This orange pound cake is so delicious it’s like taking a bite of sweet sunshine! It’s loaded with amazing orange flavor. The cake has a whopping 1/3 of a cup of freshly grated orange zest. It’s buttery, tender, moist, and loaded with fresh flavor!
Now that is lots of orange flavors but that’s not the only orange deliciousness in this cake. There’s also fresh orange juice in it. Then, just to knock this cake straight out of the ballpark, it’s coated while it’s warm with orange syrup, and then it’s covered in an orange glaze! Hello orang-iliousness!
If you love pound cakes like we do, I hope you’ll try our classic, old-fashioned pound cake, peach pound cake, and million dollar pound cake next!
What I Love About This Recipe
- The orange flavor is fabulous!
- So buttery.
- The soak increases the flavor and moister.
Orange Pound Cake Ingredients
- Flour: All-purpose flour. I use Gold Medal.
- Baking Powder + Soda: Yes, use both. The cake needs both to lift the volume of the batter.
- Salt: This will enhance other flavors in the cake.
- Orange Juice: I like to use fresh oj.
- Buttermilk: Keeps the cake nice and moist.
- Vanilla: I use pure vanilla and not the imitation one.
- Butter: I use unsalted butter.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar.
- Eggs: I use large eggs. They should be at room temperature.
- Zest: This is what gives the cake its incredible orange flavor.
Recipe Notes
- Room Temperature: For best results make sure all of your ingredients are at room temperature
- 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!
- 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!
- 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.
- 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!
Storing + Freezing + Make-Ahead
- Storing: Cool completely before storing. Pound cakes can easily dry out so store the cakes in an airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge. You can store this in the fridge for up to a week.
- Can You Freeze This? Yes! You can freeze this pound cake. I like to wrap my cake in cling wrap or place it in an airtight container. You’ll be able to freeze it for up to six months.
- To thaw, simply leave it in the fridge overnight. Easy!
- Make-Ahead Tips: Like most cakes, there isn’t much you can do to speed up the baking process. All the ingredients need to go together rather quickly, and you can’t bake it in the oven any faster.
- Food Safety: If you’d like more info on food safety check out this link.
How To Make Orange Pound Cake with Orange Syrup and Orange Glaze
Cake:
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Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside.
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In a small bowl combine orange juice, the buttermilk, and the vanilla and set aside.
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In a stand-up mixer, cream together on medium speed the butter and sugar for 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time and mix well. Add the orange zest.
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Add the flour and buttermilk mixtures alternately to the batter, starting with the flour and finishing with the flour.
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Evenly divide the batter between prepared pans.
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Bake cakes for 45-60 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center of the loaves comes out with a few moist crumbs.
Syrup:
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In a small saucepan cook the sugar and orange juice over low heat until the sugar dissolves.
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When the cakes come out of the oven, generously brush the tops with the syrup.
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Allow the cakes to cool, glazing the tops a few more times.
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Remove the cakes from loaf pans and set them on a wire rack set.
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Brush the sides and tops of the cakes with the remaining syrup.
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Cool the cakes on completely.
Glaze:
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Make the glaze by adding the powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons of orange juice to a medium bowl. Mix.
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Add more orange juice, a teaspoon or so at a time, as needed to reach a thick but pourable consistency.
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Pour half of the glaze recipe over each cake. Let the cakes sit out until the glaze has dried well.
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Wrap each loaf and store it in the refrigerator.
***See the full instructions below.
More Favorite Pound Cakes
- Peach Cobbler Pound Cake
- Chocolate Pound Cake
- Brown Sugar Pound Cake
- Kentucky Butter Cake
- Blueberry Pound Cake
- Eggnog Pound Cake
- Strawberry Pound Cake
- Coconut Pound Cake
- Bourbon Pecan Pound Cake
- Louisiana Crunch Cake
Tried This Recipe?
Leave a review, I love hearing your feedback! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Orange Pound Cake
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
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.
Fans Also Made:
Notes
- Room Temperature: For best results make sure all of your ingredients are at room temperature
- 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!
- 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!
- 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.
- 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
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Source: Ina Garten
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Jodee says
Could it be made in a 9×13 or as a layer cake? It looks and sounds heavenly!
Kathleen Smith says
Hi Jodde. I haven’t tried baking it in any other pans yet.Sorry about that! I’d love to hear back from you if you do 🙂
Jodee says
Could this be made in a bundt pan?
Kathleen Smith says
Hi Jodee. I haven’t tried it yet! Its on my to do list though. Sorry!
lupita says
porfavor me puede decir cuanta mantequilla se necesita en Gramos para hacer el pan gracias
Kathleen Smith says
226 grams 🙂
Abby says
Amazingly good!!!! I didn’t add the glaze because i didn’t have powder sugar at home but the cake texture and flavor is heavenly !!
Kathleen says
Hey Abby, so glad you like it 🙂
Melissa says
Hi Kathleen,
Looking forward to baking this beautiful cake. Am I reading it right that each serving has 802 calories? How many servings per loaf? Is cal count for the whole loaf or 2 loaves? I know there’s 800 calories in a stick of butter alone. Appreciate any info on this.
Kathleen says
Hi Melissa, thank you for asking and pointing this one out <3 I updated the infos. There's 240 calories per slice. This recipe yields 2 loaves, with 10 slices each. I hope you'll this helps!
Allison Davis says
Can you make this in a bundt pan? Thanks!
Kathleen says
Hi Allison. Honestly, I haven’t tried it yet. I’m concerned it may not release well out of the bundt pan. Has anyone else tried it in a bundt pan ?
Teresa says
Can you half this recipe?
Kathleen says
Hi Teresa. Yes it should work out perfectly.
Gaby says
Can you make it in an 8 inch pan instead?
Kathleen says
Hi Gaby. A 8 X 1 1/2 round pan and a 8 X 4 X 2 1/2 loaf pan has the same volume so it should work. I haven’t tried it yet so I’m not exactly sure how the baking time would be effected. Remember that the recipe uses 2 of the loaf pans. If you try it out I’d love to hear back from you 🙂 Hope that helps!
Mary Ceverha says
In oven as we speak!!!!!! The batter is DELICIOUS! Can’t wait to eat it!
Kathleen says
I wish I had a piece right now, Mary!
Merlyn says
I made this cake today for a barb-e-que birthday party and it was such a hit. The cake was polished off and folks asked to share the recipe and I have ! Thank you
Kathleen says
Hi Merlyn. So glad it was a hit at the BBQ. It really is a lovely cake!!!
Laura says
Can you make this in a bundt pan instead of 2 loaf pans?
Kathleen says
Hey Laura. I must say that honestly I haven’t attempted it yet. I’m worried it won’t work though.
Noga says
I tried it and it worked like a charm. Delicious cake!! great recipe. Thank you!
Kathleen says
Hi Noga. So glad you liked it! I just saw your photo. It’s beautiful!!!
kaye D says
Question…Is that zest in the glaze that is poured over the finished loaf??
Kathleen says
Hey Kaye. Yes,it is 😉
Debbie says
Making this now. In the oven. Batter is yumm lol
Kathleen says
Hey Debbie. I hope you enjoy the cake! Btw, I always save at least a spoonful of the batter as a little treat for the baker!
Christina says
Orange explosion! I love it. When I make something with a certain flavor, I like a LOT of it. So this is right up my alley. 😉
Kathleen says
Hey Christina. I’m with you regarding lots of flavor! Hope you make this cake and really enjoy 🙂
Joanne says
All that orange must taste like sunshine!
Kathleen says
Hey Joanne! Thats exactly how I described it! LOL 🙂