Sicilian Orange Cake | “Pan d’Arancio”

Sicilian Orange cake is a very soft, fragrant and easy to make cake. It’s perfect for any occasion, but is a real treat with a cup of tea or coffee.

You can make Sicilian orange cake all year round, but in the fall and winter, when oranges are at their best, it tastes even better.

This Italian dessert recipe has its roots in the Sicilian tradition. In Sicily they call this cake “Pan d’Arancio“. Oranges are one of the main products of Sicily and are present in many Sicilian recipes both sweet and savory.

The quality of Sicilian oranges is famous all over the world and the oranges are a real richness for this region.

The peculiarity of this Orange Cake is the use of the WHOLE ORANGE: juice, pulp and peel. This gives the cake its particular soft, moist texture and its characteristic bitter note.

Another feature of this traditional Sicilian recipe, besides the use of whole oranges, is the presence of ALMOND FLOUR which makes the cake even softer.

Finally, another important aspect: this cake is made with NO MILK and NO BUTTER. This makes it light and perfect even for vegetarians or lactose intolerant people.

Sicilian Orange Cake is soft, fragrant, light, with a moist-melting texture that will win you over at the first bite!

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Kitchen Tools and Equipment

To make this Sicilian Orange Cake recipe we opted for an electric stand mixer which is really a great help for a perfect Orange cake. We recommend KitchenAid, but there are other really great brands. In this recipe, it’s essential to add the ingredients while always stirring to mix them quickly.

You can also make Sicilian orange cake with an electric hand mixer.

A Peeler can also be very useful if you decide to peel the orange to remove the bitter white part.

An electric food processor is handy for this recipe to blend the orange.

We used a round cake pan with a removable bottom of about 22 cm (9 inch) in diameter. But of course you can use whatever shape you like. A mold for bundt or a loaf/plum cake pan for example.

Finally, very convenient for preserving the softness of this cake, is a Cake Stand with Dome.

Instructions

Storage

Pan d ‘Arancio Cake can be kept soft for 3/4 days in a cake stand with dome or in an airtight container.

You can also freeze this Sicilian orange cake, preferably already cut into convenient single portions, stored in freezer bags.

Sicilian Orange Cake: Tips and Variations

The preparation of Sicilian “Pan d’ Arancio” is really easy. However, for the success of this cake, it’s essential to follow some precautions.

What Type of Oranges Should I use to Make Orange Cake?

It’s certainly better to use organic oranges with edible peel since you use whole oranges with all the peel in this recipe.

If you are not sure of the edibility of the peel, wash the orange more carefully by rubbing it with baking soda or vinegar and then rinse it very well.

Cooking also helps neutralize some substances that may be on the peel but not all. So it’s definitely better to use organic oranges.

Any quality of orange is good for making this dessert. According to your tastes, you can choose more or less sour or sweet oranges with a more or less intense color.

Why is my Whole Orange Cake Bitter?

The bitter taste of orange cake is given by the use of the whole orange: juice, pulp and peel.

Specifically, the bitterness comes from the white part of the peel. A trick to not get a whole orange cake too bitter, is to discard the white part and use only the colored zest (read step 1).

Better still would be to find oranges with a thin peel, therefore poor in the bitter white part.

 What is the Substitute of Almond Flour?

In addition to the use of whole oranges, the authentic Sicilian orange cake recipe also calls for the use of almond flour, which makes the orange cake moist and very soft.

Alternatively, if you have problems with intolerances or do not have almond flour, you can replace it with the same amount of potato starch or corn starch. You will still get an orange cake that is as soft and light as a cloud!

Chocolate Orange Cake

It’s well known that orange and chocolate are a perfect match.

For a more delicious version, you can replace 30 g (2 tablespoons) of “00” flour with the same amount of unsweetened cocoa powder or add 2 tablespoons of dark chocolate chips for a mouth-watering orange chocolate cake.

Tips for the Final Decoration

In addition to sprinkling the top of the Sicilian whole orange cake with icing sugar, you can do other types of decoration.

It’s very common to cover this “Pan d’Arancia” cake with a GLAZE made with orange juice and powdered sugar. Here how to do it!

In a bowl, mix about 120 grams (1 cup) of powdered sugar and 6 tablespoons of orange juice. It must result in a dense and full-bodied cream. Spread it on the cold cake and your orange cake is ready to be enjoyed.

You can also decorate the cake with candied orange peel or with chopped pistachios both widely used in the Sicilian tradition.

Whole orange cake web story