My Cookbook: Souk to Table 
Orange Cardamom Cake (Without Olive Oil)
This simple orange cardamom cake recipe combines the citrusy, fresh flavour of oranges with aromatic cardamom in a tender moist cake. Easy to make, unfussy and perfectly delicious on its own. This is the type of cake you make over and over again (just ask my dad – it’s now his signature dessert!). Bonus: you don’t need a stand mixer, just some bowls and a whisk!
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5-STAR READER REVIEW
“In all honesty I was prepared to not like this cake. Cardamom in a cake? Yuck! Well boy was I wrong! This cake is fabulous. Once I tried it, I was in love. Since discovering your recipe I have made it 3 more times. This cake is DELICIOUS!! Perfect for the holidays. ”
—Annalee
Orange + Cardamom = Magic
An orange cake is a quintessential dessert made by many Arab moms, mine included. This was her go-to whenever anyone was coming over for tea. Except of course, she makes it using her special baking cup (which is an ancient mug in her cupboard) and all her measurements require this cup.
So when I decided to re-create it for my cookbook, I tested it seven times before I was happy with the results. And I added cardamom! It brings warmth and makes the cake smell delicious. Similar to my date cake and tahini banana cake, I love combining middle eastern ingredients with non-traditional desserts. The cardamom transforms the cake into something truly special. Ideal for tea time or for a simple dessert!
The cake is made with vegetable oil, which helps it stay moist for longer. I’ve tried it with olive oil, but I prefer a neutral oil in terms of flavour – it is so much better!
How to Make Orange Cardamom Cake
This is the perfect cake for non-bakers, no stand mixer required, just some bowls and a whisk!
Step 1: Zest (avoid the white pith) and juice the oranges to get the most amount of orange citrus flavour in each bite. This is the longest step, and dare I say, the one I dislike the most. But get through it!
Step 2: In a large bowl, add the sugar and rub the zest into it with your fingers to release the oils. Then combine all the dry ingredients together in the bowl. Mix well.
Step 3: Combine the liquid ingredients together in another bowl, including the orange juice. Whisk to incorporate well.
Step 4: Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined. Be careful not to over mix as this can result in a dense cake.
Step 5: Pour into a prepared Bundt pan and bake. Once cooled, dust with powdered sugar and serve.
My Favourite Way to Decorate It
A simple dusting of sugar is all it needs (if you like), and if I’m serving it for company, I like to decorate it with a few mint leaves and some orange slices. Totally unnecessary but makes for a beautiful presentation.
Growing up we had a pretty unique way of serving this cake. A dollop of creamy, plain yogurt atop a thick slice of cake. It’s not common I know, but it’s delicious, especially at the breakfast table or at tea time.
If you tried these recipes, please consider leaving a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page – I’d love to hear from you! You can also hop on over to Instagram and say hello!
Orange Cardamom Cake (Without Olive Oil)
Ingredients
- 3 large oranges
- 1 cup granulated sugar, 200 g
- 2 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, divided
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 teaspoons ground cardamom
- 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, divided, 240 ml
- 3 eggs, at room temperature
For Garnishing
- 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ and position the rack in the middle. Grease a 10-cup (2.4 L) Bundt pan with 1 tablespoon of the oil, then dust it with 1 tablespoon of the flour. Tap the outside of the pan to circulate the flour so that it covers the inside surface.
- Zest the oranges (avoiding the white pith) into a small bowl to yield roughly 4 to 5 tablespoons of orange zest. Juice the oranges into a separate small bowl to yield 3/4 cup (180 ml) of juice (you can also use store bough 100% orange juice).
- In a large bowl, add the sugar and rub the zest into using your fingers to release the oils. Add the rest of the dry ingredients (the remaining 2 cups (240 g) flour, the baking powder, salt, granulated sugar and cardamom). Whisk all the ingredients together to combine.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the remaining 1 cup (240 ml) oil, the eggs, and orange juice until combined.
- Gradually fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients using a silicone spatula until the wet and dry ingredients are just combined and you no longer see flour streaks. Do not over mix the batter or that will result in a dense cake. pour the batter into the prepared Bundt pan.
- Bake for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Let cool for 10 to 15 minutes, then carefully flip onto a cake plate or stand. Let cool completely.
- Dust with the powdered sugar, slice, and serve.
Notes
- You can use store bought orange juice, but do not skip the orange zest! It really makes or breaks the cake.
- If you enjoy the flavour of olive oil, you can use that instead of vegetable oil in this recipe.
- Please wait for the cake to cool completely before flipping or it’ll break!
This is the 4th Orange Bundt cake recipe I’ve tried and this has been the best one yet! Nice and light (others were too dense) and easy to make. This will now be my go to. I didn’t have enough orange juice or ground cardamom (used whole, blended with OJ and strained) but it was still perfect.
Oh I am so so glad to hear that! I am glad my recipe testing paid off in this case 😀 Thanks so much for your review!
Can you sub cake flour?
Hi Samantha – from what I know, I think substituting cake flour in a 1:1 ratio to the AP flour should work, but I haven’t tested it out myself to be extra sure. Let me know if you try it!
Salaams Amina,
Which brand of bundt pan do you use and how do you prep it so the cake releases easily? And which type of oranges are best for this cake? Please suggest ! thanks
Hi Hina! Step 1 in the recipe card explains how to prepare the pan with flour and oil. Also I use Nordicware pans and they work so well! Hope that helps 🙂
It’s soooo good! I was a little worried when I saw how runny the cake batter was ( it was more like pancake batter consistency) but it came out perfect & not too sweet ! I can’t wait to try it with tea in the morning.
Hi Jadr, Humaira from the Hungry Paprikas Team here! So glad you enjoyed the Orange Cardamom Cake, it will be perfect with your morning cup of tea. Enjoy!
In all honesty I was prepared to not like this cake. Cardamom in a cake? Yuck! Well boy was I wrong! This cake is fabulous. Once I tried it, I was in love. Since discovering your recipe I have made it 3 more times. This cake is DELICIOUS!! Perfect for the holidays.
Thank you!!!🙏🏻
Annalee
I love this review! A converted orange and cardamom lover 😀 Thanks so much for your review Annalee, appreciate sharing your experience with us!
Baked this beauty over the weekend and turned out very tasty and moist. Double thumbs up for a great recipe. Going to trial the same recipe but replace it with lemon and poppy seed instead of cardamon and orange. Thanks Amina.
That’s lovely to hear, thanks for your review Heidi! Love to hear how it went for you!