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Blood orange and cardamom cake

Blood orange and cardamom cake

This seasonal recipe boldly combines fragrant cardamon, sweet orange, and punchy fresh extra virgin olive oil for a rich and indulgent dessert.

The oil will give the cake a lovely, moist texture that should keep for days! This recipe is definitely one to make on a weekend to enjoy throughout the week with your morning coffee.

Blood oranges are also at the peak of their deliciousness right now, so get them NOW while they're in season! You can obviously have them on their own or turn them into this beautiful and delicious cake inspired by the plant-based goddess that is Rachel Ama.

Here's the method:

Serves 8-10

Preheat oven to 180c.
Line the cake tin with baking paper and grease well with EVOO.
Mix the juice of two oranges with the sugar. Keep stirring and heat VERY gently until the sugar is dissolved.
Pour just enough of this syrup into the base of the baking tray to cover it and let it cool to room temperature. Set the rest of the syrup aside.
Thinly slice one orange into rounds. Arrange on top of the base of the cake tin in the syrup. Cut the rinds off if you don’t like the slightly bitter taste of orange peel (tastes like marmalade). Don’t worry if the slices overlap in some places, as they need completely cover the base of the tray to keep the syrup separate from the cake mixture.
Add the olive oil, plant milk and vinegar into the syrup remainder. Mix well with a fork.
In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and ground cardamom pods. Stir in the syrup mixture with a spoon—don’t beat it!
Pour the mixture over the orange slices in the cake tin. Be careful not to disturb the slices.
Place the mixture into the oven for 40 minutes (or until the cake is cooked in the middle).
Wait for the cake to cool before turning it upside down onto a plate to display the caramelised orange top.

📸 This photo and the tips came from the lovely Ella who is half of the duo running our warehouse!

Are you making this? Share with your fellow citizens. Tag us in your photos on Instagram at @CitizensofSoil.

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They certainly can be! But it’s always important to consider why they’re expensive. If the higher price reflects early harvest olives, small-batch production, regenerative farming, and fair wages for farmers, then yes – you're likely getting a high-quality product that’s better for your health, the environment, and the industry. But sometimes, the price tag just reflects good branding and fancy packaging. Always look for real indicators of quality like harvest date, origin transparency, proper packaging, and clear production practices to know if it’s truly worth the splurge.
The best way to tell if you have a bottle of real extra virgin olive oil—and not just labeled that way—is to look for transparency and pay close attention to the details. Quality EVOO will list a harvest date (not just an expiration date), come in a dark glass or tin container, and specify the origin. Avoid vague blends and flashy marketing claims without substance. And most importantly, taste it: legitimate extra virgin olive oil should be fruity, bitter and peppery—not flat or greasy. Your palate is often the best judge
One of the biggest culprits is the term ‘first cold pressed’, which might sound impressive but doesn't define the modern extra virgin olive oil making process or the product's quality. Also look for the harvest date. If you only see an expiration or “best before”, it's more likely the olive oil quality isn't as good. Also pay attention to vague origins like ‘EU blend’. While this might sound romantic, it's a strong indicator that olive oil quality is not top notch. Long story short: true quality comes from transparency, not trendy marketing, so always look beyond branding.