Orange Pound Cake

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This Orange Pound Cake is bright, buttery, and packed with real citrus flavor — not just lightly orange-scented, but boldly orange in every bite. Fresh zest perfumes the batter, a warm orange syrup soaks deep into the cake straight from the oven, and a thick orange glaze seals everything together so it stays tender for days.

What makes this version stand out is how the flavor is layered. Instead of relying on juice alone, the cake uses a high amount of zest for true orange intensity, buttermilk for a soft crumb, and a hot soak that distributes moisture all the way through the loaf rather than sitting on top. The result is an orange pound cake with orange syrup and glaze that tastes vibrant, rich, and bakery-quality — even the next day.

If you love classic pound cakes, don’t miss my Million Dollar Pound Cake, Lemon Cream Cheese Pound Cake, and Old-Fashioned Pound Cake — longtime reader favorites.

✨ Before You Begin

✨ Room temperature matters. For best results, make sure your butter, eggs, buttermilk, and orange juice are at room temperature.

✨ To line or not? LINE. This cake has a tendency to stick (especially after the syrup), so don’t skip parchment — who wants to mess up the presentation?

✨ Loaf pans are the original method here. The syrup soak makes sticking more likely in any pan, so parchment + generous greasing is the non-negotiable for clean release.

✨ Zest first, then juice. It’s much easier to zest whole oranges than slippery halves.

✨ Zest only the orange part. Avoid the white pith underneath — it can taste bitter.

✨ Bake to moist crumbs. Pound cake is done when a tester comes out with a few moist crumbs. A completely clean toothpick can mean slightly dry — check your cake religiously as bake time winds down.

✨ Have your cooling setup ready. You’ll want a wire rack set over a sheet pan (or foil) so you can syrup-soak without a sticky mess.

Why This Recipe Works

• Bigger orange flavor: lots of fresh zest + orange juice (zest is where the flavor lives)
• Tender crumb: buttermilk keeps the texture soft and bakery-style
• Signature soak: warm orange syrup absorbs into the crumb for moisture and punchy flavor
• Glaze that stays: thick glaze clings instead of disappearing

Recommended Tools

Microplane zester

Citrus juicer (or reamer)

Two 8½ x 4½-inch loaf pans

Parchment paper

Pastry brush

Wire rack + sheet pan (to catch syrup/glaze drips)

Orange Pound Cake Ingredients + Key Notes

• All-purpose flour – Provides structure without heaviness.
• Baking powder + baking soda – Together they lift the dense batter so the crumb stays tender.
• Salt – Enhances sweetness and sharpens citrus flavor.
• Fresh orange juice – Fresh juice gives brightness bottled juice can’t match.
• Buttermilk – Tenderizes the crumb and adds slight tang. Substitute: ¾ cup milk + 2 teaspoons vinegar (rest 5 minutes).
• Vanilla extract – Rounds out citrus so it tastes warm instead of sharp.
• Butter – Provides richness and classic pound cake texture.
• Sugar – Helps create a fine, soft crumb.
• Eggs – Add one at a time so the batter emulsifies properly.
• Orange zest – The true flavor source. Zest only the bright orange surface, not the white pith.

🥣 How to Make Orange Pound Cake

Preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C). Line the bottoms of two 8½ x 4½-inch loaf pans with parchment paper, then grease well (including corners).

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a small bowl, combine the orange juice, buttermilk, and vanilla.

In a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed for 5 full minutes, until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well and scraping down the bowl after each addition. Mix in the orange zest.

Add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk mixture alternately, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Divide batter evenly between the pans and smooth the tops. Optional UX upgrade: lightly spread the batter up the sides and leave a shallow “well” down the center—this encourages a more even rise.

Bake 45–60 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.

Orange Syrup Soak

While the cakes bake, make the syrup: in a small saucepan, heat the sugar and orange juice over low heat until the sugar dissolves.

As soon as the cakes come out of the oven, brush the tops generously with syrup while they’re still in the pans. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes, brushing the tops a few more times.

