This bergamot orange olive oil cake is a fragrant, moist Italian cake with bright citrus flavor balanced by a rich whipped mascarpone topping. The combination of sweet, tart, and creamy makes it a standout dessert.
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9-inch spring form pan. For this recipe you will need the juice and zest from two bergamot oranges.
Place the sugar in a large bowl. Zest the bergamot orange onto the sugar and use your fingers to rub the zest into the sugar. Add the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda and whisk for 30 seconds to thoroughly combine the ingredients.
Place the eggs in a large bowl and whisk. Add the olive oil, the milk and the orange juice and whisk the ingredients until the they are well combined. Add the dry ingredients and whisk together until no bits of flour remain, but do not overmix or you will end up with a tough cake.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Use an offset spatula to smooth the top. Bake the cake for 45-50 minutes until a cake skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, with just a couple of crumbs clinging to it.
Ten minutes before the cake is done combine the bergamot orange juice, the sugar and the butter in small saucepan and place over medium heat. Heat the mixture until the butter is melted the sugar is dissolved. Do not boil the mixture.
Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes. Run a spatula around the edges of the cake to loosen it from the sides of the pan and remove the ring from the cake. Brush the cake with the syrup and allow it to completely before frosting.
At this point, you can enjoy the cake unfrosted. If making the cake in advance it can be stored at room temperature wrapped in plastic wrap for two days.
Place the mascarpone in the bowl of stand mixer. With the whip attachment beat the mascarpone.
Add the heavy cream in a steady stream down the side of the bowl. After adding all the cream continue to beat the mixture until soft peaks form. Add the honey and beat on medium low speed until it is thoroughly combined.
If making the whipped mascarpone in advance refrigerate it until ready to frost the cake.
After the cake is frosted, serve immediately. Refrigerate any uneaten cake.
Store the unfrosted cake wrapped in plastic wrap at room temperature for up to two days. Refrigerate the frosted cake; serve chilled. Freeze unfrosted cake wrapped in plastic and foil for up to one month.
9-inch springform pan · stand mixer with whip attachment · offset spatula · cake skewer or toothpick
Yes. The unfrosted cake can be stored at room temperature wrapped in plastic wrap for up to two days. The whipped mascarpone frosting should be refrigerated if made in advance and applied just before serving.
Regular orange zest and juice can substitute, though bergamot has a unique floral, slightly bitter quality. You may need to add a pinch more sugar to balance the flavor profile.
Insert a cake skewer in the center at 45-50 minutes; it should come out clean with just a couple of crumbs clinging to it. Overbaking will dry out the cake.
The bergamot-orange syrup adds extra moisture and intensifies the citrus flavor after baking. It's applied while the cake is still warm so it absorbs thoroughly.
Yes, the cake is delicious unfrosted on its own. The mascarpone is optional but adds richness and balances the tart citrus notes.
