I’m in love with this tasty healthy gluten-free orange olive oil cake recipe! The brightness from the citrus makes this the perfect spring or Mother’s Day recipe. This gluten-free olive oil cake is perfect sprinkled with just some powdered sugar, but just as tasty if you want to add some whipped cream or a sugar glaze. I personally love this grain-free olive oil cake, simply dusted with only powdered sugar.

Easy Gluten-Free Olive Oil Cake Recipe

At first, you might be intimidated at trying to make an olive oil cake at home, but it’s fairly easy to make. The orange is so refreshing, but you can also substitute the orange juice for lemon juice and zest. This is such an easy change especially once you’ve made this cake before. It is a nice surprise to change it up to keep things interesting. They are both equally delicious. I just love how this is a healthy version of your traditional olive oil cake. If you have picky eaters who hear the word healthy and run, this will totally fool them. This grain-free cake tastes even better than your traditional olive oil cake recipe.

Applesauce Used As Fat Replacement in Recipes!

I want to talk about an important ingredient in this olive oil cake. Applesauce. Applesauce is a wonderful substitution for oil in most baked goods. It’s a secret hack with many health conscious chefs out there. Over the years, I have played around with substituting applesauce for oil and have had great success.

I also consider my teachings from my university introductory foods class, where I learned so many wonderful things, including fat modifications, fat selection, and so much more. I loved that class so much because it properly taught me how to modify recipes in so many ways. Today I use all that knowledge to create all my delicious healthy recipes for you. Getting back to fats, since this recipe is a healthier olive oil recipe, here’s a cool piece of knowledge. The egg yolk in baked goods batter causes the increased darkening of the fat in recipes. So, if you replace all the eggs in a recipe with only egg whites, your baked goods won’t appear the same in color.

Why use unsweetened applesauce, you might be asking? A half a cup of regular oil is about 955 calories, with 108 grams of fat, zero fiber, and no vitamins and minerals. A half a cup of unsweetened applesauce is 51 calories, 0.1 grams of fat, 1.3 grams of fiber, copper, iron, B vitamins, magnesium, and potassium. This changes the entire nutritional content of your baked goods into much more nutrient-dense healthier results.

Health and Beauty Benefits of Oranges

Oranges offer wonderful health benefits. They can boost your immune system but also help with heart health. Most people already know that oranges are full of vitamin C. In addition to that health benefit, oranges are a powerful antioxidant-rich fruit. They help protect the body from free radicals that could otherwise damage the cells of your body. Potassium found in oranges helps lower blood pressure, a heart-protective property.

The fiber in the orange helps with your digestive health and can help reduce cholesterol levels. Oranges can also help with cognitive function. Studies have shown an improvement in blood flow to the brain after consuming citrus juices.

KEY NUTRIENTS OF ORANGES

Vitamin C | Potassium | Folate | Thiamine | Fiber | Phenolic Compounds | Carotenoids

Simple & Delicious Orange Olive Oil Cake Recipe

Healthy & Easy Orange Gluten-Free Olive Oil Cake

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• Author: Laura Villanueva
• Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
• Yield: 8–10 servings 1x
• Diet: Gluten Free

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Description

This is the perfect Mother’s Day dessert. The gentle sweetness of this delicious grain-free olive oil cake must be experienced to understand how amazing this tastes. Bonus: It’s healthier than your traditional olive oil cake recipe.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1 tablespoon grated zest (1 medium orange).
• 1/4 cup applesauce
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups gluten-free, all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 1/4 cup sugar (coconut sugar is my favorite).
• 4 large eggs
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup maple syrup

Optional toppings:

• powdered sugar
• sliced oranges
• whipped cream with berries
• vanilla frosting
• sugar glaze *check out notes

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Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Rub a tablespoon of olive oil along the bottom and sides of a 9-inch cake pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper. Then rub an additional tablespoon of olive oil all over the top of the parchment paper. 
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the olive oil, vanilla extract, sugar, maple syrup, orange juice, orange zest, applesauce, and eggs. In a separate mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients: almond flour, gluten-free, all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. 
3. Stir in the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until the batter is well combined. 
4. Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake pan, smoothing out the top layer. Place into the preheated oven and bake for 40-45 minutes. Around the 40-minute time, check to make sure the top is not too golden. If so, tent the cake pan with aluminum foil. Continue to bake for the remaining 5 minutes. Use a toothpick or small knife to check that the cake is still not wet on the inside. If it comes out clean, it’s ready to remove from the oven.
5. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool completely, roughly 20-30 minutes. When removing it from the cake pan, loosen the edges with a knife and invert the pan onto a wire rack. Dust with powdered sugar and decorate with some fresh orange slices, or serve with whipped cream. You can even try a vanilla frosting. See notes if you prefer to top with a sugar glaze.

Notes

Sugar Glaze Recipe:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons of milk of choice
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Combine all the above ingredients and use as a glaze for various cakes and pastries.

• Category: Desserts
• Method: Oven
• Cuisine: American

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 slice of cake
• Calories: 234 calories
• Sugar: 11.1 grams
• Sodium: 214 mg
• Fat: 8.3 grams
• Carbohydrates: 34.5 grams
• Fiber: 3.2 grams
• Protein: 5.9 grams
• Cholesterol: 74 mg

Keywords: olive oil cake, Mother’s Day recipe, gluten free cake, orange cake, orange cake recipe

Try This Healthy Orange Olive Oil Cake Recipe – Perfect for Mother’s Day!

Did you make this healthy gluten-free orange olive oil cake recipe? I would love to hear if your family loves this grain-free olive oil cake recipe as much as mine. Let me know in the comments below. You can also connect with me @Eat_Your_Nutrition on Instagram. I love seeing your photos. #EatYourNutrition #LauraVillanueva

This post contains affiliate links, which means I will make a small commission if you purchase through those links (I’ll earn some coffee money ☕ which I promise to drink while creating content that you will enjoy). I only recommend products that I trust and absolutely love! 

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