The secret to this light, moist, and airy Bundt cake is the ricotta cheese it contains, as well as the added orange zest and juice, which help give it a lovely citrus flavor. Topping it with an orange powdered sugar glaze, followed by festive Halloween sprinkles and candy eyeballs, also helps to give this holiday cake the perfect touch of spooky cuteness.
I’ve eaten the crumbs from this cake. Uh-huh, just the crumbs. You see, this cake is for my annual Halloween party this weekend, so I can’t full-on cut into it without guilt. I mean, it needs to at least look pretty for the big day, right? You know, for like the first thirty minutes of the party at the very least.
After that though, we’re totally cutting this sucker up and chowing down, because who doesn’t love a light, airy, fluffy cake smothered in orange glaze, sprinkles, and candy eyeballs. Heck, if you’ve got to eat cake, shouldn’t it at least be smothered in eyeballs? Especially if even the crumbs are to die for.
Ingredients:
Cake:
- 1 Cup Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature
- 1/2 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 3/4 Cups Granulated Sugar
- Zest of 2 Oranges
- 1 (15-oz.) Container Whole Milk Ricotta
- 3 Eggs
- Juice of 1 Orange
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla
- 1 1/2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
Glaze:
- 1 Cup Powdered Sugar
- 2 Tablespoons Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice
- Orange Gel Food Coloring
- Sprinkles
- Candy Eyeballs
Directions:
Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a large Bundt Pan; set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix the butter, olive oil, granulated sugar, and orange zest for 2 minutes on medium speed.
- Add the ricotta; mix for 3 minutes on medium speed.
- Add each egg, one at a time, mixing on medium speed for 30 seconds after the addition of each egg.
- Add the vanilla and orange juice; mix on medium speed for 30 seconds.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and fold them together with a silicone spatula until combined. Using the silicone spatula, spoon the batter into the prepared Bundt Pan and smooth out the top.
- Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean.
- Allow the cake to rest for an hour before turning it out onto a cake plate. Allow the cake to cool completely.
Glaze:
- In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and orange juice.
- Add the food coloring and whisk until well combined.
- Use a small spoon to spoon or drizzle the glaze over the cake.
- Decorate with sprinkles and candy eyeballs.
Suggestions:
- The cake batter will be very light, airy, and fluffy. Folding the flour mixture into the batter will help keep it that way.
- When the cake is done, it will be golden brown, slightly pulling away from the sides of the pan, and the center will no longer wobble.
- Do not be alarmed when this cake sinks in the pan while cooling. It’s totally normal.
- I suggest waiting an hour to turn the cake out of the pan. I think if you try to do it before then, your chances of it sticking to the Bundt pan are much higher.
- I use gel food coloring because it does not mess with the consistency of the icing. You can use liquid if you choose. You can even leave it out altogether if you choose to go a more natural route.
- If you glaze the cake while it is still warm the glaze will not adhere properly.
Improvements:
- Add miniature chocolate chips to the flour before adding it to the cake batter.
- Replace the orange juice in the glaze with orange liqueur.
- In lieu of sprinkles, garnish this Bundt cake with sliced almonds.
Ingredients:
- 1 Cup Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature
- 1/2 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 3/4 Cups Granulated Sugar
- Zest of 2 Oranges
- 1 (15-oz.) Container Whole Milk Ricotta
- 3 Eggs
- Juice of 1 Orange
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla
- 1 1/2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1 Cup Powdered Sugar
- 2 Tablespoons Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice
- Orange Gel Food Coloring
- Sprinkles
- Candy Eyeballs
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a large Bundt Pan; set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix the butter, olive oil, granulated sugar, and orange zest for 2 minutes on medium speed.
- Add the ricotta; mix for 3 minutes on medium speed.
- Add each egg, one at a time, mixing on medium speed for 30 seconds after the addition of each egg.
- Add the vanilla and orange juice; mix on medium speed for 30 seconds.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and fold them together with a silicone spatula until combined. Using the silicone spatula, spoon the batter into the prepared Bundt Pan and smooth out the top.
- Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean.
- Allow the cake to rest for an hour before turning it out onto a cake plate. Allow the cake to cool completely.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and orange juice.
- Add the food coloring and whisk until well combined.
- Use a small spoon to spoon or drizzle the glaze over the cake.
- Decorate with sprinkles and candy eyeballs.
PIN THIS RECIPE
Don’t let this recipe slip away. How often do you find a recipe intriguing, yet forget where to find it when you finally get the hankering to make it? Instead of digging through old posts or wandering aimlessly around on the internet, why not Pin this recipe to Pinterest where you can find it when you eventually need it? Simply Pin the image above and you’ll have it when that time comes. You can follow us HERE on Pinterest or simply click HERE to find all of our pin-worthy recipes.
Mandarin Orange Honey Mustard Pork Chops
Orange Marmalade Cinnamon Streusel Muffins
Crunchy Fennel & Fresh Orange Salad
Please make sure to check out the other great “Orange and Olive Oil” Improv Cooking Challenge recipes below.
- Glazed Orange Muffins from Veggies First, Then Dessert
- Blood Orange Baked Squash from Palatable Pastime
- Orange Olive Oil Pound Cake from Making Miracles
- Olive Oil Fresh Orange Cake from Sneha’s Recipe
- Orange Blast Sauce for Pork from Sid’s Sea Palm Cooking
- Blood Orange Salad with Pecans and Blue Cheese from A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Orange Cardamom Pound Cake from Cookaholic Wife
- Halloween-Inspired Orange Ricotta Bundt Cake from Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Despite a Whiskered Accomplice