Orange Pound Cake

Course Cake, Dessert

Cuisine American, Southern

Keyword best-orange-pound-cake-recipe, orange-cake-recipes, orange-pound-cake

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 1 30

Cooling time 4

Total Time 5 50

Servings slices

Calories 456kcal

Ingredients

3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups butter (salted or unsalted) softened
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar divided
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup fresh orange zest (6 Tbsp adjust to your taste)
6 large eggs room temperature
1/2 cup fresh orange juice room temperature
1/2 cup milk or half and half room temperature
Orange Syrup:
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup orange juice
Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1-2 Tbsp fresh orange zest

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease and flour a standard 10-12 cup bundt pan, or spray with baking spray. Set aside.
Cake: In a medium size mixing bowl, use a whisk to sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
Using an electric mixer, cream together butter, 2 1/2 cups sugar and vanilla on medium speed for 2-3 minutes until fluffy.
Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add orange zest, beating until combined. Stop and scrape the bowl periodically.
Mix together 1/2 cup orange juice with milk. Lower the speed of the mixer and add juice-milk mixture alternately with sifted dry ingredients, beginning and ending with flour. Stop and scrape the sides of the bowl periodically.
Pour batter into pan and spread evenly. Place the pan into oven and bake for 75-80 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes back clean. Check halfway through baking and lay foil on top to prevent over browning, if needed.
Orange Syrup: Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium heat mix together remaining 1/2 cup sugar with reserved 1/2 cup orange juice. Simmer over medium heat just until sugar is dissolved. Set aside.
When cake is finished baking, use a long skewer to poke holes in the cake. Slowly 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.
Glaze: In a small bowl mix 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.
Store cake in an airtight container chilled or at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Notes

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.

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