Sicilian whole orange cake is a moist and delicious crowd-pleasing dessert. It is called a whole orange cake, because the entire orange is used, peel and all. Perfect for any occasion, but such a treat with a cup of tea or coffee.
My mother found the original Sicilian orange cake recipe for this divine baked treat on an Italian website, and I can’t even begin to describe how moist and fruity it is. The orange scent that fills your kitchen as it bakes is also heavenly! It contains a whole orange, peel and all (no seeds), and you’ll need another orange if you make the glaze.
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The original recipe calls for an ingredient that’s mostly only available in Italy, so my mother adapted it for the rest of us and even added some yogurt, and the result is fabulous! Many of you have asked…
Getting ready for Christmas? Try these authentic Italian Christmas recipes which are great all year long!
Just know that the texture of this cake is different than a typical American cake: it’s more dense and heavy, but it’s meant to be that way. The whole orange cake also has a lovely glaze made with orange juice that soaks into the top of the cake, and works perfectly with blood oranges, too. I made a whole blood orange bundt cake to test them out (more than once)!
Tip: I once accidentally boiled the glaze into a syrup (forgot it was on the stove) and when I glazed the cake, it hardened and gave the cake a candy-like topping. I loved it! If you’d like to try this, just simmer the glaze an extra 6 or 7 minutes or so.
Everyone who’s tried it, loves it. Honestly, it’s just such a unique and crowd pleasing cake! Here’s a recent review (edited May 2023) which is only one of almost 2,800 reviews averaging 4.8 stars!
“Amazing, moist, delightful!
My whole family went back for THIRDS, didn’t last very long in our kitchen! Thanks for sharing” -Tianna
Gluten free diet? Try my gluten free recipe of this Sicilian Orange Cake!
It even gives perfect results when I make a gluten free whole orange cake. Of course, you can probably guess what I’m going to say next: you really need to use the best oranges you can get your hands on for this Sicilian whole orange cake recipe to turn out as deliciously as possible. If you can find organic, sweet, juicy oranges without a super thick rind, you’ll have it made.
Got kumquats? Make these kumquat cupcakes.
Just be sure to make this orange cake before citrus season is over! I’m sure there are other recipes for orange cake using fresh oranges, but I’d bet that this just may be the best orange cake in the world! It’s also perfect without the glaze as many have added in the comments and reviews. Speaking of reviews, take a look at all the rave reviews and comments, many bakers declaring it is the best cake they’ve ever made!
Edited Dec. 2020: I’ve just made a cranberry twist to this recipe!
Edited February 2019: I’ve made this orange cake recipe in a loaf tin, and it’s perfect. I’ve also made it in a bundt tin and the amount of batter for one recipe makes a short bundt cake. If you’re going to use a bundt tin make 1.5x the recipe.
Speaking or oranges, did you know arancini means little oranges? Try my popular recipe!
Can I Freeze this Sicilian Whole Orange Cake?
Yes, this orange cake freezes beautifully! I often have pieces in the freezer because it freezes so well!
Now adding my Sicilian Whole Lemon Cake, too! I’ve adapted this recipe for a Meyer lemon cake, too! It’s fantastic!
Do I Have to use a Food Processor to Make this Orange Cake?
I’ve been asked if a food processor or blender is necessary to make this cake and the answer is, “yes.” Unfortunately, it would be too difficult to chop the orange as finely as needed by hand. You can see how fine the orange is processed in a photo below, however, an inexpensive food processor works great.
EDITED 7/2022: Daniel Coffey (a reader) left a tip for those of you without food processors in the comments below. Since it might be difficult to find, I’m adding it here:
“I…cut the peel into coarse strips and then finely diced them. I put the chopped bits of orange into the spice grinder in two batches and pulsed the stick blender a few times. I tapped it on the counter top to shake down any remaining coarse bits and gave it about 30 seconds. Scrape out and repeat for the other orange half. You can then put the juice and finely chopped peels in the recipe as normal.”
Sicilian Whole Orange Cake
adapted by Lidia Conte from Pan d’Arancio from Allaciate il Grembuile
I highly recommend using a scale for this recipe and if you are deciding cups or weight, ALWAYS weigh!
FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C)
Make the whole orange cake
Prepare an 8″ springform pan by spraying with oil (or butter) and lining in parchment paper (sides optional, if you want really clean sides), then spray the paper, too.
Place the sugar and eggs in a large bowl and beat with a mixer until light and creamy.
Sift the flour with the baking powder or Paneangeli, then add to the mixture in the bowl a little at a time along with the softened butter. Continue to mix until completely blended, then stir in the yogurt.
In a food processor, or blender, process the whole orange until it is almost pureed. It should look like this~
Add the processed whole orange to the cake mixture (along with the vanilla if you used baking powder) and stir until evenly combined Put the batter into the prepared tin.
Bake the cake
Bake for 50-60 minutes (depending on your oven), but test with a cake tester or skewer to make sure the orange cake is done before removing from the oven. Allow to cool for about 15 minutes, then run a thin knife around the perimeter and remove the side of the springform pan.
Make the orange glaze
Prepare the glaze by melting the sugar in the orange juice and allow to simmer for a few minutes, just until the liquid has a syrupy consistency. Spoon and brush the hot glaze over the top of the warm cake and allow to cool completely before cutting. Yes, it’s hard to wait, but the moist orange cake will cut more easily if it’s cool first.
Eat the Sicilian whole orange cake!
Love citrus? Try making this lemon posset, but using oranges (or an orange/lemon combo) instead! It’s honestly one of my favorite desserts! It’s similar to orange boodle, but even easier, which is saying a lot. Oh, and I just keep making this recipe using all sorts of fruits. So far I’ve made apple cake, pear cake, peach cake, kumquat cupcakes, and tried lime, but the rind is too bitter. I will post here when I tweak the recipe to make it work.
Sicilian Whole Orange Cake
The most luscious, moist and delicious orange cake you'll ever try!
Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- 1 1/8 c (250g) sugar
- 1 3/4 c (275g) all purpose flour
- 2 1/2 tsp baking powder (or 1 packet Italian Pane Degli Angeli vanilla baking powder)
- 1/3 c (100g) butter, softened
- 1/3 c (100g) plain Greek yogurt (yes, sour cream works, too)
- 1 large organic orange, about (300g), washed and cut into pieces (with the rind, but remove the seeds)
- (if using plain baking powder add 1 tsp vanilla extract)
Glaze
- juice of one organic orange
- 1/3 c (100g) sugar
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C)
Make the whole orange cake
- Prepare an 8" springform pan by spraying with oil (or butter) and lining in parchment paper (sides optional, if you want really clean sides), then spray the paper, too.
- Place the sugar and eggs in a large bowl and beat with a mixer until light and fluffy.
- Sift the flour with the baking powder or Paneangeli then add to the mixture in the bowl a little at a time along with the softened butter. Continue to mix until completely blended, then stir in the yogurt.
- In a food processor, process the whole orange until it is almost pureed.
- Add this orange to the cake mixture (along with the vanilla if you used plain baking powder) and stir until evenly combined, then put the batter into the prepared tin.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes (depending on your oven), but test with a cake tester or skewer to make sure the orange cake is done before removing from the oven. Allow to cool for about 15 minutes, then remove the side of the springform pan.
- Prepare the glaze by melting the sugar in the orange juice and allow to simmer for a few minutes, just until the liquid has a syrupy consistency.
- Spoon and brush over the top of the cake and allow to cool completely before cutting.
Make the orange glaze
Notes
I've made this orange cake recipe in a loaf tin, and it's perfect.
I've also made it in a bundt tin and the amount of batter for one recipe makes a short bundt cake. If you're going to use a bundt tin make 1.5x the recipe.
Yes, it's hard to wait, but the moist orange cake will cut more easily if it's cool first.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1 sliceAmount Per Serving: Calories: 233Total Fat: 6.4gSaturated Fat: 3.6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 54mgSodium: 69mgCarbohydrates: 37gFiber: 1gSugar: 22.5gProtein: 8g
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Made the cake. Came out looking beautiful but tasted some what bitter
Hi Paula, if there’s any bitterness, the oranges probably weren’t the best. Sweet, fresh oranges are really needed for this cake.
I made mine with navel oranges and used blood oranges as the glaze and deco 1/4s for the top. Yum, as soon as that was spoken the plate was empty. I did have some cream minus sugar whipped up as a side dish. The son and two little mates liked the cream. Their faces testerfied to that.
I like lemon so will give that a go.