Turn the cakes out onto a wire rack set over a sheet pan (or foil). Don’t even think about skipping the soak! Brush the tops and sides with the remaining syrup, pausing a minute between brushings so it absorbs. Keep going until all the syrup is gone and absorbed. Cool completely before glazing.

Orange Glaze

In a medium bowl, combine powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons of orange juice. Mix until smooth, adding more juice a teaspoon at a time until you reach a thick but pourable glaze.

Drizzle or pour half the glaze over each loaf. Let the glaze set fully before slicing

⭐ Pro Tips

⭐ Cream long enough. Beat the butter and sugar for a full 5 minutes — this step creates the fine, tender pound cake texture.

⭐ Watch browning. If the top starts getting too dark before the center finishes baking, loosely tent with foil.

⭐ Don’t bake until “clean.” Pound cake is best when a tester comes out with moist crumbs. Clean tester = higher chance of dry cake.

⭐ Soak = the secret weapon. Brush the syrup on in several passes so it absorbs instead of pooling. This is what makes the cake intensely orange and extra moist.

⭐ Glaze thickness matters. Make it thick enough that it clings — too thin and it’ll run off the sides and pool on your serving plate.

⭐ Even better tomorrow. Citrus pound cakes improve overnight as the flavor distributes and the crumb softens.

🔬 Cooking Science: Why the Syrup Makes It Better

Warm cake has an open crumb structure. Brushing the syrup repeatedly allows it to travel inward instead of staying on the surface. The glaze then seals that moisture inside — giving you a cake that stays soft for days instead of drying out after slicing.

Storing + Reheating + Freezing + Make-Ahead Tips

Storing

• Wrap tightly and refrigerate up to 5 days. Flavor improves after 24 hours.

Reheating

• Serve at room temperature for best texture.

Freezing

• Freeze whole or sliced (unglazed preferred) up to 2 months.

Make-Ahead

• Best made a day ahead so the syrup distributes evenly.

What to Serve With Orange Pound Cake

Fresh + Crisp Sides

Serve with berries or macerated strawberries to balance the rich crumb.

Cozy Pairings

Perfect alongside coffee, tea, or brunch spreads.

Sweet Finishes

If citrus desserts are your love language, try Orange Creamsicle Cookies, Orange Cookies, or my Lemon Coconut Bars next.

✦ Frequently Asked Questions

✦ Can I bake this in a bundt pan instead of loaf pans?
Yes! This batter fits a 10–12 cup bundt pan. Bake at 350°F for 60–75 minutes, starting to check at 55 minutes. The cake is done when a tester shows moist crumbs, not totally clean. Cool in the pan 10–15 minutes, then invert. Spoon/brush the syrup over the warm cake in several passes so it absorbs into the ridges before glazing.

✦ Why did my pound cake sink?
Most often it’s underbaked, your ingredients were too cold, or the batter was overmixed after the flour went in.

✦ Why is my pound cake dry?
It was baked until a clean toothpick. Pound cake should be pulled when a tester has a few moist crumbs.

✦ Why does it taste bitter?
You likely zested into the white pith. Zest only the bright orange peel.

✦ Can I use a 9×5 loaf pan?
Yes. The loaves will be slightly shorter and may bake 5–10 minutes faster, so start checking early.

✦ Why is my glaze disappearing?
It’s too thin. Add more powdered sugar so it clings to the cake instead of running off.

Still have questions? Drop them in the comments — I love helping you bake + cook with confidence! 💗

• Buttermilk Pound Cake
• Brown Sugar Pound Cake
• Strawberry Pound Cake
• Blueberry Pound Cake
• Peach Cobbler Pound Cake
• Coconut Pound Cake
• Chocolate Pound Cake

Tried This Recipe?

💗 If you enjoyed this recipe, please take a moment to leave a star rating and a quick comment — I love hearing from you and it helps other readers find this yummy cake!

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Thanks for stopping by my kitchen today — happy cooking, friends! Kathleen 💗

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Orange Pound Cake

This orange pound cake is off-the-charts delicious. The orange flavor is more intense than any other version you may have tried.

