Orange Pound Cake

This is my favorite orange pound cake recipe. It is moist and full of the flavors of orange, vanilla, and butter - totally dreamy. The simple batter whips up in minutes and before you know it, you'll have two (yes, TWO!) beautiful, delicious loaf cakes. One for now, one to stash in the freezer for later. Or one to gift to a very lucky friend or loved one. Give this recipe a try and see why it's my go-to Orange Pound Cake.

This Orange Pound Cake is the first recipe I posted on my blog. Way back in 2013. I've updated the photos, but the recipe remains the same. I've made this Orange Pound Cake recipe soooo many times. My kids love it, especially Ava. She's always loved citrus flavors. It is such a reliable and adaptable recipe; You can make it with any citrus. I made a blood orange version this past winter and it was perfect-I need to get that recipe and the gorgeous photos posted! There is just something so friendly and cozy about a loaf cake, don't you think?

How to make orange pound cake

This loaf cake comes together in a flash, either with a stand mixer or hand mixer.

• First, you'll cream the room temperature butter with sugar until it is light and fluffy.
• Then you'll add the eggs and orange zest.
• Next, with the mixer running on low, you'll alternate adding the liquid mixture and the dry ingredients, beginning and ending with the flour.
• Once everything is added, give it a really good scrape and stir with a rubber spatula before dividing evenly between the two loaf pans and baking in a preheated 350 degree F oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour while you enjoy the buttery orange and vanilla aroma floating through your house.

Can I use other citrus fruits to make this loaf cake?

Yes! You can. Use any and all citrus fruits to make this glazed orange pound cake. Just swap out the orange juice and zest for that of another citrus. Or use a combo!

A simple glaze for these orange pound cakes

This is the formula for the most basic glaze: Place 2 cups powdered sugar in a spouted measuring cup, add extract, zest, or flavoring of your choice and enough milk, cream, or juice to thin to a pourable consistency. Start with 2 tablespoons and work up very slowly if you need it thinner. If you make it too thin, add a bit more powdered sugar.

Step-by-Step Process

This cake is good no matter what you do with it. Warm from the oven, midnight snack, breakfast... (It's kind of like a muffin!), and of course, you can't go wrong if you top it with a big scoop of good vanilla bean ice cream and some berries.

I hope you love this recipe as much as we do! Let me know if you give it a try! And don't forget, use any citrus you have on hand. Happy baking! xo - Anita

Orange Pound Cake Recipe

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This is my favorite orange pound cake recipe. It is moist and full of the flavors of orange, vanilla, and butter - totally dreamy. The simple batter whips up in minutes and before you know it, you'll have two (yes, TWO!) beautiful, delicious loaf cakes. One for now, one to stash in the freezer for later. Or one to gift to a very lucky friend or loved one. Give this recipe a try and see why it's my go-to Orange Pound Cake.

PS: you can make this with ANY citrus fruit you have on hand!

• Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
• Yield: 2 loaves

Ingredients

For the cakes:

• 2 sticks of very soft butter (8 ounces or ½ pound)
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 eggs, at room temperature
• zest from 5 oranges
• 3 cups all purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• teaspoon kosher salt (or ½ teaspoon regular fine salt)
• ½ cup greek yogurt (I changed this from buttermilk, because I never have it, and I always have greek yogurt, but it will work with either)
• ½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• 2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract

For the glaze:

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 - 4 tablespoons orange juice
• zest of one orange
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

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Instructions

To make the cakes

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees and butter and flour two loaf pans, I use the butter wrappers for this. Or you could spray very well with non-stick baking spray.
2. Next, cream butter and sugar in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment until light and fluffy-about 5 minutes on medium high speed. Scrape down sides and bottom with a rubber spatula.
3. Then, with mixer on low add eggs one at a time(ish) and orange zest. Pausing to scrape down sides as you go.
4. Combine dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda) in a bowl, and in a separate bowl or measuring cup combine yogurt (or buttermilk), vanilla, and orange juice, whisk to combine.
5. With the mixer on low add the wet and dry mixtures alternately, beginning and ending with the flour. I usually do this in about three additions.
6. Don't overmix - once everything is combined, remove paddle attachment and give the batter a good top to bottom mix with a rubber spatula, then divide evenly between the two pans.
7. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes to an hour.
8. When your cakes are done a toothpick will come out with a few moist crumbs attached. Let cool slightly in pans, and enjoy.

To make the glaze:

1. Stir all glaze ingredients in a spouted measuring cup or bowl. If the glaze is too thin, add more powdered sugar. Too thick, add more juice or a splash of milk. Pour over cooled cakes.

 

Notes

serving suggestions: This cake is good no matter what you do with it. Warm from the oven, midnight snack, breakfast... (It's kind of like a muffin!), and of course, you can't go wrong if you top it with a big scoop of good vanilla bean ice cream.

If you are freezing this cake, do not glaze. You will glaze after cake has thawed and come to room temperature.

If using other citrus, just swap the zest and juice equally or you could use a combo which is really fun!

• Author: anita | wild thistle kitchen
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 1 hour
• Category: cake
• Method: baking

Here's the OG post from October 7, 2013:

Well here it is, my first blog post. I've been wrestling with the idea of starting a blog for months. Finally I decided to go for it, but I quickly learned that choosing a name would prove to be a daunting task. I googled and googled... searching for inspiration only to come up with nothing. A poll of my friends and family gave me no luck, either. I looked through my favorite food magazines and cookbooks. Still nothing. I have this pound cake to thank for my blog name. Read on to find out why and to get the delicious recipe.

So, one morning I woke up thinking about orange pound cake. Maybe I was dreaming about it (it's pretty darn dreamy...). If you've ever had an Orange Julius or a Dreamsicle, imagine that taste in cake form. The tart orange/sweet vanilla combo... Are you imagining it? Ok, that's why I wake up thinking about this pound cake. Happily, I had a few oranges in the back of my fridge, and goodness knows I had butter, flour, and sugar. With a few more pantry staples gathered, I whipped up my dreamy cakes.

After baking my beauties, I sent a picture of them, still warm from the oven, to a friend and wrote, "Orange pound cake, on a whim!" (with an overly cheerful emoticon, I'm sure). The reply was, "You're the only person I know who makes orange pound cake on a whim!" And that's when the light bulb switched on. "That's it!!" I thought. Or maybe I said it out loud. Who can remember?

I will thank that orange pound cake craving for the rest of my blogging life. It only seemed fair to let it be the subject of my very first post. This recipe began as The Barefoot Contessa's Orange Pound Cake, (Oh how I love that woman...) I have made a few changes but she certainly deserves the credit. Here's how I make it.