Pan d'Arancio | Sicilian Orange Cake Recipe
- Daniel
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
Updated: 13 hours ago
Every year after Chinese New Year, there are always mandarin oranges sitting quietly in the fridge, slowly being forgotten. You know the ones. Slightly wrinkled, still perfectly usable, but no one feels like peeling another one.
Instead of letting them go to waste, this cake became my way of giving them a second life. It is simple, rustic, and honestly one of the best ways to use up those leftover oranges.
Pan d’Arancio comes from Sicily, Italy, where oranges are abundant and deeply tied to the region’s identity. What makes this cake special is that it uses the whole fruit, peel and all, giving it a deep, almost marmalade-like flavor.
Traditionally made with regular oranges, this version works beautifully with mandarin oranges, which are sweeter and more fragrant, especially the ones we get during Lunar New Year.
I like this cake because it does not try too hard to be perfect. The crumpled parchment, the slightly uneven top, the glaze dripping down the sides.
It all feels very honest. If you have a few mandarins sitting around and you are not sure what to do with them, give this a try. It might just become something you look forward to every year.
Ingredients:
(Make one 8 inch cake)
Cake:
Mandarin Oranges, 160g
Eggs, 2
Egg Yolk, 1
Granulated Sugar, 90g
Demerara Sugar, 90g
Good Quality Olive Oil, 95g
Almond Meal / Flour, 80g
Unbleached All Purpose Flour, 100g
Baking Powder, 1.5 TSP
Seal Salt, 1/2 TSP
Limoncello, 2 TBSP
Glaze:
Icing Sugar, 45g
Fresh Mandarin Orange Juice, 1.5 TBSP
Equipment:
Oven
Springform 8" Round Cake Pan
Food Processor
Stand / Hand Mixer
Directions:
Preheat and prepare the pan
Preheat your oven to 180°C / 356°F.
Lightly soak and crumple parchment paper, then use it to line the cake pan.
Do not worry about neatness. The rustic look is part of the charm.
Prepare the oranges
Trim off the ends of the mandarin oranges.
Remove any seeds and thick membranes.
Keep the peel intact as it adds flavor. The total weight should be 160g.
Blend the oranges in a food processor until coarse and pulpy.
Prepare the batter
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and egg yolk until foamy.
Add the sugars and continue whisking until pale and slightly thickened.
In another bowl, mix flour, almond meal, baking powder, and salt.
Add the dry mixture into the egg mixture gradually, mixing until smooth.
Combine everything
Fold in the blended oranges and limoncello.
Mix until fully combined and you have a thick batter.
Bake the cake
Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the top is golden and a skewer inserted comes out clean.
Prepare the glaze
Mix icing sugar with mandarin juice until smooth and pourable.
Finish the cake
Let the cake cool slightly for about 10 minutes.
Remove from the pan and place on a serving plate.
Pour the glaze over the cake and let it drip naturally.
Decorate with mandarin segments if desired.
Serve
Serve warm for a softer texture or chilled for a firmer slice.
Moist, dense and citrusy...
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