A simple and inexpensive technique to synthesize and deposit Cu(II) oxide (CuO) nanostructured layers is reported herein together with electrical and optical properties characterization. The 2-step deposition procedure consists of spin-coating a Cu(II) formate solution on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) conducting glass substrate followed by a heat treatment. Fluorescence spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy confirmed that the organic ligand precursor is absent in the obtained film. X-ray diffraction (XRD) experiments show that only CuO films are deposited on the FTO substrate ruling out the presence of other CuxO oxides. Scanning-electron microscopy reveals their nanostructured morphology; which agrees with crystallite size domain (L = 21 nm) estimated from XRD width peak analysis. Absorption coefficient spectra, as well as direct-gap values (E-g = 1.52-1.55 eV), were obtained using optical transmittance and reflection spectroscopy. Finally, the as prepared CuO films are used as photoelectrodes in a photoelectrochemical cell with an aqueous electrolyte and short-circuit photocurrent under illumination and dark conditions is measured.