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This tangy orange cake brings bursting citrus notes to each soft, juicy mouthful. The family method combines complete fresh oranges for amazing aroma and finishes with shiny candied orange rounds that look stunning. Using olive oil with yogurt makes an incredibly soft texture that doesn't dry out for days. Perfect with morning joe, afternoon tea, or as your dinner's sweet finish, this adaptable treat adds Mediterranean warmth to your meals without fancy methods or unusual shopping trips.
I stumbled on this treat during a trip to my relatives in Italy's south where citrus sweets are everywhere. My aunt brought it out with afternoon coffee, telling me how nearby bakers try to outdo each other with the most fragrant recipe. The first batch I tried making filled my home with such amazing orange smells that my neighbors came knocking to find out what was in my oven. These days I bake it whenever winter oranges show up at local markets, often making extra loaves because friends always ask for them.
Key Cake Elements
- Water: Creates the liquid foundation for cooking perfect candied orange pieces
- Granulated Sugar: Adds needed sweetness without drowning out the natural orange taste
- Medium Oranges: Work as both gorgeous topping and rich flavor throughout
- Large Eggs: Build the cake's framework while adding richness to your finished treat
- All Purpose Flour: Makes the simple base that lets other flavors stand out
- Kosher Salt: Lifts surrounding tastes and cuts through sweetness just right
- Nutmeg: Gives an optional cozy background flavor that works well with citrus
- Baking Powder: Makes sure your cake puffs up nicely with an airy feel
- Olive Oil: Keeps everything moist while giving a hint of complexity to the taste
- Plain Yogurt: Brings softness and slight tang that makes orange flavors pop
- Vanilla Extract: Smooths out the flavor mix with flowery aromatic touches
Delightful Baking Process
- Candied Orange Preparation:
- Mix sugar and water in a medium pot over medium heat, stirring now and then until sugar melts completely. When it starts bubbling softly, carefully put thinly cut orange circles in a single row into the warm syrup. Lower the heat to keep it just barely bubbling for about fifteen minutes until orange slices look see-through and soft. With a slotted spoon, move orange slices to a paper-lined tray, laying them flat to cool a bit. Save the sweet orange syrup for topping your cake later.
- Orange Pulp Processing:
- Wash and dry your remaining oranges well before using a grater to take off just the colored outer skin, staying away from the bitter white part underneath. After grating, use a small sharp knife to cut away all the remaining white stuff from the oranges. This stops your cake from tasting bitter. Roughly cut up the peeled orange parts, taking out any seeds you find. Put these orange chunks in a food processor and pulse until smooth, making something that looks like applesauce.
- Batter Creation Technique:
- In a big bowl, beat eggs and sugar hard for about five minutes until the mix turns light yellow and gets thicker. While still beating, slowly pour olive oil into the egg mix, mixing it in fully before moving on. In another bowl, mix flour, salt, nutmeg if you want it, and baking powder. Gently fold dry stuff into wet mix just until combined, don't overmix. Last, carefully add yogurt, vanilla, and your orange mush, stirring just enough to mix everything together.
- Assembly Procedure Details:
- Get a nine inch springform pan ready by greasing it well and putting parchment on the bottom. Place cooled candied orange slices in a pretty pattern across the pan bottom. Pour your batter over these arranged orange slices, using a spatula to make the top smooth and even. Put it in an oven heated to 350°F and bake around fifty minutes, or until a toothpick stuck in the middle comes out with just a few damp crumbs on it.
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Wonderful Serving Ideas
Offer thin slices with coffee for a real Italian morning treat that makes regular breakfast feel special. For fancy dinner parties, warm up single pieces slightly then add a small scoop of mascarpone cream and fresh berries on top. Make a gorgeous brunch centerpiece by setting the cake on a stand with extra fresh citrus fruits and little sprigs of mint around it.
Tasty Variation Choices
Turn it into a chocolate orange version by mixing three tablespoons cocoa powder with the dry stuff for a grown-up flavor combo. Make a lemon-orange mix by swapping one orange for one lemon to get a brighter, more interesting citrus taste. Add some Mediterranean flair with a teaspoon of orange blossom water and a quarter cup of toasted pistachios mixed into the batter before baking.
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I've been making this orange cake for almost twenty years, starting with that first bite in southern Italy and continuing through lots of different versions in my kitchen. What still amazes me about this recipe is how such basic ingredients and simple steps always create something that tastes so special. The way the whole orange mixes into the batter makes a flavor you just can't get from juice or extract alone.
Frequently Asked Questions
- → Can I use different types of oranges for this cake?
- You bet! Navel oranges work great, but feel free to try other kinds for different tastes. Blood oranges make a pretty pinkish cake with slight berry hints. Cara Cara oranges taste sweeter and less tangy, while Valencia oranges give you that classic bright flavor. Stay away from really sour ones like Seville unless you add more sugar. Whatever type you pick, just make sure they smell fresh for the best cake.
- → Why do I need to remove the pith from the oranges for the candied slices but not for the puree?
- The white stuff turns quite bitter when directly heated, which happens with the topping slices. But when you blend whole oranges into the batter, that bitterness gets mixed up and balanced out by the sugar and other stuff. Plus, that white part has pectin that helps keep the cake moist. Taking off the white from your topping slices but keeping it in the blend gives you both a pretty cake and deep orange flavor.
- → Can I make this cake dairy-free?
- For sure! Just swap out the plain yogurt with any plant-based version. Coconut yogurt matches really well since its sweetness goes nicely with orange flavors, but any unsweetened plant yogurt will do the job. Go for one that's thick like regular yogurt to keep the right texture. Everything else in the recipe is already dairy-free, so it's an easy switch.
- → What type of olive oil should I use for this cake?
- Go for a mild or medium extra virgin olive oil rather than a strong peppery one that might fight with the orange taste. A softer olive oil adds moisture and gentle fruity notes that boost the citrus without taking over. If you want something totally neutral, you can use light olive oil or even canola oil, though you'll miss some of that classic Mediterranean touch that makes this cake special.
- → Why did my candied orange slices turn bitter?
- Bitter orange slices usually happen because of three things: too much white pith left on, too high heat, or cooking them too long. Try to cut off as much white as you can before cooking the slices. Keep your syrup just barely bubbling instead of boiling hard, and stick to that 15-minute cooking time. If your oranges start out bitter anyway, you can dunk the slices in boiling water for a minute, then put them in ice water before candying, which pulls out some of the bitter stuff.
- → Can I freeze this Sicilian orange cake?
- Yes, it freezes great! For best results, freeze the cake without the orange topping, which can get mushy when thawed. Wrap the cooled cake tightly in plastic, then foil, and freeze for up to 3 months. Let it thaw in the fridge overnight, then warm up to room temp before serving. If you want to freeze the whole thing with topping and all, freeze it unwrapped until hard, then wrap it up. The glazed oranges will change a bit when thawed but will still taste yummy.