Orange Pound Cake

The burst of citrus in this Orange Pound Cake recipe makes it a year-round treat. The buttery dense pound cake is filled with the bright flavor of fresh orange juice and zest making it both delicious and refreshing.

Ingredients to Make Orange Pound Cake Recipe

This fresh orange cake has a tender crumb and fresh orange flavors with a burst of citrus in every bite. How do pound cakes differ from other cakes? Pound cakes were originally made using a pound of butter, flour, sugar and eggs, hence the name. They have evolved through the years with bakers putting their own spin on them, and changing ingredients and the amounts. This fresh orange juice cake highlights the citrus flavor of fresh oranges with a moist crumb and taste the whole family will love. Ingredients you’ll need to make this Southern Orange Pound Cake: (Scroll down for full printable recipe card.)

• All Purpose Flour: This forms the base of the cake batter.
• Leavening: One teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda and salt provide lift for the batter.
• Butter: Softened butter, you can use salted or unsalted butter.
• Granulated Sugar: Pound cakes generally feature a sweet dense batter and in this case using white sugar.
• Flavoring: Vanilla extract adds another dimension to the overall flavor.
• Orange Juice and Orange Zest: Fresh OJ and orange zest are the star flavors bringing citrus notes to the batter.
• Eggs: Large eggs will make the cake rise.
• Milk: You can use milk or half and half to make a super creamy pound cake batter.
• Orange Syrup: Granulated sugar and orange juice.
• Glaze: Powdered sugar, fresh orange juice and orange zest.

How to Make the BEST Orange Pound Cake

• Prepare Pan and Preheat Oven – Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease and flour a bundt pan, or spray with baking spray.
• Dry Ingredients – Use a whisk to sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. .
• Creamed Ingredients – Cream together unsalted or salted butter, sugar and vanilla then add the eggs and orange zest.
• Eggs – Add eggs one at a time, beating to combine, add orange zest.
• Wet Ingredients – Stir together orange juice and milk.
• Combine – Add orange juice mixture alternately with flour mixture.
• Cake Batter – Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake per the recipe until a toothpick inserted into the center comes back clean.
• Make Orange Syrup – Mix together remaining sugar and orange juice. Simmer on the stovetop.
• Poke Holes in Cake – Spoon orange syrup over cake allowing it to sink in before adding more to the cake. Repeat process until all of the syrup is used. Cool cake completely in pan.
• Make Orange Glaze – Stir together powdered sugar, orange juice and zest until fully combined. Flip pan and turn cake onto a serving platter or cake stand. Drizzle glaze over cooled cake.

Tips for Making Pound Cake

• Kitchen Tools You’ll Need: Stand mixer or hand mixer, large bowl, medium bowl, small bowl, 10-12 cup bundt pan, measuring cups, measuring spoons, wire rack and whisk.
• Use Fresh Ingredients: Use fresh flour, eggs and butter. Also check the dates on your baking powder and baking soda. If they’re out of date the cake won’t rise.
• Use a Whisk to Sift the Dry Ingredients: It’s not necessary to use an old fashioned sifter to sift the flour as pound cakes are a dense cake by nature. They’re not light and airy like a classic layer cake.
• Eggs: Eggs are sometimes the only leavening that’s used in Southern pound cake recipes. This varies from recipe to recipe depending on the flavor and the baker’s preference. This pound cake recipe does include both baking powder and baking soda to give lift to the batter.
• Room Temperature Ingredients: For this cake, I recommend allowing the butter, eggs, orange juice and milk to be room temperature prior to starting. This will allow the cake to bake evenly.
• Use a Large Bundt Pan: Pound cakes can be baked in an angel food cake pan or a bundt pan. The amount of batter in this pound cake will fit in a bundt pan.
• Serving Suggestions: You can serve this cake just as is, or with a dollop of vanilla ice cream or fresh whipped cream and fresh berries.

Recipe Variations

• Loaf Pans: You can divide the cake batter and make two loaves out of this recipe. They won’t take as long to bake, so check them halfway through baking inserting a toothpick into the center to test for doneness.
• Angel Food Pan: You can bake this cake in an angel food pan as well.
• Glaze: You can dust this cake simply with powdered sugar and omit the glaze.
• Milk: You can use half and half, heavy cream or buttermilk in place of milk.
• Lemon Pound Cake: If you’d like a lemon pound cake variation, checkout my recipe for Lemon Sour Cream Pound Cake.

Storage and Leftovers

• Leftovers: Store leftover Orange Pound Cake on the counter in an airtight container, wrapped in plastic wrap or aluminum foil for up to 4 days. The shelf life is longer when stored chilled in the fridge with it lasting for up to 1 week.
• Freezer: Pound cakes freeze extremely well. You can pop this cake into the freezer and store it frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight.

More Southern-Style Pound Cake Recipes to Make

There’s hardly an occasion where a pound cake wouldn’t be the ideal choice for dessert.

• Satisfy your banana pudding craving with this Banana Pudding Pound Cake that’s become a fan favorite.
• You can never go wrong when serving Million Dollar Pound Cake for dessert. Serve it as is or with fresh berries and whipped cream.
• This dreamy vanilla glazed Coconut Cream Pound Cake. among many others.
• White Chocolate Cherry Cream Cheese Pound Cake is pretty in pink!
• Reese’s Peanut Butter Pound Cake will satisfy the peanut butter cup fans in your life.
• Cold weather options such as Pumpkin Spice Pound cake and Eggnog Pound Cake are a given for our Christmas desserts.
• Lemon Pound Cake Muffins from Recipe Girl.

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Helpful Kitchen Items:

• Bundt Pan
• Mixer
• Measuring Set
• Cake Stand