Pan d'arancia

Pan d’arancia is an exquisite dessert, typical of Sicily, with an intense orange fragrance. Here’s how to prepare it.

Ingredients

• 3 untreated organic oranges
• 300 grams of sugar
• 300 grams of 00 flour
• 100 grams of melted butter
• 3 eggs
• 1 packet of baking powder
• Powdered sugar (for decoration)

Preparation

1. Wash the oranges and grate the zest of two of them, being careful not to include the white part, which is bitter. Then squeeze the juice of all three oranges.

2. In a bowl, beat the eggs with the sugar until you obtain a frothy and light mixture.

3. Add the cooled melted butter to the egg and sugar mixture and stir well.

4. Add the grated zest and orange juice to the mixture.

5. Incorporate the sifted flour and baking powder, mixing gently until you obtain a smooth batter without lumps.

6. Pour the batter into a previously buttered and floured pan.

7. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 °C for about 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

8. Remove the pan d’arancia from the oven and let it cool before unmolding.

9. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

Interesting Facts

Pan d’arancia is a dessert that celebrates the richness of Sicilian citrus fruits. In particular, in the production areas of blood oranges, such as around Etna, variations of this recipe that include this specific type of citrus are common, giving the dessert an even more intense color and flavor.