Sicilian orange cake

My Sicilian Whole Orange Cake recipe is inspired by the rustic citrus cakes of Sicily, where fragrant oranges, olive oil, and almonds are at the heart of traditional baking. Unlike ordinary orange cakes that rely only on juice or zest, this cake uses the entire orange, including the peel, creating a deep, rich citrus flavour with a subtle marmalade-like complexity.

The result is a cake that is incredibly moist, bright, fragrant, and deeply orangey, becoming even better the next day as the citrus flavours deepen and the syrup settles into the crumb.

Perfect with coffee in the afternoon or served with mascarpone or cream for dessert, this cake tastes like it came straight from a Mediterranean bakery.

Orange base

2 large thin-skinned oranges

Dry ingrediants

190 g (1½ cups) plain flour

110 g (1 cup) fine almond flour

2 tsp baking powder

¾ tsp fine sea salt

Wet ingrediants

3 large eggs

160 g (¾ cup) caster sugar

50 g (¼ cup) light brown sugar

120 ml (½ cup) mild olive oil

170 g ¾ cup) full-fat Greek yogurt

45 ml (3 tbsp) whole milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

¼ tsp almond extract

Orange Glaze

180 ml (¾ cup) fresh orange juice

45 g (3½ tbsp) sugar

1 tbsp honey

pinch sea salt

To top

Light dusting icing sugar

Mascarpone or whipped cream

Place a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 175°C conventional (350°F) or 165°C fan (330°F fan). Grease a 23 cm (9 inch) springform cake tin and line the bottom and sides with parchment paper.
Place the whole oranges in a pot and cover with about 1 litre (4 cups) water or enough to mostly submerge them. Bring to a boil for 5 minutes then drain completely. Refill the pot with fresh water and simmer gently for 20-25 minutes or until the oranges are very soft. Turn occasionally if needed. Leave to cool slightly.
Cut the oranges open and remove any seeds. Add the flesh and peel to a blender or food processor and blend until completely smooth. Transfer the puree to a sieve and leave for 5-10 minutes to remove excess liquid. You should have about 400-475 ml (1¾-2 cups) puree.
In a large bowl or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment beat the eggs, caster sugar and light brown sugar on medium-high speed for 5-6 minutes until pale, thick and fluffy.
Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly stream in the olive oil. Add in the Greek yogurt, milk, vanilla extract, almond extract and orange puree then mix for about 30-60 seconds until smooth and fully combined.
In a separate bowl whisk together the plain flour, almond flour, baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and fold gently until just combined. Do not overmix. The batter should look thick, silky and slightly wet.
Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin and smooth the top lightly. Bake in the oven for 55-60 minutes. After about 40 minutes loosely tent the cake with foil if it is browning too quickly. The cake should be deep golden with caramelised edges and a slightly cracked top. A skewer inserted into the centre should come out mostly clean with a few moist crumbs.
While the cake bakes prepare the syrup. In a small saucepan combine the orange juice, sugar, honey and a tiny pinch of sea salt. Simmer gently for 2 minutes then remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly.
Remove the cake from the oven and leave it in the tin. Using a skewer poke holes all over the warm cake. Brush over the syrup gradually in layers, waiting about 5 minutes between each layer so the cake absorbs the syrup slowly without becoming soggy.
Leave the cake to cool completely before removing from the tin. Finish with chopped pistachios and a light dusting of icing sugar if desired. For best flavour and texture place the cake in the fridge or a cool room overnight before serving. Serve with mascarpone, whipped cream or coffee.

Print Options: