Pan d’Arancio | Sicilian Orange Cake Recipe
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This orange cake is a classic, homemade treat from the enchanting island of Sicily. Featuring bright orange flavors mellowed with almond flour, it tastes so delicious that no one who tries it will guess how easy it is to make!
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Pan d’Arancio Recipe
For this recipe, you will need:
- 2 large oranges (we recommend organic since the peel of one will be used in the cake)
- 3 large eggs
- ¾ cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
- 10 ½ tablespoons (150 grams) unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
- 1 ⅔ cup (200 grams) all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
- 1 tablespoons (16 grams) baking powder
- 1 cup (100 grams) almond flour
- Powdered sugar (about ½ cup, no need to be precise) for glazing
You’ll also want a blender, hand mixer, fine mesh sifter, and 9 inch (or similar) springform mold.
Remove and discard the green pedicel from one of the oranges. Slice the fruit into 8 to 10 pieces. Place them in a blender—that‘s right, rind, seeds and all—and blend into a smooth purée. Set aside.
Preheat an oven to 355 ºF (180 ºC).
Using a hand mixer, whisk the eggs and sugar together until very creamy, fluffy, and almost white in color.
Melt the butter in a microwave and set aside to cool slightly. Meanwhile, mix the flour and baking powder together, then sift these with a fine mesh sieve into the eggs. Use a spatula to gently mix all together.
Next, mix in the orange purée. When this is incorporated, stir in the melted butter. Finally, mix in the almond flour.
Butter a 9 inch springform mold and dust the inside with flour (be sure to dump out any excess). Pour the cake batter into the mold. Shake the tin to even out the surface.
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until an inserted knife pulls out clean. Allow the cake to cool completely before removing the mold and transferring the cake to a serving plate.
When the cake has cooled, make a simple glaze by mixing powdered sugar with juice from the second orange. Add a little bit of juice at a time until you have a consistency that can be drizzled but isn’t too runny. Add more sugar if it’s too liquid.
Drizzle the cake with the glaze.
Buon appetito!
4 comments
I’ve made this cake quite a few times and it was amazing—not too sweet and very fragrant. I’ve had a clunker, but it was due to the pith being too bitter (be careful of which type of orange you use). Of course, I still ate it! In response to the previous entry (about using other citrus), I remember once throwing in a lemon once (either due to having only a really small orange or a tangerine) and it came out great, too. If the skin is really thick on the fruit, it may be safer to peel the rind (using a veggie peeler) and removing some of the underlying pithn (as it’s so bitter).
I just popped this in the oven. I made it with blood oranges and olive oil and the batter looks really funky but it tastes good. Next time orange oranges! ;-)
Absolutely, @Jackie! Let us know if you try it!
Can this be made with other citrus fruit. We grow limes and lemons and have too many, looking for new recipes