Orange Pound Cake

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Read the full disclosure here.

Sweet, tart, and buttery this orange pound cake with fresh orange glaze will brighten up your day.

A white platter with an Orange Pound Cake Loaf on top drizzled with glaze and topped with orange slices with a slice of the cake on the platter.

A few weeks ago we got a produce box that had a ton of apples and oranges in it.  I’m always glad to see fruits in our box because I’ll toss them in with my lunch or we’ll use them in a quick fruit salad.

Since there were a lot of oranges I knew that I wanted to bake something with them.  I wanted something where the fresh orange flavor would really shine through.

This Orange Pound Cake is one of those recipes.  The cake itself is made with orange zest and fresh orange juice.  Then then glaze is made with more fresh squeezed orange juice.

Ingredients:

  • butter
  • sugar
  • eggs
  • oranges
  • flour
  • baking powder
  • salt
  • sour cream
  • vanilla extract
  • powdered sugar

To Make the Cake:  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl cream together the butter and sugar.  Add in the eggs and mix well.  In another bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Add half the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix well.  Stir in the sour cream and vanilla extract.  Mix in the orange juice and orange zest.  Add remaining flour and mix well.  Pour into pan and bake for 45 minutes.

To Make the Glaze:  Whisk the orange juice and powdered sugar together until desired consistency is reached.   Drizzle over top of the cake.

Pin Image:  A white platter with an Orange Pound Cake loaf drizzled with glaze and orange slices, text title, a cutting board topped with 2 eggs, 3 oranges, a stick of butter, a cup of sugar, a cup flour.

Before doing anything else in this recipe I recommend that you zest and juice your oranges.  I used 3 oranges but you can decide how many you need based on the size.  Mine were on the smaller side but yielded a ton of juice.

The cake smelled amazing while it was cooking.   My entire kitchen smelled like sweet oranges.  My son even came in and asked what smelled so good.

How do I zest an orange?

When zesting an orange make sure you are only getting the bright orange part and not the white pith inside as it is very bitter.   The best way to do this is to use a microplane.  Rub the orange back and forth over the microplane, turning the orange as the orange zest comes off.  Do this until all the zest is off the orange.

How do I store the cake?

If you are planning to eat it all simply place it on a dish and cover with plastic wrap for up to 4 days.   You can also put it on a covered cake plate for 3-4 days.  Leave the cake on the counter.  Do not refrigerate.

If you want to freeze a portion of the cake wrap the cake in aluminum foil and then put it in a freeze bag.  Store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. 

Can I make this with lemons or limes?

You can absolutely turn this into a lemon or lime pound cake.  Simply replace the orange zest and juice with lemon or lime zest and juice.

Can I make an orange frosting for this cake?

You certainly can.  In fact, I was making cupcakes the same day I made this cake and I ended up trying a piece of the cake with vanilla buttercream frosting and it was delicious. It almost tasted like a creamsicle.  So I would go for an orange or vanilla buttercream frosting if you want it to be more dessert like.

A bread pan filled with Orange Pound Cake

Once the cake came out of the oven I whisked the glaze that would go over top of it.  I also thinly sliced another orange to use to decorate the top. 

I drizzled the glaze in a horizontal pattern over top of the cake but you can pour it over the cake, spread it all over the top, or drizzle it on.  Then I took whole orange slices and placed them on top.

This cake is so bright and fresh tasting.  I was afraid it would be too sweet but the tartness of the oranges really came through.  It’s a delicious snack cake or summer time dessert.

A plate with a slice of orange cake, two forks, and three orange slices.

More Orange Recipes:

If you’ve tried my Orange Pound Cake or any other recipe on Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks please take a minute to rate the recipe and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. I love hearing from you! You can FOLLOW ME on:

A white platter with an Orange Pound Cake loaf drizzled with glaze and orange slices.

A white platter with an Orange Pound Cake Loaf on top drizzled with glaze and topped with orange slices with a slice of the cake on the platter.

Orange Pound Cake

Yield: serves 12-14
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 55 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Sweet, tart, and buttery this orange pound cake with fresh orange glaze will brighten up your day.

Ingredients

For the cake:

  • 1/2 c. butter, softened
  • 1 c. sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 oranges, zested and juiced
  • 1 1/2 c. flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/3 c. sour cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the glaze:

  • 1 c. powdered sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons orange juice

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside.
  2. n a large bowl cream together the butter and sugar. 
  3. Add in the eggs and mix well. 
  4. In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and
    salt.  Mix well.
  5. Add half of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix well.
  6. Stir in the sour cream and vanilla extract.  Add in the orange juice and orange zest and mix well.
  7. Add remaining flour and mix until just combined.
  8. Pour into prepared loaf pan
  9. Bake for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
  10. Cool for 10 minutes then run a butter knife around the edges of the pan and turn onto a wire rack. Cool completely.
  11. To make the glaze whisk together the powdered sugar and orange juice until well combined. Drizzle over top of the cake. Top with sliced oranges if desired.

Notes

Recipe from Shugary Sweets

A plate with a slice of orange pound cake and three orange slices on it.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *