This is the best moist homemade Orange Pound Cake recipe that is easy to make from scratch in a Bundt Pan. This will be a perfect sweet treat for the holiday season!
Orange Pound Cake is a classic dessert recipe during the holiday season, often served with whipped cream and fruits. It also tastes great with a little bit of Orange Cranberry Sauce. This addition makes the dessert very festive and provides additional sweet and tart flavors.
How to make Orange Pound Cake from scratch
Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or a hand mixer, beat softened butter for a few minutes. Then add granulated sugar and beat together on a high speed for 5-10 minutes, until it’s pale and fluffy.
NOTE: It’s really important to beat the butter and sugar very well so it becomes airy. The lighter the consistency, the lighter your cake will be and it will rise better.
Lower the speed to medium and add the eggs, one at a time, letting it incorporate with butter mixture in between.
Add vanilla extract, orange zest and juice and mix it again until well incorporated.
Manually fold all-purpose flour into the mixture using a spatula. This way you won’t over mix the batter. Also, do it in two steps.
The batter should be thick. Scoop it in a well-greased Bundt pan and bake it for about 70-80 minutes or until a tooth pick comes out clean.
NOTE: It is crucial to grease the baking pan really well, so none of the cake will stick to the sides while baking.
When the cake is done, take it out of the oven and let it cool off in the pan for about 3 minutes, then remove it to a wire rack to cool off completely.
NOTE: It’s better to take the cake out of a Bundt Pan when it’s still warm, so it won’t stick.
Let the cake cool off completely, about 2 hours.
How to make Orange Glaze
All you need is just two ingredients: powdered sugar and an orange (juice and zest).
Put powdered sugar a small mixing bowl.
Gradually add orange juice (a tablespoon at a time) and stir the mixture. The amount of orange juice depends on how thick you want the glaze to be.
Then add orange zest and mix again.
Pour the orange glaze over the Orange Pound Cake.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
Can I use store-bought orange juice instead?
Yes, you can. However, I think that fresh oranges (especially zest) provides more flavor.
How long to bake a pound cake?
This can be a tricky question. It really depends on your baking pan, its shape, batter consistency, and your oven. For this recipe I used Heritage Bundt Pan from Nordic Ware. It usually takes me 70-80 minutes to bake a pound cake at 350˚F. If your cake comes out too dark, you might want to lower the temperature to 325 ˚F and bake a little bit longer.
Why does my pound cake crack on top?
Pound cake is quite different from other cakes, it’s supposed to have cracks on top. The main reason, the batter for this recipe is dense and requires long baking time. The outside surface sets faster than the inside. So, while the inside of the cake is continuing to bake, it expands and cracks the top of the cake.
Bundt Pan VS Loaf Pan?
This is really up to your taste, the result will be the same. The baking time in both pans is quite similar, 70-80 minutes. I usually use a Bundt Pan just because it looks more festive.
CHECK OUT MORE DESSERT RECIPES YOU MIGHT LIKE:
- Chocolate Mousse Pie
- One Bowl Brownies
- Chocolate Chunk Cookies
- Snickerdoodles
- Raspberry Almond Thumbprint Cookies
- Oatmeal Cookies with Cranberries and White Chocolate
- Mini Cheesecakes with Blueberry Sauce
- Classic Apple Pie
- Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake
Did you make this recipe?!? I’d love to know how it turned out! leave a comment and a rating below👇 thank you!
Orange Pound Cake
Ingredients
Ingredients for Orange Pound Cake:
- 2 cups unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 ¼ cups granulated sugar
- 6 large eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 orange zest and juice (about 2 tbsp orange zest and ⅓ cup orange juice)
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter to grease Bundt Pan
Ingredients for Orange Glaze:
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 2-4 tablespoons orange juice
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
Instructions
How to make Orange Pound Cake from scratch
- Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or a hand mixer, beat softened butter for a few minutes. Then add granulated sugar and beat together on a high speed for 5-10 minutes, until it’s pale and fluffy.
- Lower the speed to medium and add the eggs, one at a time, letting it incorporate with butter mixture in between.
- Add vanilla extract, orange zest and juice and mix it again until well incorporated.
- Manually fold all-purpose flour into the mixture using a spatula. This way you won’t over mix the batter. Also, do it in two steps.
- The batter should be thick. Scoop it in a well-greased Bundt Pan and bake it for about 70-80 minutes or until a tooth pick comes out clean.
- When the cake is done, take it out of the oven and let it cool off in the pan for about 3 minutes, then remove it to a wire rack to cool off completely.
- Let the cake cool off completely, about 2 hours.
How to make Orange Glaze
- Put powdered sugar a small mixing bowl.
- Gradually add orange juice (a tablespoon at a time) and stir the mixture. The amount of orange juice depends on how thick you want the glaze to be.
- Then add orange zest and mix again.
- Pour the orange glaze over the Orange Pound Cake.
Notes
Nutrition
My husband and I have made this recipe a couple of times. It’s really delicious!
Very good and moist bundt cake! The flavor is mild, cake is dense. It made a great New Years Eve dessert and was also very good with coffee the next morning!
I was concerned by mixing the butter and sugar for so long that the ingredients would start to separate (in the last pic showing the mixed ingredients they appear to have done so?) but it was no problem. I followed the recipe exactly with one exception, I did add 1/4 tsp orange extract to the mix. I was glad I did when as I noticed most of the orange zest was stuck on my mixers (after I had put the cake in the oven). One thing that I would find helpful in the recipe is an approximate measurement of orange juice and zest for the cake mix. My orange yielded about 2 tsp zest and 4-5 tbsp orange juice. Instead of greasing the Pan with butter and flour, I used Pam baking spray and the cake released very easily. I will say the pics have me itching for a more ornate Bundt Pan 😉
Hi Jenny! I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe! It’s one of my favorite pound cakes and it’s so easy to make!
Thank you for the note about the orange juice and zest measurements, I added it to the recipe box.
First off I have this same Nordic bundt pan and love it . Now let’s talk about your orange pound cake…AMAZING. Simple old fashioned ingredients and it was so delicate and just a hint of orange. The glaze was the perfect touch and added the perfect about of sweetness. I served this at a church potluck and everyone raved about it, not a crumb left. Thanks for the great recipe.
This cake is sooooo pretty! It’s also positively delicious! I have a Bundt Pan that looks like a wreath of pine trees and it can be pretty tricky to get cakes to come out of it well. But this one worked like a charm! The cake not only came out of the pan well, it tasted delicious. Thanks for a great recipe!
I love how you put the glaze in the channels of the cake. What a great dessert to serve during the holidays. In years past oranges definitely were a holiday fruit. I’m making the cake this coming week for our book club. The ladies are going to love it.
Your pound cake is gorgeous! I love that pan. I can imagine how delicious it tastes with such a great orange flavor!
I feel like I can smell this through my screen! I love orange flavor in baked goods, and this one is gorgeous!
What a classic! I love the step by step photos and explanation. Thanks for the tips. The icing and subtle flavor combo are the best. Perfect for my holiday planning
The shape is absolutely unbelievable – it will be a show stopper at any celebration 🙂 The most suprising thing is how easy it is to make it. Great tip on the batter – thank you!
I’ve been looking for a perfect dessert for this coming Holiday..and this Orange Pound Cake recipe came just right in time. This looks really scrumptious. I will love to try this with a little bit of Orange Cranberry Sauce.