This Sicilian Orange Cake (Pan d’arancia) will give you undeniable orange flavor in every bite! Made from whole orange, it is refreshingly light and sweet with a hint of bitterness—perfect with coffee or tea!
If you’re thinking of a Sicilian-themed meal, start with panelle as appetizer, traditional pasta alla Norma as primo, then jump right into dessert with this cake. 🙂
Locally known as pan d’arancia (or arancio), it’s an easy-to-prepare cake because the ingredients are generally kitchen staples — even the oranges.
The trick is to get the best ones available, so go crazy when they’re in season and prepare this Sicilian whole orange cake as soon as possible. Simply delicious.
Do you have room for more? Round it all up with some Sicilian almond granita! 😉
FOR MORE TRADITIONAL ITALIAN RECIPES, CHECK OUT THESE POSTS!
Ingredients
- Oranges – you would use the entire orange, so organic ones would be better.
- Eggs – at room temperature, so they take them out earlier if you’re keeping them in the refrigerator.
- Flour – you only need all-purpose flour to make this Sicilian whole orange cake recipe.
- Olive oil – use the mildly flavored ones; the strong, robust ones will overpower the orange flavor of the cake.
- Baking powder – just use your favorite brand.
- Sugar – you would need regular granulated sugar for the orange cake batter and powdered sugar (optional) if you want to dust it for serving.
Preparation
Start making pan d’arancia by preheating your oven to 180°C (350°F).
Grease a 9-inch (23-cm) cake pan with butter and dust it lightly with flour — set aside.
Strain the flour and baking powder into a medium-sized bowl.
Chop the oranges into quarters (or smaller if using a large orange) and place them in the food processor.
Pulse/Process until you no longer see big chunks of orange.
Combine eggs and sugar in a large bowl.
Mix until you get a pale-colored mix, then add olive oil.
Continue mixing, then add the pureed orange.
Mix everything evenly, then add the flour and baking powder from earlier.
Mix gently enough to combine, then pour your Sicilian whole orange cake batter into the prepared pan.
Place the cake pan in the middle of the oven for forty to forty-five minutes or until a toothpick comes out dry when inserted into the cake.
Set aside for at least ten minutes to cool.
Sprinkle with powdered sugar on top — your Sicilian orange cake is now ready for serving!
Helpful tips
- Use the best oranges that you can find. Remember that the cake might turn out slightly bitter if the oranges are not sweet enough.
- For this recipe, you should have about a cup of pureed orange, and make sure there are no big chunks of orange left in there.
- For cake pans: an 8-inch (20-cm) or 9-inch (23-cm) pan will be great for this recipe.
How to serve pan d’arancia?
I’ve seen locals serve it with just a dusting of powdered sugar on top or with orange-flavored additions.
One is to combine freshly squeezed orange juice with sugar and drizzle evenly on the cake before serving.
The other option is to use orange jam as a topping, which is what I did here. Spread an even layer of your favorite orange jam on top of the cake and add more when serving a slice.
It allows you to vary the sweetness of each serving — depending on your preference.
You don’t believe me? Gather all the ingredients then and start preparing this Sicilian orange cake. Remember the jam for serving! 😉
OR GET MORE IDEAS FROM THIS LIST OF CAKES FROM AROUND THE WORLD!
FOR MORE GLOBAL DISHES, CHECK OUT THESE INTERNATIONAL RECIPES BY COUNTRY!
📖 Recipe
Sicilian Orange Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 200 grams flour (7.05 ounces or about 1 & 1/4 cups)
- 1 large orange (or 2 medium-sized oranges)
- 2 medium eggs
- 165 grams sugar (5.80 ounces or about 3/4 cup)
- 130 ml olive oil (1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons powdered. sugar (optional)
- 1 to 2 tablespoons orange jam (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F).
- Lightly grease a 9-inch (23 cm) with butter, and dust it with a bit of flour — then set aside.
- Strain the flour and baking powder into a medium-sized bowl.
- Chop the oranges into quarters (or smaller chunks if using a large orange) and place them in the food processor.
- Pulse/Process until you no longer see big chunks of oranges.
- Mix eggs and sugar in a large bowl until you get a pale-colored batter.
- Add olive oil and continue mixing.
- Add the pureed orange and mix to combine everything evenly.
- Add the sifted flour and baking powder from earlier and mix gently (just enough to combine).
- Pour your Sicilian orange cake batter into the prepared cake pan.
- Place the pan in the middle of the oven for 40 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out dry when inserted into the cake.
- Set aside at least ten minutes to cool, then sprinkle with powdered sugar.
- Your Sicilian orange cake is now ready for serving — and slicing!
Notes
- Cook’s Tip #1: Look for the sweetest oranges you can find. If they’re not sweet enough, your Sicilian orange cake might turn out slightly bitter.
- Cook’s Tip #2: Aim for about a cup of pureed orange for this recipe, and make sure there are no big chunks left before combining with the rest of the ingredients.
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