Orange Pound Cake is so soft and fluffy! Flavored with fresh orange juice and zest, you won’t believe how tasty this bright citrus dessert is. This pound cake recipe is great for practically any occasion, and the homemade orange glaze is to die for!
Make sure to try my Classic Pound Cake Recipe if you want to get back to basics, or my fan favorite Kentucky Butter Cake!
Orange Pound Cake with the Best Orange Glaze
Today we’re going to talk about Orange Pound Cake. Now, before you yawn and click away, let me explain to you why I love this moist, fluffy pound cake so much. It may not have the most enticing name in the baking world (I’m looking at you, Salted Caramel Cupcakes), but it’s still worthy of your attention!
Pound cake, of any kind, is always a solid dessert choice. It stores well, it’s light yet still indulgent, etc. (Speaking of which… have you tried my Banana Pound Cake recipe or this Sour Cream Pound Cake? Good stuff!)
Anyhow, bringing it back to the theme of citrus, this specific homemade pound cake is totally spruced up and not boring at ALL. The addition of orange zest and juice makes the cake itself bright and sunny, and the homemade orange glaze is sooo sugary-sweet and addicting.
You’ll crave a slice of this soft pound cake for days – that’s a guarantee!
What You’ll Need
Okay! Now that you’re good and hungry, it’s time to cure those sugar cravings. Here are the ingredients that you’ll need to make a perfect orange pound cake:
- Butter: Let it come to room temperature – you can use salted or unsalted, whatever you prefer is fine.
- Sugar: Regular old granulated sugar is my go-to for this recipe.
- Eggs: These are the binding agents for your cake batter.
- Vanilla: Vanilla extract adds extra sweet flavor.
- Orange Zest and Juice: Freshly-squeezed orange juice works best for this recipe, though store-bought orange juice will work in a pinch.
- Flour: I usually use all purpose flour, but you could try this pound cake with gluten free flour if needed.
- For the Glaze: You’ll need a simple mix of powdered sugar, orange zest, and orange juice. Whisk the powdered sugar carefully so that it doesn’t fly everywhere – I like to add it in half cup portions.
How to Make Orange Pound Cake
First you’ll whisk the batter together and get this orange pound cake baking in the oven, and then you’ll whip together a simple orange glaze. Prepping both components will take a total of… drumroll please… 10 minutes! That’s it. Fabulous, no?
These are the simple steps to follow for pound cake perfection:
Preheat the Oven to 350°F: Coat a 9×5 loaf pan with nonstick spray. Line the bottom with a long strip of parchment paper so the edges hang over, making it easy to remove the cake from the pan. Coat again lightly with nonstick spray.
Cream the Butter and Sugar: In the bowl of your stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the butter and sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy. This usually takes about 3 minutes. Add in eggs, vanilla, and zest, and mix until combined. (Scrape the sides as necessary.)
Add Flour: Turn the mixer to low and stir in the flour until incorporated. Finally, add the orange juice, mixing until smooth.
Bake the Cake: Spread the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 55-60 minutes, until the center is set. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 15 minutes, and then remove it from the pan before glazing.
Make the Glaze: Whisk all of the glaze ingredients together. Pour over the cooled cake and enjoy!
Tips for Success
The best desserts are the ones you can “taste-test” while baking. I’m not advocating that you should sneak a spoonful of two of this glaze… but I also won’t tell if you do.
Anyway, here are a few more relevant tips on this orange pound cake recipe that might come in handy:
- Use Parchment Paper: It can be difficult to remove the cake from the pan without it sticking or crumbling. A healthy dose of cooking spray might do the trick, but using the parchment paper ensures that your cake makes a smooth exit!
- How to Prevent Burning: If you notice the edges of the cake are browning too fast, tent the pan with foil and continue baking.
- Glaze Alterations: You can add more or less orange juice to achieve the consistency you prefer in your glaze. (Less to thicken it, more to thin it out.)
- Let the Cake Cool Before Adding Glaze: If the cake is still warm, the glaze will become runny, and you’ll have a bit of a mess on your hands. (Cheesy pun intended!)
- Possible Add-Ins: Dried fruit could be good (maybe cranberries?) and chopped walnuts are always an option.
How to Store Homemade Pound Cake
I like to store this orange pound cake at room temperature in an airtight container, for up to 3 days. It’ll probably keep for a little while longer in the fridge, if needed. (This cake lasting 3 days in my house would be a miracle, so the room temperature option is usually just fine!)
Can I Freeze Extra Slices?
Of course! Feel free to freeze extra slices of this tender pound cake in an airtight container for up to 30 days.
