This post is sponsored by Wholesome!® – we used their Organic Blue Agave in this recipe, and many more, because YUM!
Okay, first of all, let’s pause for a moment of reflection on the fact that this is a BRUNCH CAKE. Really the main word that comes to mind is LUSH. It is cake without being *cake* while still being cake. Do you feel me?
This is very much a brunching wow-factor that doubles as second breakfast if you need brunch vibes in your life on a Wednesday.
Time for some straight talk. When I think of Pinch of Yum and what I want it to be, I always come back to this: IS THIS A RECIPE PEOPLE WOULD ACTUALLY MAKE? That’s what I want this blog to be. *nervously side glances the fancy cake*
And so usually the question that filters my decision to post a recipe or not is: IS THIS A RECIPE THAT I WOULD ACTUALLY MAKE?
I mean, for sure, I have a level of appreciation and respect for beautiful food. Like the fancy cakes of Instagram and cupcakes from our local little Copper Hen and even this fruit pizza that my sister makes just to shame me, I’m sure of it.
But friends, I have somewhere between 0 to -100% interest in spending hours, minutes, or really even seconds decorating food. I just don’t. That part of my brain is broken. Maybe it’s a vulnerability complex – I’m not good at it so I don’t want to try? or maybe it’s just plain and simple – that I don’t want to do it. I mean, HELLO. Can we get to the eating part already?
HOW TO MAKE OUR BRUNCH CAKE:
This might be a good time to mention that, considering I was born without decorating and fancy food abilities, it probably looks as if this lovely brunch cake may have taken me years to put together. Good solid YEARS of my life. I’m not a fancy food girl. This is not a secret. We know this. So this princess cake must have been my life’s work up till this point, right?
No. Very wrong.
The truth of the brunch cake? ONE HOUR is the truth of this brunch cake.
Plus or minus a little time depending on how much whipped cream you eat out of the mixer and/or how many finger swipes through the whipped cream cake layers you need to try to cover up. But generally speaking, this is no more complicated than making quick bread.
Guys, in my journey for a regular person’s pretty cake, I tried so many different things to make this cake amazing and *almost literally* sparkly and Instagram-worthy like #cakegoals, and then (here’s the not awesome truth) I got legitimately mad at all of them for being too slow and particular and tedious. That was a SUPERfun weekend. Don’t you wish you would’ve been in the kitchen with me? I think they call it a hot mess or something. The five “test” brunch cakes and various decorating attempts of that weekend shall no longer be mentioned on this blog.
So I eventually channeled my frustration with the lush cake life and landed on something so simple and so stunning and straight up EASY that also happened to completely blow up my brunch game and make me look like I had skillssss, man.
While being still A RECIPE THAT I WOULD ACTUALLY MAKE.
ohmygosh. On point and on brand.
It’s just this is all:
- AMAZING cake made with olive oil and a whole orange. I can die happy.
- Real whipped cream.
- Blueberries.
- Pistachios.
- More agave on top to look like you know what you’re doing with cakes.
The beauty of the whipped cream layer is you just sort of plop it on in big swathes and give it a swirl with a spatula and WHOA. It looks amazing. THIS IS MY KIND OF DECORATING. Same with the rest of the crew – blueberries, pistachios, and agave are color and texture magic all on their own.
Friends, when you do make this, I fully expect pictures. Tag me, snap me, email me, do what you need to do. For the heart and soul of this blog, I need to know that I’m right in saying that this is a faux fancy cake that people will actually make. And adore.
Also guys. We’re using Wholesome!® Organic Blue Agave in this recipe which is our favorite. Have I mentioned that before?
Their organic sweeteners that are not only practical and accessible (s/o to TARGET), but they are also non-GMO and fair trade. Win win!
Also, gurl got a packaging makeover! Their new bottle for the Organic Blue Agave is made from up to 30% recyclable plant-based PET, which means it’s a more sustainable and environmentally friendly packaging option. And that picture above shows what it looks like after SOMEONE has used a large amount of it for sweetening real, thick, creamy whipped cream and then eaten it by the heaping-wooden-spoonful for an inappropriately wonderful “DINNER.”
The adults have officially left the building.
