Orange Cake, Ancona-Style Recipe (2024)

Could you use Grand Marnier or Cointreau instead of Ouzo?

This is the best cake I ever made. I used a bundt pan similar to the one in the photo. Only modifications were to skip the Ouzo (I didn't have any) and use 2% milk (because it was on hand). Make sure you put the cake on a plate or pan with a lip on it when you pour on the orange juice. The cake is delicious cold out of the refrigerator the next day, and for the next 4 days thereafter. I thought about putting icing on it, but it doesn't need it. Make this, you won't be sorry.

The picture suggests a Bundt pan but the recipe calls for a tube pan (with removable bottom.) The cake doesn't rise much and is a little dense. Probably based on the technique.

It was a dense dough, only filled the bundt pan about 1/2 full. It worked out just fine. Really good.

I make this 3-4 x a year and use Grand Marnier or Cointreau, both are great (and then can be used for Margaritas). I also add a couple of tablespoons of GM or C into the orange juice and pour into the finished cake, yum! I use a Bundt pan, only because it's so pretty when it comes out. Does taste better the 2nd or 3rd day, so good for making ahead of time.

Thanks for this comment, besides the Bundt versus tube pan question what does "place the bottom of the pan over a tumbler or tall mug, using pot holders, and push down to raise the loose bottom" even mean???

How about leaving cake in Bundt pan and pouring syrup over it to soak in?

Replaced ouzo with Cointreau and used a Bundt pan. Cake looked exactly like the picture. So far so good. But I agree with others that filling holes with (spiked) OJ was far more tedious than the end result suggested - there must be a better way to achieve the glorious flavor and texture.I like the cheesecloth suggestion - has anyone tried it yet?

I have no food processor so I found an alternate method to prepare this cake with wonderful results.1) combine peel and all dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix for 30 seconds.2) beat eggs and liquids together in a measuring cup. Add half of this to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.3) Beat in butter 1 tb at a time. Add remaining liquid, beat at low speed until smooth batter forms then continue at high speed 2 minutes.Continue from Step 4 above.

To make the cake in a mixer try this--1) put peel and sugar in the mixer bowl and rub together with your fingers. Add flour and baking powder to bowl and mix for 30 seconds.2) beat eggs, liqueur and milk together in a measuring cup. Add half of this to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.3) Beat in butter 1 tb at a time. A thick dough will form. Add remaining liquid, beat at low speed to make a smooth batter then beat at high speed 2 minutes to aerate.Continue from Step 4 above.

The dough was so dense that it caused my food processor to stop. While very delicious, it was too sweet for my taste and I will reduce sugar in the future. You might also try Claudia roden’s orange and almond cake. Equally tasty and easier to make.

My challenge with this cake was having a uniform soak. I used a bundt pan and it came out easily and looked beautiful, until I poked holes all over it. Maybe use a knife instead and wrap it in cheese cloth and every 10 minutes soak it again? If I can solve this issue, I'd love to make it again.

My results were not spectacular. Very dense and dry cake, even with all that juice. Next time I’m going to rethink the order the ingredients are added and go with a more traditional method - cream the butter and sugar, mix the flour and baking powder together, etc. Here’s hoping!

use a bamboo skewer to poke the cake all over. almost all the liquid will go in. the rest will get absorbed as the recipe says.

This cake gets better and better as each day passes. It was delicious on day one, served in a pool of juice and a daub of whipped cream (looked dinner-party fancy, too!) By day three, it was heavenly--especially toasted! I used about half the sugar, both in the cake and in the juice. Also, because I was afraid it would be heavy, I used yogurt instead of milk, so there could be a little more action with the baking powder. My cake was not heavy--just pleasurably dense.

I made this in a bundt pan and learned why the recipe says to unmold before pouring juice over the cake. Parts of the crust softened so much that they stuck to the well-greased pan. I found the crumb to be coarse & dry, even after pouring 1.5 cups of labor-intensive fresh squeezed orange juice over & adding extra on cut slices. Great aroma though

All of My changes made it an epic failure so please don’t follow any of my directions lol.

I don’t usually deviate from recipes too much except for a little tweak here or there but with this one I had to sue to lack of ingredients. Instead of butter I used half cup of olive oil. No milk, one cup almond and one cup general purpose flour. I didn’t use alcohol, added a tsp vanilla and a little salt. I used paddle mixer and mixed wet ingredients, then added dry. Poured OJ over warm cake while in pan without poking holes, it was completely absorbed.

I have no food processor so I found an alternate method to prepare this cake with wonderful results.1) combine peel and all dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix for 30 seconds.2) beat eggs and liquids together in a measuring cup. Add half of this to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.3) Beat in butter 1 tb at a time. Add remaining liquid, beat at low speed until smooth batter forms then continue at high speed 2 minutes.Continue from Step 4 above.

Is it OK to make with GF flour?

My results were not spectacular. Very dense and dry cake, even with all that juice. Next time I’m going to rethink the order the ingredients are added and go with a more traditional method - cream the butter and sugar, mix the flour and baking powder together, etc. Here’s hoping!

I made it in a bundt pan and lost patience (and truly ran out of surface to poke) after only 1 c. OJ. The texture in the dry parts was scone-like, but very tasty so I’ll try pouring it all on next time, perhaps while in the pan? Will it come out? My Cake looked like it had chicken pox. I substituted the butter and milk with plant-based options for allergy reasons but it was still worth repeating.

Delicious! Used rum instead of ouzo. Used a non-stick pan 2piece angel food cake pan, which allowed it only to rise 1" and be quite dense, but still delicious. A non-nonstick pan would be better risen I think. The dough went from sticky dough to creamy batter texture with an extra pulse in the food processor. Question: is the sugar 3 cups +3T inside the cake batter, or just 3 cups with 3T reserved for the orange syrup? It does actually soak up 2c OJ! I added orange zest icing on top.

What icing would you recommend for this cake?

Heidi, one would put the tube pan over the bottle, not the Bundt pan. I use a tube pan frequently and don’t use a bottle, I just lift out the center part.

What size tube/bundt pan?

Skip the poking holes concept (it make the cake look ugly) and simply pour the juice over the cake.

Replaced ouzo with Cointreau and used a Bundt pan. Cake looked exactly like the picture. So far so good. But I agree with others that filling holes with (spiked) OJ was far more tedious than the end result suggested - there must be a better way to achieve the glorious flavor and texture.I like the cheesecloth suggestion - has anyone tried it yet?

How about leaving cake in Bundt pan and pouring syrup over it to soak in?