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time40 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr

Servings: 20 slices (10 slices for each cake)

Author: Kathleen

Ingredients

Cake:

• ▢ 3 cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
• ▢ 3/4 cup buttermilk at room temperature
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 2 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature
• ▢ 2 cups sugar
• ▢ 5 large eggs at room temperature
• ▢ 1/3 cup (about 6 oranges) freshly grated orange zest

Orange Syrup:

• ▢ 1/2 cup sugar
• ▢ 1/2 cup fresh orange juice

Glaze:

• ▢ 2 cups powdered sugar sifted
• ▢ 2-4 tablespoons fresh orange juice

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Cake:

• Line the bottom of two 8 1/2 X 4 1/2 inch loaf pans with parchment paper, then grease well. Preheat oven to 350ºF (177ºC).
• In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour (3 cups), baking powder (1/2 teaspoon), baking soda (1/2 teaspoon), and salt (1 teaspoon) and set aside.
• In a small bowl combine orange juice (1/4 cup), the buttermilk (3/4 cup), and the vanilla (1 teaspoon) and set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand-up mixer, cream together on medium speed the butter (2 sticks) and sugar (2 cups) for 5 minutes. Keeping the mixer on the same speed, add the eggs (5) one at a time and mix well, scraping down the bowl, after each addition. Add the orange zest (1/3 cup).
• Add the flour and buttermilk mixtures alternately to the batter, starting with the flour and finishing with the flour. Evenly divide batter between prepared pans and smooth out the tops. Bake cakes 45-60 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center of the loaves comes out with a few moist crumbs.

Syrup:

• Meanwhile, as the cakes bake, prepare the orange syrup; In a small saucepan cook the sugar (1/2 cup) and orange juice (1/2 cup) over low heat until the sugar dissolves. When the cakes come out of the oven, generously brush the tops with the syrup. Allow the cakes to cool in their pans for 10 minutes, glazing the tops a few more times while they cool in the pans. Remove the cakes from loaf pans and set them on a wire rack set over the baking tray or a piece of aluminum foil to catch drips. Brush the sides and tops of the cakes with the remaining syrup, allowing a couple of minutes between brushings to allow the syrup to absorb into the cake until the syrup is gone. Cool the cakes on completely.

Glaze:

• Make the glaze by adding the powdered sugar (2 cups) and 2 tablespoons of orange juice to a medium bowl. Using a hand-held electric mixer mix until smooth. Add more orange juice, a teaspoon or so at a time, as needed to reach a thick but pourable consistency. Pour half of the glaze recipe over each cake. Let the cakes sit out until the glaze has dried well. Wrap each loaf and store it in the refrigerator.

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  Lemon Pound Cake
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  Peach Bourbon Upside Down Cake

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Notes

1. Room Temperature: For best results make sure all of your ingredients are at room temperature
2. To Line or Not: This cake has a tendency to stick a bit so it’s one of those cakes that you really need to line the pans with parchment. Trust me you don’t want to skip it. Who wants to mess up the presentation!
3. Baking: I bake most of my pound cakes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Because of the tender crumb of this type of cake, if you bake it like a standard cake until a toothpick comes out clean, it can be slightly dry. Check your cake religiously as the baking time winds down!
4. Soak: What the orange soak does for this cake is absolutely incredible!  Don’t even think about skipping it! This is one of the elements that differentiate this cake from all the other ho-hum orange cakes. I like to brush it on just the tops a few times right when they come out of the oven. Then I take the cakes out of the pans and apply more the sides and top again until all the syrup has been absorbed.
5. Glaze: The glaze is wonderful. You can drizzle it slowly over the cakes or pour it. Make sure you make it thick enough that it doesn’t just run off the sides and pool on your serving plate!

Nutrition

Serving: 1/20 of the recipe | Calories: 321kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 66mg | Sodium: 171mg | Potassium: 86mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 38g | Vitamin A: 385IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 1mg

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Source: Ina Garten

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