I have tried a grapefruit one, quite nice. I decorated with shaved almonds, not the slivered ones
I thought the shaved ones stayed put better.
Good for you! So happy it was so well-received Martha May! Will have to try grapefruit when I find some fresh fruit. :)
Can I use cake flour instead of AP FLOUR
Hi Paula, given that I haven’t tried cake flour, I honestly can’t say. However, what I will say is that this recipe is truly flexible and forgiving. If you try it, let me know how it goes! CC
[…] If you’re an orange lover, there’s no question you will have to try this recipe. Hopefully you’ve already made some of my other orange treats like my cranberry orange bread pudding, Boodle’s Orange Fool or my very popular Sicilian whole orange cake. […]
What can I say?
Just delicious 😋
Definitely making this again.
Thank you ☺️
Hi Christina, I’ve made this recipe before and it was lovely! However, I’m now on the hunt for an orange layer cake recipe. Do you think this recipe would work for a layer cake with filling and icing? I was thinking of doubling it, baking in 2 tins, and cutting each cake in half to make 4 layers which I could sandwich together with lemon curd and cover with buttercream. However, I got a bit scared seeing some of the reviews saying “dense.” It’s been about a year since I made this cake myself and I can’t remember the exact texture. I don’t want a light and fluffy sponge cake, but I think a very dense cake would be a bit too rich to eat in multiple layers with icing. What are your thoughts? Do you think this would work or should I find a different recipe? Thanks!
Hi Isabelle, good question. Although many readers have made this into a layer cake and filled and frosted it, I personally would use another recipe. It truly isn’t meant to be eaten as a layer cake as it does have a dense texture. I have a lemon cake which you could substitue orange for and bake in two round tins. This recipe is what you’re looking for, I believe. Let me know what you decide :) Happy baking!
Thank you so much! I will definitely be making this Sicilian Orange cake again, but I will follow your advice and try your lemon recipe for my layer cake.
Awesome, and you’re welcome!
The cake was such a disappointment I felt it had too much liquid and ended up throwing it out it just sunk in the middle and didn’t cook through.
Such a waste of ingredients time and electricity.
Hi Irene, I’m sorry the cake didn’t turn out for you, but clearly it was some sort of measuring mistake. With almost 1500 reviews averaging 4.7 stars, the recipe is solid. These are not including the wonderful reviews on Pinterest, too. Here are a few recent comments on this cake from other bakers, the first one is from today:
“Lovely moist cake. My guests loved it.” -Sandra
“Delicious whole orange cake – much lighter than other I have made. I have tried it with a cream cheese icing with orange rind and juice – yum!” -Trix
“This turned out just perfect, it was glistening with glaze, It was tender and full of flavor. This is a keeper!” -Armida
“This recipe is absolutely fantastic!
I came across it last year when I was looking for something citrusy to tickle my tastebuds!
“Since then, I have made it many times.
Once, in Nov, I was in a place without many pans so I found 2 sandwich tins and split the batter. Then I made an orange infused cream along with a generous smear of homemade orange and ginger marmalade as fillings – it was marvellous!
Thank you so much for a real favourite!” -Giselle
I’m guessing you won’t want to give it another try, but I hope you will as it’s truly a wonderful cake.
Sounds to me like she had to much air in it and that is why it sunk.
I don’t think so, Sue. It’s turned out for so many people despite them making lots and lots of changes. Not to mention, I don’t know how she’d get a lot of air in such a dense batter. I think it was a measuring error, truly.
It’s awesome, one of our regular favourites now, I’ve altered it, the yoghurt swapped for goats cheese, the glaze for orange frosting etc. From the first attempt to now, always delicious and frequently requested. Just a thought, I haven’t read all the comments, maybe the correct sized tin? Thank you for sharing this recipe, we love love love it! 🖤🤗
Hi! Do you juice the orange for the glaze and put the remainder into the blender and into the cake? Or do you need 2 oranges?
Cheers!
Two oranges as noted (one for the cake, one for the glaze). Enjoy!
Hi Christina … I am looking forward to baking your wonderful cake in a bundt pan. Your instructions say if I’m using a Bundt pan, to use the 1.5 X recipe. But I can’t find it! Have I missed something? Thank you so much.
Hi Dawn, I mean add another 50% to all of the ingredients, however, many readers have made it as it in a bundt pan and been pleased with the results. CC