from about 2 oranges
• ¼ cup fresh orange juice juice from about 1 large orange
• ¼ cup aperitivo such as Aperol, Campari, or Bruto Americano (I used Bruto Americano)
• 1 tbsp confectioner's sugar for garnish
• 1 can oat whipped topping or whipped cream of choice*

Instructions

 

• Pre-heat oven to 350° F.

  Grease a 9-inch cake pan or spring form pan that is at least 2 inches deep (it will spill over if it is smaller) with cooking spray. (Use 2 pans if your cake pan is less than 2 inches deep.)
• In a bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, baking powder. Whisk to combine.
• In another bowl, whisk the olive oil, milk, eggs, orange juice, orange zest, and aperitivo of choice. 
• Stir in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle with remaining tablespoon of granulated sugar. 

  If using 2 pans, divide the batter evenly between the two pans. Check for doneness after 30 minutes of baking. Baking time will be shorter.
• Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until the top is golden and a cake tester comes out clean. Transfer the cake to a rack and allow the cake to cool in the pan for 30 minutes.
• Run a knife around the edge of the pan, invert the cake onto the rack and allow to cool.

  Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with fresh whipped cream. 

Notes

This is incredible topped with oat (or dairy) whipped cream, greek yogurt, or vanilla ice cream!

Keyword Aperol Olive Oil Cake, easy cake, Italian cake, dessert, cake, olive oil cake, orange cake