Frisian orange cake (oranjekoek): pink on top, orange inside
The regional background is supported by the sources below. This is our own adaptation for home cooking; quantities and times are editorial guidelines, not the results of a documented kitchen test.
According to the Stichting Ambachtelijke Bakkerij (Foundation for Artisan Baking), oranjekoek is a typical Frisian treat: a flat cake, usually with pink icing. The name does not come from the colour but from the thin slivers of candied orange peel baked into it; aniseed is also part of the flavour. Recipes vary from bakery to bakery, and bakers often work with biscuit dough, almond paste and a swirl of cream. This is our own, simpler home version as a cake.
- Stichting Ambachtelijke Bakkerij (SAB) — Oranjekoek
- Friesland.nl (Merk Fryslân) — Proef de smaak van Friesland: koffie en koek
Source checks: 4 October 2026
Our own adaptation for home cooking, not kitchen-tested. Times are guidelines; check the result described in the method.
No numerical score: source coverage and limitations are listed below.
Image credits
Our own AI-generated illustration; not a photograph of food prepared by the editorial team.
- A round Frisian orange cake with pale pink icing on a ceramic plate on a wooden table; one slice has been cut out, showing a pale yellow crumb with small orange pieces of candied orange peel.
- Finely chopped candied orange peel on a small wooden board, a little dish of aniseed, a bowl of pale pink icing and half an orange.