The orange cake of my dreams! This Italian orange cake has been on repeat since the beginning of this year. Partially because I wanted to perfect this recipe and partially because I couldn’t stop eating slices full of this cake for every meal of the day! Warm nutmeg scented vanilla cake with real orange segments and zest running through the batter. It takes me back to when we were in one of the coastal towns of Cinque Terre. We tucked into a little corner bakery off the cobblestone street to get out of the drizzle one morning. And in my broken Italian, I asked the lady to give me a slice of their most popular cake. She told me it was their Sicilian orange cake (the family that ran that bakery was originally from Sicily if I remember correctly.) This is my interpretation of that delicious, whole orange cake, inspired and partially adapted from my olive oil pound cake. Her cake was perfect as is. Tender, fuss-free orange-scented crumb cake without any icing or glaze. The kind of cake you want to eat warm right from the pan, carefree of how it slices. I topped (or bottomed?) the cake with candied orange slices for those fancy occasions where you want desserts that has extra eye appeal. To be honest, the Italian orange cake is absolutely perfect without the candied oranges. In fact, I even prefer it that way, especially if I’m planning on serving this with warm mugs of coffee for a laidback brunch. But for those special occasions, fancy brunches, or dinner parties, when you want to really impress your guests, add slices of candied oranges. Your guests won’t believe you made this at home, and you don’t even have to tell them how easy it was to do.
What do you need to make Italian orange cake recipe at home?
Whole oranges: Oranges are a great form of vitamin c. I start with whole oranges and remove the orange zest using my favorite zester. Once that’s done, grab a paring knife and remove all of the pith and peel from the oranges. If you use the white pith, your cake will have a bitter flavor in the background. I personally don’t mind a bit of that orangey flavor and usually leave a tiny bit of the pith on. Large Eggs: we’ll fluff the eggs with the sugar in this recipe. The eggs add structure to baked goods.Granulated Sugar: regular granulated or cane sugar work best for this recipe.All-purpose flour: both bleached and unbleached flour will work for this recipe. I usually only keep unbleached flour on hand, so that’s what I used. Flavorings: We’ll use a pinch of salt, ground nutmeg, and vanilla extract to boost the other flavors in this orange cake.Leavening agent: we’re adding a tablespoon of baking powder to this cake. If it seems like a lot, keep in mind that we’re using fresh pulsed oranges in the cake batter. The cake batter will be a bit dense and requires a bit more leavening than ones that don’t have fresh fruit in them.Olive oil: Olive oil adds the perfect flavor to this cake recipe.Yogurt: I used regular whole milk yogurt for this recipe.
How do you make candied oranges?
Did you ever have those sugared orange fruit slices as a kid? Homemade candied oranges remind me so much of those – only these pack a more orange flavor punch! You’ll need equal parts sugar and water to make the simple syrup. Once the sugar and water are boiling, we’ll add thinly sliced oranges to the mixture and let it simmer until the oranges soak up the liquid and the bitter pith of the oranges mellows out. Once the oranges have soaked, remove and line your pan with the slices. Keep the syrup! You can immediately use it to make cocktails, mocktails, or save it to glaze the cakes candied orange slices before serving.
How to make Sicilian whole orange cake:
If you like this cake recipe, you might also like:
One Bowl Lemon Olive Oil Pound CakeOne Bowl Chocolate Chip Bundt CakeOld-Fashioned Sour Cream Coffee CakeCinnamon Apple Crumb CakeGlazed Lemon Raspberry Bundt CakeHomemade Zucchini Bread
Leftover cake can be kept in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature. If it’s particularly warm or humid where you live, you might want to store the cake in the refrigerator. Remove from the fridge at least 45 minutes before serving. I find it tastes best at room temperature.
