Tunisian Orange Cake
A proper Tunisian dessert built around orange, caster sugar and olive oil — roughly 85 minutes start to finish, and rated medium to make. Scroll down for the ingredient checklist, a serving scaler and unit converter, and the method broken into 13 steps.
You'll mainly reach for oven and food processor. At medium difficulty across 13 steps, it's manageable with a little attention. As written, it's meat-free.
What you'll need
Shopping list (1)
Pantry staples (you likely have these)
Diet: vegetarian — no meat or fish, based on every ingredient listed below.
Contains: Gluten Egg
Allergen labels are informational and may not cover cross-contact; verify every package and consult a qualified professional for medical dietary needs. Diet labels are derived from the ingredient list on this page — how we verify diet and allergen labels.
Food-safety and allergen information is general, not medical advice. Follow current guidance from your local food-safety authority, verify product labels, and seek qualified advice for allergies or health conditions.
How to make it
- Preheat oven to 190 C / Gas 5. Grease a 23cm round springform tin.
- Cut off the hard bits from the top and bottom of the orange.
- Slice the orange and remove all seeds.
- Puree the orange with its peel in a food processor.
- Add one third of the sugar and the olive oil and continue to mix until well combined.
- Sieve together flour and baking powder.
- Beat the eggs and the remaining sugar with an electric hand mixer for at least five minutes until very fluffy.
- Fold in half of the flour mixture, then the orange and the vanilla, then fold in the remaining flour.
- Mix well but not for too long.
- Pour cake mixture into prepared tin and smooth out.
- Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 160 C / Gas 2 and bake again for 30 minutes Bake until the cake is golden brown and a skewer comes out clean.
- Cool on a wire cake rack.
You'll use: Oven · Food processor · Mixer
Watch how it's made
Hosted on YouTube — pressing play loads content from YouTube.
Ingredient substitutions
- Eggs
- ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce (baking) · 1 tbsp ground flax + 3 tbsp water per egg
What to serve with Tunisian Orange Cake
- Chakchouka Miscellaneous
- Kafteji Vegetarian
- Tunisian Lamb Soup Lamb
- Leblebi Soup Vegetarian
Tips & common questions
How long does Tunisian Orange Cake take to make?
About 85 minutes from start to finish — an estimate based on the 13 steps and 7 ingredients. Times vary with your kitchen and how much prep you do ahead.
What can I use instead of eggs?
Try ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce (baking). See the substitutions section above for more swaps.
Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes — use the servings control above the ingredients and every quantity rescales automatically (fractions included). Cooking times stay roughly the same; very large batches may need a little longer.
Is Tunisian Orange Cake vegetarian?
Its ingredients contain no meat, fish or shellfish, so it is suitable for vegetarians. Check any cheese for animal rennet if that matters to you.
Related recipes
Structured source recipe — not yet independently kitchen-tested by Consomee. How we source, test & correct recipes.
Recipe data for Tunisian Orange Cake via TheMealDB (open database). ▶ Video. Original source. Consomee adds the scaler, ingredient tools, timing and structure — how we source recipes.