Orange Pound Cake

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This Orange Pound Cake is a delicious flavorful loaf cake flavored with orange juice and orange zest. Perfect served for dessert or a midday snack.

A stack of slices of orange pound cake topped with a glaze.

Delicious orange cake

When citrus is in season, I love using fresh oranges in recipes. Naval oranges are usually available in the stores all year long, but they are usually at their best between November and January.

This orange pound cake celebrates oranges. It has orange zest in the batter. After the cake is baked, it's given an orange glaze that gets absorbed into the surface of the cake and then finally it's covered with orange icing.

In addition to this orange cake, I also love using fresh oranges in orange marmalade and in orange sherbet.

Fresh citrus is delicious to add to so many recipes! This lemon bundt cake is another tasty recipe to try!

Ingredients for orange pound cake

Ingredients for making an orange pound cake.

This section reviews the best ingredients and substitutions for this recipe. For an exact list of ingredients and quantities, check the recipe card below.

Flour - Regular all-purpose flour is used in this recipe.
Butter - I use salted butter softened to room temperature. You can use unsalted butter, and increase the amount of salt by ¼ teaspoon.
Buttermilk - Regular or low-fat buttermilk works in this recipe.
Oranges - You'll need approximately 3-4 medium-sized oranges. I've used naval oranges You'll need both the juice and the zest. Not sure how to zest an orange? Check out this article on How to Zest.

Making a pound cake

In this section, I share step-by-step photos, cooking methods, techniques, and a general overview. For detailed instructions, temperatures, and timing, check the printable recipe card below.

Preheat oven to 350°F
Line a 9x5 loaf pan with parchment paper. I don't worry about covering both ends, just the center and the sides. Spray the ends of the pan and the bottom of the parchment paper with a light spray of nonstick spray.
In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
Beat in eggs one at a time.

Add orange zest and vanilla and stir well.
Combine flour, baking soda and salt. Add half to the batter and combine.
Mix in buttermilk.
Add remaining flour and stir just until blended.

Place batter in prepared loaf pan and smooth batter with a spatula.
Bake in preheated oven for 70-80 minutes or until fully cooked through. Test with a toothpick to determine when cake is cooked through.

Cool cake in pan for 10 minutes, then remove cake from the pan on a baking rack for another 10 minutes, then brush top and sides of cake with orange glaze. Brush each side 2-3 times.
When the cake is fully cool, drizzle orange icing over the top of the cake. Allow icing to harden, then slice and serve.

Brushing the sides of a loaf with an orange glaze.

A pound cake with icing dripping off the sides.

Recipe tips

Make certain your butter is softened to room temperature.
If using unsalted butter, add an additional ¼ teaspoon of salt to the flour mixture.
The cake can be baked without parchment paper, just grease and flour your pan before baking. Shake off any excess flour.
Use a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake to determine if the cake is fully baked. This cake has a large amount of batter and it takes a while for it to bake through. If the top is becoming too dark, tent lightly with foil.
The orange glaze adds extra flavor and moisture to the cake. You will probably not use all the glaze.
This cake is best eaten the same day it is made. If making ahead of time, allow the cake to fully cool and then place in an airtight container. Add the glaze to the cool cake the next day and then add the icing.