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Between the tender, moist, buttery orange pound cake itself and the light, sweet orange glaze that tops it, this dessert is loaded with real, fresh orange flavor from seven oranges.
Buttery, moist, ever so slightly dense pound cake is one of my favorite baked goods. This pound cake is loaded with fresh orange zest and orange juice from real oranges and has the most wonderfully tender, moist texture with the perfect crumb. It’s topped off with a delicate, orange-infused glaze that will have you licking the whisk before it even makes it to the cake.
Why You’ll Love This Orange Cake Recipe
I have been searching for the perfect orange cake for years and this is it. Here are some of the reasons I find it completely irresistible.
- Fresh orange flavor. I used so much orange in this recipe in the form of freshly squeezed orange juice and freshly grated orange zest. That real orange flavor really comes through in the cake and the glaze.
- Texture. This pound cake strikes the perfect balance between dense and pleasantly tender. You have the buttermilk to thank for that as well as the thorough creaming of the butter and sugar.
- Moist. No one likes a dry pound cake. Luckily this one is anything but. It’s wonderfully moist with just the right amount of crumb to it.
What Is Pound Cake?
A pound cake is a simple dessert that got its name back in the 18th century due to the fact that it was traditionally made up of one pound each of butter, sugar, eggs, and flour. The recipe has since been adjusted (different measurements and additional ingredients) to yield a more appealing texture and flavor. Pound cakes are characterized by their relatively dense texture, moist crumb, and rich buttery flavor.
Recipe Ingredients
Time to gather all of your ingredients to make this fabulous orange cake recipe. Be sure to scroll to the recipe card below for precise measurements.
For the pound cake
- Buttermilk – The buttermilk adds nice tenderness and moisture to the cake. Do not try to use a different dairy product. It won’t yield the same results.
- Oranges – To make freshly grated orange zest.
- Fresh orange juice – If you have time to squeeze your own orange juice, I highly recommend it.
- All-purpose flour – You could use a 1:1 gluten-free flour instead.
- Salt
- Baking soda
- Baking powder
- Unsalted butter – The butter should be softened at room temperature otherwise, it won’t cream properly with the sugar.
- Granulated sugar
- Eggs – It’s best to use room-temperature eggs as they will combine more easily with the other ingredients.
For the glaze
- Oranges – To make fresh orange zest.
- Powdered sugar
- Fresh orange juice – Again, squeeze your own if you can. The flavor will be so much better than anything store-bought.
How to Make Orange Pound Cake
Here’s a quick overview of how to make orange cake. Have a look at the recipe card below for more detailed instructions.
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 350 °F and grease and flour a bundt pan.
- Combine the wet ingredients. Whisk together the buttermilk, orange zest, and orange juice.
- Combine the dry ingredients. Whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.
- Cream. Beat the butter and sugar together with a paddle attachment until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs. Beat the eggs into the creamed butter and sugar, one at a time.
- Put it all together. Starting with the wet ingredients. gradually add the wet and dry ingredients in parts, alternating between wet and dry, mixing on low speed.
- Bake. Pour the batter into the bundt pan and bake for 50-60 minutes.
- Cool. Allow the cake to cool completely in the pan before turning it out onto a cooling rack for an additional 30 minutes.
- Make the orange glaze. Whisk together the orange zest, powdered sugar, and orange juice. Pour the glaze over the cake.
Tips for Success
If you’re like me, you want to get things right the first time. Luckily I have done all of the experimenting for you here so that you actually can! Just make sure to pay close attention to these simple tips and tricks.
- Grease and flour your bundt pan. Baked goods made in bundt pans are notorious for being difficult to extricate. Do yourself a favor and liberally grease every nook and cranny of the pan. You’ll also want to flour it as this works to prevent sticking as well.
- Don’t skimp on creaming time. You’ll want to cream together the butter and sugar until the texture and color have significantly lightened. This incorporated air into the batter which helps ensure that your cake isn’t overly dense.
- Alternate wet and dry ingredients. If you mix in all of your wet ingredients followed by your dry ingredients as opposed to adding them in parts, alternating between the two, you will find yourself with a tough, dense pound cake.
