Baked Sunday Mornings: Mom's Olive Oil Orange Bundt

This week's assignment for Baked Sunday Mornings, Mom's Olive Oil Orange Bundt Cake, isn't completely new to me -- I made this cake a few months ago.  Last time I made the cake, it was good, but not great; I thought the orange flavor was a little lacking.  I was happy to give it another try to see if I could achieve a better result.

Before, I used an extra virgin oil from Occhipinti to make this cake.  While it's a great oil, I thought I would switch it up a little this time.  I recently discovered a little gem of a store in Frederick, MD, the Lebherz Oil and Vinegar Emporium.  Tom and I came across the store entirely by accident, once when we were killing some time after arriving early for our reservation at Volt, just a few doors up the street (it's a 40-mile drive to Frederick from Washington, so it's a little tricky trying to arrive precisely on time at the restaurant).  At Lebherz, you can try any of the 40+ varieties of olive oils and vinegars they carry before buying.  I am completely addicted to the ripe peach white balsamic vinegar, which makes a fantastic salad dressing. 

I decided to bake the cake with some Lebherz fused eureka lemon extra virgin olive oil, which is made by pressing whole lemons together with the olives.  Lebherz also sells a fused blood orange extra virgin olive oil, but I didn't like it as much as the lemon version when I tried it in the store.  The lemon oil is so bright and flavorful, and I thought that the lemon would reinforce the citrus flavor from the orange zest in the cake. 

In addition, last time I made this cake, I didn't make the optional glaze and simply sprinkled the cake with powdered sugar.  I decided to try the glaze this time, which is simply powdered sugar mixed with freshly squeezed orange juice.  

The final change I made this time was to bake the cake for five minutes less (only 45 minutes instead of 50), because the outer crust was a little dark last time.  So with the shorter baking time, the orange glaze, and the lemon olive oil, this cake was noticably improved from my previous effort, and quite fantastic.  The lemon oil made the citrus flavor of this cake really pop.  The cake was also incredibly fragrant -- I could catch the citrus aroma wafting towards me from several feet away.  The lovely lemon-orange flavor of the cake lingered on my tongue in the most delightful way. 

The texture of the cake was still quite dense, like a pound cake, but I think that baking it for 5 minutes less resulted in a slightly more moist cake.  The glaze provided a nice bit of sweetness that was not overpowering.  Just delicious. 

Recipe: "Mom's Olive Oil Orange Bundt," from Baked Explorations: Classic American Desserts Reinvented, by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito, recipe available here at Baked Sunday Mornings.

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Comments

Candy said…
Your cake looks delicious and beautiful - I love the way the glaze is streaking perfectly down the sides.

I love the olive oil and vinegar stores too. Great idea to use a citrus infused olive oil!
Louise said…
I love orange cakes and have this one on my "to do" list. How does it compare taste-wise with Bill Yosses "Orange-Glazed Olive Oil Cake with Fleur de Sel"?
I don't think you meant to say "simply orange juice mixed with freshly squeezed orange juice".
mrs. hope said…
Looks good! I thought I had some lemon olive oil remaining, but was mistaken, so used regular instead. Mine is still in the oven.
Elaine said…
Lovely! It sounds like you had fun changing up the ingredients a bit. I love it with the glaze because I think it gives it more of an orange flavor and really moistens the cake.
Rebecca said…
My mouth was watering as you described the cake and the olive oil. Yum! Also, yours is really beautiful.
Chaya said…
You put that glaze on beautifully. It is wonderful how pretty a cake can be made with a little glaze.
Katie said…
Ooh! Lemon olive oil sounds like a fantastic addition. Your cake looks beautiful!
Unknown said…
I bet this was fantastic with the lemon olive oil! What a great sub. The orange can definitely use a little zing to kick it up a notch!
Bri said…
Glad to hear you liked it so much better the second time! And thank you for the tips! When I make my own bundt soon, I will bake it for slightly less time than the book says.
mike509 said…
Yea! Glad you made this again... Citrus oil is a terrific idea! I should have done that! Beautiful display and photos!
Kris' Kitchen said…
Nice post. Your cake looks wonderful and I enjoyed reading about your flavored olive oils. I can actually tell a huge difference in store bought citrus vs my backyard citrus. When I pick the fruit and zest it within an hour or two there is a difference with fruit that has been picked even just a day ago. Luckily I can pick fresh fruit almost year round, but when I travel and bake in relative's homes, I cannot get the same results. I'm guessing that the infused oils using fresh produce are more like what I can get with my oranges and lemons. Zesting my fruits makes a huge mess with all the oils spraying in every direction...and the entire house is filled with the aroma...but store bought just does not do it...usually waxed and old. Glad to know about the infused oils. Sounds like a great find.
Bourbonnatrix said…
Your cake looks delish! Thanks for the great tips! Unfortunately I overbaked mine... Ah well. Hope I'll have better luck with the next recipe!
Susan said…
Your cake is picture perfect! I think I used too much orange juice in the glaze. We love flavored olive oils, too. I used Citrus. Lemon is great to roast asparagus with, too.
really enjoyed reading how your changed things the 2nd time and what the results were. thanks for sharing. think I'll try the glaze next time and maybe a few min's less in the oven.