Olive Oil Citrus Cake With Mascarpone Cream and Strawberries

Why we love this recipe

• Thanks to the olive oil, the cake has an ultra-moist crumb that stays tender for days.
• The citrus flavours shine without being overwhelming, creating a dessert for lemon cake lovers that feels both bright and refined.
• This cake is easy to make. It requires minimal technique: no creaming, no complicated steps, just a simple batter that comes together in minutes.
• It’s versatile. Serve it plain, glaze it with orange glaze, add fresh or macerated berries and mascarpone cream — the cake adapts to any occasion.
• It’s a perfect make-ahead dessert for entertaining, it only gets better and develops deeper flavour after it rests. A great make-ahead cake for brunch or any other special occasions.

Serving suggestions

• A light drizzle of good extra-virgin olive oil
• A spoonful of macerated berries
• Mascarpone cream, whipped cream, or yogurt
• A thin citrus glaze for extra brightness

Storage notes

Olive Oil Citrus Cake With Macerated Strawberries

Soo Kim

This olive-oil citrus cake is everything a modern dessert should be: bright, moist and effortlessly elevated. Extra-virgin olive oil creates a tender crumb that stays soft for days, while fresh orange and lemon zest add a fragrant lift. Macerated strawberries add juicy sweetness, and an optional silky Mascarpone Cream adds decadence.

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Ingredients

Cake

• 1½ cups all-purpose flour spooned and levelled
• ½ cup finely ground almonds or all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• 1⅓ cups granulated sugar
• 2 tsp orange zest
• 2 tsp lemon zest
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• ⅔ cup whole or 2% milk
• ⅓ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1½ tsp vanilla or ½ tsp almond extract

Glaze

• 3½ tbsp granulated sugar
• 2 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice

Macerated Strawberries

• 2 cups sliced or quartered strawberries
• 3 tsp granulated sugar
• 2 tsp orange liqueur or 1 tsp vanilla optional

Mascarpone Cream

• ½ cup mascarpone
• 1 cup 35% whipping cream
• 3 tbsp icing sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• Pinch kosher salt optional

Instructions

 

Olive Oil Cake

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Mist 9-in (23-cm) springform pan with cooking spray; line bottom with parchment paper. Dust with flour, tapping out excess.
• In bowl, whisk together flour, almonds, baking powder, salt and baking soda.
• In large bowl, rub sugar with orange zest and lemon zest until fragrant. Add eggs; whisk until light in colour, about 30 seconds. Whisk in oil, milk, orange juice and vanilla. Add flour mixture, whisking until smooth. Scrape into prepared pan.
• Bake until golden brown and cake tester inserted in centre comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Run paring knife around edge; let cool in pan on rack for 15 minutes.

Orange Glaze

• Meanwhile, in small saucepan, bring sugar and orange juice to a boil over medium heat; cook until thickened, 1 minute.
• Remove collar from cake; transfer cake to rack. Brush glaze over side and top of warm cake.

Macerated Strawberries

• Meanwhile, in bowl, combine strawberries, sugar and orange liqueur (if using); let stand at room temperature, stirring a few times.

Mascarpone Cream

• Meanwhile, in bowl, using an electric mixer, beat mascarpone with whipping cream and icing sugar on medium until light, smooth and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in vanilla and salt (if using).
• Serve cake with mascarpone cream, a drizzle of olive oil and prepared strawberries.

Notes

Tips:

One of the keys to making this dreamy olive oil cake is using a high-quality extra-virgin olive oil with fruity notes to highlight the citrus.

Plan ahead if you’re serving this cake at a gathering: It will magically improve when kept at room temperature for up to five days.

Keyword citrus cake, citrus dessert recipe, mascarpone, Mediterranean cake recipe, olive oil cake

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