Free Recipe: The most delicious Sicilian Whole Orange Cake

If you've never made or eaten a whole orange cake before, prepare for your mind and tastebuds to be blown my friend. 

My dad is Sicilian but grew up in Australia and in recent years, I've been learning more about my heritage and leaning into my Italian culture (I have this visceral urge to live in Italy, like an energetic pull). So of course I started my journey with food. And this delectable dessert from the south is truly mouthwatering. 

What I love most about this cake is it's SO easy to make, it's packed full of citrus-y goodness and for little input you'll have a cake that looks and tastes like you bought if from an Italian pasticceria. 

Ingredients:

• 3 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 ¾ cups plain flour
• 2 ½ tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 100g butter, softened
• 1/3 cup plain Greek yoghurt
• 1 large organic orange, about (300g), washed and cut into pieces (keep the rind on, but remove the seeds)
  
  Glaze
• Juice of one organic orange
• 1/3 cup sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 175°C and prepare an 8" (20cm) spring form pan by spraying with oil (or butter) and line with baking paper.
2. Place the sugar and eggs in a large bowl and beat with a mixer until light and fluffy.
3. Sift the flour with the baking powder then add to the egg mix a little at a time along with the softened butter. Mix until completely blended, then stir in the yoghurt.
4. In a food processor, process the whole orange until it is almost pureed. Add the orange to the cake mix along with the vanilla and stir until evenly combined.  Pour the batter into the prepared tin.
5. Bake for 50-60 minutes (depending on your oven), but test with a 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 spring form pan.
6. Make the orange glaze. Melt the sugar in the orange juice and allow to simmer for a few minutes, just until the liquid has a syrupy consistency.
7. Spoon and brush over the top of the cake and allow to cool completely before cutting.