Whip up these Lemon Orange Olive Oil Cupcakes as a citrusy twist for breakfast, snack or dessert that will surely be a hit!
We had my first slice of olive oil cake at a local pop-up dinner a few months ago.
And we have seriously been thinking about it ever since!
HOW have we never known about olive oil cake before?!
At first the name of it kind of grossed us out.
But it is seriously the moistest, most delicious cake of all time.
We tried our hand at them for the first time last weekend by whipping up these Lemon Orange Olive Oil Cupcakes.
And they were a hit!
Our first batch was a bit of a let down because we didn’t use enough olive oil to make it as moist as we would have liked.
So the second time around, we mixed lemon infused oil and extra virgin olive oil for the perfect combo!
Horray for that happy accident, cause it really could have gone either way when we’re in charge…
Ingredients Needed To Make Lemon Orange Olive Oil Cupcakes
Sugar
Eggs
Extra virgin olive oil
Vanilla extract
Fresh squeezed orange juice
Orange zest
Baking powder
Baking soda
Confectioners’ sugar for dusting
Parchment paper cupcake liners
Edible flowers — Optional for garnishing. We actually found it useful to always have them in stock since there are a lot of fun edible flower recipes.
All-purpose flour
How to Make Lemon Orange Olive Oil Cupcakes
1 — Preheat the oven to 350F degrees, and fill a cupcake pan with parchment liners.
2 — Mix the sugar and eggs in together until well combined.
3 — Then, add in the lemon and extra virgin olive oils, vanilla, orange juice, and orange zest into the mixture until well combined.
4 — Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in another bowl.
5 — Then, slowly add in the dry ingredients to the wet mixture on low until fully incorporated.
6 — Once completely combined, spoon the cake mixture into each cupcake liner about 2/3 of the way full.
7 — Bake for 20-25 minutes until the cupcakes have fully risen and are golden brown.
Remove from the oven and let cool.
8 — Then, use a sifter to sprinkle confectioner’s sugar across the tops of each.
Add a few orange zest sprinkles and edible flowers for garnishing.
Why is Olive Oil So High in Calories?
If you’re being conscious about your calorie intake, we have to warn you that the Lemon Orange Olive Oil Cupcakes are high in calories.
And that’s because they contain olive oil.
We also tell ourselves that the calories from the mega doses of olive oil even out with regular cake.
However, keep in mind that olive oil contains monounsaturated fatty acids, which are considered healthy fats.
And the olive oil is why these cupcakes are so deliciously moist.
Due to the high calories, we opted out on icing.
But if you’d like some, then try this easy buttercream frosting recipe.
More Citrus Recipes to Try
Lemon Orange Olive Oil Cupcakes Recipe
Equipment
- Parchment paper cupcake liners
- Sifter
- Hand or stand mixer
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp orange zest extra for garnishing
- 3 tbsp fresh squeezed orange juice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 0.25 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/3 cup lemon infused olive oil
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour plus more for the pan
- Edible flowers and extra orange zest optional for garnishing
- Confectioners’ sugar for dusting
Nutrition
Notes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Fill a cupcake pan with parchment liners.
- Mix the sugar and eggs in together until well combined.
- Add in the lemon and extra virgin olive oils, vanilla, orange juice, and orange zest into the mixture until well combined.
- Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in another bowl.
- Slowly add in the dry ingredients to the wet mixture on low until fully incorporated.
- Once completely combined, spoon the cake mixture into each cupcake liner about 2/3 of the way full.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the cupcakes have fully risen and are golden brown.
- Remove from the cupcakes from the oven and let them cool for about 10 minutes.
- To garnish: Use a sifter to sprinkle confectioner’s sugar across the tops of each cupcake. Add a few orange zest sprinkles and edible flowers for garnishing.
Don’t forget to share your Lemon Orange Olive Oil Cupcakes with us on Instagram using the hashtag #sugarandclothloves. We always love seeing all of your creations! Looking for more quick and delicious recipes? You can find them all right here with a few bites to go along with them!
I have now tried this recipe twice and both times they came out horrible. I am honestly not really sure what happened: I’ve made plenty of cupcakes and I’ve never had as much of an issue as I’ve had using this olive oil base recipe.
The first time I made these, I inadvertently added a bit of extra powdered sugar to the base and over-filled them. I chalked up the overflowing mess on top of my cupcake pan to my own mistakes and opted to go pick up some more lemon olive oil and give them another try this weekend.
Today, I was meticulous about ensuring everything was measured out exact. No additional changes and a lot of care was taken not to overfill the cupcake liners.
Despite my precautions, the cupcakes still did not turn out well. The color is terrible (nearly white in the center and almost burnt around the edges), the texture can only be described as “oily” at best, the tops are speckled with holes, and they sank into dense, slick-looking lumps as soon as I removed them from the oven.
It’s a shame because this recipe has been on my to-do list for a long time, but I will not be wasting another bother of pricey bottle of infused olive oil to try these for a third time.
We’re so sorry to hear that Amanda! The final product of the cupcakes should be a bit oily but there are a variety of recipes available online as well! Please let us know if you try again!
Quick question – when you’re combining the wet ingredients at the start, I’m assuming that’s with an electric mixer and not by hand?
Hey Sarah! Yes, it’s with an electric mixer! xo
I made this recipe this weekend for a friend’s birthday. Everyone lost their minds over them. Anyone who tried them wanted the recipe. Thank you for posting it.
Yay! SO glad they were a hit! xo
Hi! Quick question because they look amazing, do you think it would work alright if I replace the eggs with ground flaxseed? Can’t have egg whites but would still love to try these out!
Hi Lizzy! Honestly, we are not sure. But as someone who has a member in the family that is allergic to eggs, we have hacked baked goods with egg substitutes. Just keep in mind that the texture may be a lot different since eggs assist with binding the dessert and also make the dessert fluffy. We personally discovered through trial and error that we preferred egg replacers (especially Bob Mill Egg replacer) over egg substitutes like flaxseed, applesauce, etc. One tip if you are using any egg substitute is to let the batter sit for 15-30 minutes so that all the ingredients bind together better. Hope this helps!
Yum ! I’m always looking for new lemon cupcake recipes and I love the orange twist on these ones. Will have to give it a go.
Thanks !
Ko
These are so beautiful! What a great flavor combo with the lemon and orange mixed with the olive oil! I love that you used the edible flowers too! So lovely!
Oh my, these are looking amazing and so pretty! I will try these babies this weekend! Thanks for sharing this recipe, darling!
So pretty with the edible flowers! Where did you find them? I’ve been having a heck of a time finding any near me.
I love the flavor combo here!!!
These cupcakes look delicious! I love lemon and orange together so I’ll have to try these soon!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
Yum! These look delicious, Ash. And I love the edible flower sprinkles on top. Perfect!
I have never had olive oil cake, but looking at these, I will take 5 please…
This is SO cute! They look delicious and lovely! Those are the best kind of cupcakes!