Print
Blueberry Orange Brunch Cake with Agave and Pistachios
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
Description
Orange Brunch Cake – SUPER YUMMY because it’s made with olive oil and whole oranges! topped with whipped cream and blueberries and you’re in fancy brunch business.
Ingredients
FOR THE CAKE:
- 2 oranges, peeled
- 1/4 cup Wholesome!® Organic Blue Agave
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup olive oil
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
FOR THE WHIPPED CREAM AND TOPPINGS:
- 1 pint heavy whipping cream
- 1/4 cup Wholesome!® Organic Blue Agave
- blueberries, pistachios, and additional agave for topping
Instructions
- PREP: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line two 8 or 9-inch round cake pan with non-stick spray or parchment paper on the bottom (I cut mine to a circle so it would fit right in there).
- ORANGE MIXTURE: Place the oranges and agave in a food processor and pulse until a pulpy juice forms. Set aside.
- CAKE: Whisk the sugar, eggs, and olive oil and mix until incorporated. Stir in the orange juice mixture. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and stir until just combined. Transfer batter the prepared cake pans and gently knock the bottom of the pan on the counter to eliminate bubbles in the batter. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until the tops spring back. Let the cake cool to room temperature to avoid melting your whipped cream layers.
- WHIPPED CREAM: Using an electric mixer, beat the heavy whipping cream until light and fluffy. Fold in the agave. Spread whipped cream on top of the first cake, staying close to the center so you don’t get whipped cream overflow. Then gently place the second cake on top, and top with another layer of whipped cream. Cover with blueberries, pistachios, and agave.
Notes
I also took the juice of a few oranges and simmered it down into a thick syrup, whisked with a tiny bit of agave, and poked holes in the finished cakes and poured my “orange syrup” over the cakes. Makes it extra moist and amazing. Totally worth the addition of one extra step between baking and frosting.
In general, I like this cake refrigerated! Especially once it’s had a soaking of orange syrup if you decide to go Next Level with the whole thing.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: brunch cake, blueberry orange cake, blueberry cake
Thanks to Wholesome!® – makers of this Organic Blue Agave – for partnering with us for this post! And for being a great brand all-around.
One More Thing!
This recipe is part of our collection of easy brunch recipes. Check it out!
This looks SO good! I love cake for brunch. And I love how it’s filled with good ingredients that make you feel justified in eating it later in the day too. And as a midnight snack after that. 🙂
Totally agree! Perfect midnight snack. 🙂
Oh my oh my…what a delicious corner of the world it is here today…the cake looks incredible and of course the picture!
Thanks, Siri! 🙂
Looks unbelievably AWESOME. I bet it tastes just as good 😉
Thanks, Laurynas! 🙂 Hope you enjoy it!
This is STUNNING Lindsay! And can I just say thank you for a simple and gorgeous cake that doesn’t involve an entire day in the kitchen!
That’s the goal! 🙂 Thanks, Ellie!
I cant believe you didn’t mention how completely impressive this would be for Mother’s Day?! I mean hello brownie points <3 My mama is gonna LOVE this…YAY!
It would be perfect for Mother’s Day! 🙂 Thanks, Brittany!
That’s so funny that you’re not interested in cake decorating, as you obviously care about food styling. I think they’re the same idea, just in different materials. Regardless of your feelings about cake decorating, this one is lovely and looks delicious.
Thanks, Allyson! 🙂
i made a cake with a whole lemon blended in, but i haven’t done it with an orange. i’ll have to try this one, especially because it sounds so easy to decorate (no need to smooth out the sides, or have a totally level cake), but still looks amazing!
Hope you enjoy it, Heather!
I am not a big fan of blueberries. But these pics look awesome. Can we replace blueberries with any other fruit that pairs well with orange flavor. Please suggest any necessary changes required.
Strawberries would be a great alternative! 🙂 Hope you enjoy!
That whipped cream is sending me over the edge! So, so pretty!
Thanks Michelle! 🙂
Lindsay!!! This is theeee prettiest cake I have ever seen. And I’m TOTALLY going to make it. And take photos.
ugh – agave nectar. I usually love your recipes because they use real food and real ingredients. agave nectar is AWFUL and I’m really surprised to see it here on your blog. it has a dangerously high fructose load, which can be incredibly harmful to our organs, our cholesterol levels, etc. yay that their packaging is not horrible, but the product inside is. again, really surprised to see this ‘sweetener’ in one of your recipes.