- Don’t over-mix. Over-mixing the batter will cause the glutens in the flour to overdevelop. This is a one-way ticket to an overly dense pound cake.
- Prevent burning. If you notice that the top of your pound cake is getting a bit too brown as it bakes, feel free to tent it with aluminum foil.
- Adjust the glaze. If you would like a slightly thinner glaze, feel free to add more orange juice than is prescribed in the recipe. Do so gradually, 1 teaspoon at a time.
Serving Suggestions
While this orange pound cake doesn’t need company to make it exceptionally enjoyable, a sweet addition or two never hurt. Here are some of my favorites.
- Ice cream. Enjoy orange cake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. If you’re looking for something even more special, try my Fig and Honey Mascarpone Ice Cream or this Pistachio Ice Cream.
- Whipped cream. Grab some at the store or whip up the honey cream from my Boozy Peaches and Honey Cream Shortcakes recipe.
- Fresh fruit. I love serving this pound cake with fresh raspberries and/or blueberries.
- Sauce. Try the raspberry sauce from my recipe for Instant Pot White Chocolate Cheesecake. You could also ladle a bit of my Strawberry Cake Filling over a slice of orange pound cake.
Proper Storage
- Countertop. Once the cake has fully cooled, seal it in an airtight cake carrier or wrap it in a double layer of plastic wrap. You could also slice the cake and store the slices in an airtight container. In any case, orange pound cake will keep at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Freezer. Pop the fully cooked cake in the freezer for a couple of hours to firm up before wrapping it in a double layer of plastic wrap. You could also slice the cake and seal the slices in an airtight container. You can store orange cake in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow it to thaw at room temperature before diving in.
I do not suggest storing leftover pound cake in the fridge. While this will prolong its life, the cold temperatures will dry the cake out.
More Easy Cake Recipes
In a baking mood? Good. Here are some other truly spectacular, wonderfully easy cake recipes for you to try.
- Strawberry Angel Food Cake
- Slow Cooker Chocolate Cake
- Homemade Strawberry Sheet Cake
- Better Than Sex Cake
- Apple Almond Cake
- Lemon Pound Cake
Glazed Orange Pound Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
For the pound cake:
- ¾ cup (177 ml) buttermilk
- Zest of 5 oranges, finely grated (this can be less if you don’ want it to be real orange-y. I wanted to make sure you could taste the orange flavor!)
- ⅓ cup (79 ml) fresh orange juice
- 3 cups (375 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar
- 5 large eggs
For the orange glaze:
- Zest of 2 oranges
- 2 cups (240 g) powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoon fresh orange juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 °F (177 °C). Grease and flour bundt pan, set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine buttermilk, orange zest, and orange juice. Set aside.
- In a bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- With the mixer on low, alternate adding the buttermilk mixture and flour mixture to the bowl, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.
- Pour batter into prepared bundt pan and bake for 50-60 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean. If the top is browning too quickly, you can tent it with a piece of foil.
- Cool cake completely before flipping it out onto a cooling rack. Let cool for another 30 minutes after you’ve flipped it out on a cooling rack.
- In the meantime, make the orange glaze by whisking together orange zest, powdered sugar, and orange juice. Add more orange juice if you like a looser glaze.
- Pour glaze over top of the bundt cake. Cut and serve.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
What a gorgeous Orange Pound Cake! And that glaze!! Mmm!
I love pound cakes with a citrus twist. I bet this would be fantastic for breakfast!
I am so down with this citrus pound cake!! Yum :)
Gorgeous!! That glaze looks perfect and the cake looks so moist and delicious!
That looks so delicious and simple. The perfect cake for an afternoon tea! Yummy!
I don’t think I would be so polite if I ran out and screamed at him, these might be a few swear words in there.
This cake looks great!! nice pictures
Gorgeous!!! So glad it turned out. And omg can he be any lazier? So glad we don’t have immediate neighbors anymore… oh the drama.
UM, YUMMMM!!! I could eat slice after slice of a cake this pretty. Happy Monday, gorgeous! xo
This cake sounds *so* good. Love that orange glaze for the extra hit of citrus!
LOVE these specks of orange in the cake and glaze! SO beautiful!