Enjoy!
Orange Pound Cake
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: Serves 8
- Category: Cake
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
Orange Pound Cake is so soft and fluffy! Flavored with fresh orange juice and zest, you won’t believe how tasty this bright citrus dessert is. This pound cake recipe is great for practically any occasion, and the homemade orange glaze is to die for!
Ingredients
Cake
- 3/4 cup butter, room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
Orange Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 2–3 tablespoons orange juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Coat a 9×5 loaf pan with nonstick spray. Line the bottom with a long strip of parchment paper so the edges hang over, making it easy to remove the cake from the pan. Coat again lightly with nonstick spray.
- In bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment mix the butter and sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add in eggs, vanilla and zest and mix until combined, scraping sides as necessary.
- Turn the mixer to low and stir in the flour until incorporated and finally the orange juice, mixing until smooth.
- Spread batter into the prepared pan and bake for 55-60 minutes until center is set. (If you notice the edges are browning too fast, tent the pan with foil and continue baking.)
- Allow the cake to cool in pan for 15 minutes and then remove from pan before glazing.
Glaze
- Whisk all glaze ingredients together. Add more or less orange juice to achieve consistency you prefer.
- Pour over cooled cake.
Notes
Notes
- Use Parchment Paper: It can be difficult to remove the cake from the pan without it sticking or crumbling. A healthy dose of cooking spray might do the trick, but using the parchment paper ensures that your cake makes a smooth exit!
- How to Prevent Over-Baking: If you notice the edges of the cake are browning too fast, tent the pan with foil and continue baking.
- Glaze Alterations: You can add more or less orange juice to achieve the consistency you prefer. (Less to thicken it, more to thin it out.)
- Let the Cake Cool Before Adding Glaze: If the cake is still warm, the glaze will become runny, and you’ll have a bit of a mess on your hands. (Cheesy pun intended!)
- Possible Add-Ins: Dried fruit could be good (maybe cranberries?) and chopped walnuts are always an option.
Storage: Store airtight at room temperature for up to 3 days. Or, freeze airtight for up to 30 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 460
- Sugar: 51.4 g
- Sodium: 30.3 mg
- Fat: 19.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 68.3 g
- Protein: 5.6 g
- Cholesterol: 115.5 mg
Keywords: pound cake, orange pound cake, citrus cake
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I made this last night. It did crisp up on the edges as previous baker said but I loved that, it almost taste cookie like. Such and easy process for such and amazing burst of orange flavor.
★★★★
This was not good. To much juice and butter. It was oily. Won’t be making this again
This cake is the one my relatives consistently request that I bring to gatherings because of the great orange flavor. I sometimes find that the edges crisp up before the center if fully baked. I was thinking about baking it in a different shape pan for a more even bake. Shelly – could you suggest a pan size that would work with the amount of batter?
★★★★★
I have a printable chart that will give you all the Baking Pan Equivalents you might need! https://cookiesandcups.com/baking-pan-equivalents/
Thank you!!
I hesitated a couple weeks before deciding to make this recipe because I made an orange cake from another recipe that turned out awful… greasy and dry. Glad I finally made this one because it’s my new go to orange pound cake recipe!! Super easy, quick, moist, and magically fluffy and light… but definitely characteristics of a pound cake. I almost wanted to add baking powder as well but refrained from it and it turned out just as pictured. I did cover it the last 10-15 minutes and I think that kept the edges from getting browner/crispy. I used vanilla paste, added the zest of two medium oranges, and a half cup less sugar… but otherwise followed the recipe. I used cara oranges that were sweeter and less tart so next time I might try it with brighter/more sour oranges.
★★★★★
So so glad you tried!!
I was, like others, worried that there was no baking soda or powder, but the cake was moist. I added triple the zest, used unsalted butter (and added a pinch of salt) but everything else as indicated. Dinner guests asked for seconds and some ate it for breakfast the next morning. A winner and so easy to make.
★★★★
Your right! I will be thanking you forever on this cake. Looked exactly like your pictures and the cake was like eating an orange cloud! ( if clouds were edible)☺️
This recipe has lots of potential to be lime or Lemmon or, or! All I know is I can’t wait to make these for Christmas gifts and listen to the praise. The only thing I did different was use Swans cake flour because I was out of regular flour.
★★★★★
THANK YOU
I just finished making this cake and omg! It’s amazing!! Me and my mom have been looking for a good cake recipe for so long now and we have definitely found it! My family absolutely LOVED it! This is a must try cake!
★★★★★