Thanks for the feedback, Anne. We really appreciate it. Wholesome Sweet’s website addresses this, and we align with it as well. Thanks again for the comment!
This cake looks incredible! You posted this at just the right moment too! I was looking for a non-chocolate cake recipe to make next week, this wins, hands down! Do you pour the orange syrup on the cakes before you put the whipped cream on or do you pour it over the whole finished product?
Hi Cara! The syrup goes on before the whipped cream. 🙂
Great! Thanks! I made the cakes yesterday and will top them with the whip cream for eating this evening! Looking forward to it!
These pictures are out of this world and surprisingly the recipe is not complicated 🙂 Happy Friday!
That’s the beauty of it! 🙂 Thanks for the comment!
What a gorgeous cake!!! Great job!
Thanks, Victor!
This looks so, so good! I love making over the top cakes that take hours to decorate but you can’t go wrong with a couple of layers of tasty cake (bonus for the olive oil – love olive oil cakes) with a dollop of cream and some fresh berries – gorgeous!
Definitely agree! 🙂 Thanks for the comment!
This looks incredible!!! I love the shot of the agave nectar drizzling over the cake!!
Thanks, Emily!
I’m bringing this to the next shower that I go to. Talk about impressive!
Kari
http://www.sweetteasweetie.com
This would be perfect for a shower! Hope you enjoy! 🙂
Hi Lindsay! I love your blog, congratulations.
I have a question in this cake’s recipe: Do you put the ENTIRE oranges (only peeled) in the food processor?
Don´t the seeds give it a bitter taste?
Yep, the entire oranges peeled!
Thanks!
OMG! This cake! You are literally making me want to jump through the screen and take a bite. I crave cake like 99.99% of the time but this takes it to a whole new level. You’re pictures are beyond beautiful. And I love that it’s simple enough for those of us (points to self) that are better at eating their food than decorating it! 🙂
That’s the goal! 🙂 Thanks for the comment!
“LUSH” is the perfect way to describe this and it looks lovely – not to mention – hello – flavor packed! Wow!
Thanks, Shashi! 🙂
Cake for BRUNCH?! Never tried that before and that has to be fixed ASAP. This is one of the most beautiful cakes I’ve ever seen! I love the shiny drizzle of agave on top 🙂
Thanks, Cassie! 🙂
I so so so so want to make this cake! Before I do, though, I have a couple questions. What size oranges did you use: sm, med, lg? Do you know about how much “liquid” you got from the oranges? You see, I have juiced oranges from the tree in our yard that I froze and would rather use that than storebought oranges. As for the juice you heated down to syrup form, do you know about how much you started with and how much you ended up brushing onto the cakes? Thanks for sharing such an amazing delicious-looking cake.
Hi Maria! We don’t have an exact measurement on the orange juice, but with medium-sized oranges, you get about 4 ounces (8 tablespoons) of juice from two of them so it should be around that. Thanks for the comment!
I am so on board with cake for brunch. What about cake for dinner too? Midnight snack?
This looks amazing – I will definitely be giving it a try at some point, although I’m sure mine won’t look anywhere near as pretty as yours does! It’s the taste that counts though, right? 😉
You can do it, Grace! 🙂 Hope you enjoy!
Looks so yummy. Two more days on my weight loss challenge/ hope to win a trip to Hawaii and I can experiment again. I think I might try with my homemade Greek yogurt instead of whipped cream….
That would be delicious too! Hope you enjoy! 🙂
Can I remove oranges and sub jam? What if I do use oranges but I don’t have a food processor can I just juice it and to make sure remove seeds and the peels right? Do navel oranges work best? Thank you so much!
Hi Dana! We haven’t tested this cake using jam instead of oranges, so it’s hard to say if that would work. I’d imagine that juiced oranges would work just fine if you don’t have a food processor. We used navel oranges in this recipe, so would recommend those. Enjoy!
I’m with you. If it takes longer to make than the meal lasts, I don’t usually make it. This cake is just my style. And I like the simplicity of the decorations. It really does look like you have skills.
Thanks, Patti! 🙂