Orange Pound Cake

Fragrant, moist, and tender Orange Pound Cake flavored with freshly squeezed orange juice and zest. This easy recipe is a winner!

This easy orange pound cake is hands down the best cake recipe to prepare from scratch (with no cake mix!). I’ve baked it countless times over the years and I never ever get tired of it. Rich, buttery, moist, and bursting with refreshing orange flavors, this foolproof pound cake is delicious year-round, with or without glaze. Each slice is slightly crispy on top, fragrant, with a moist and tender crumb. We love it for breakfast, tea time, dessert, and it’s also a perfect loaf to bring to potlucks and picnics!

An easy pound cake recipe

What is a pound cake? A traditional pound cake recipe calls for equal weights of flour, sugar, eggs, and butter, and is typically baked in a loaf tin (loaf pan). It makes it one of the easiest recipes to bake.

In this orange version, we added some orange zest for a burst of refreshing flavors, and the juice of a freshly squeezed orange. Prepared with simple ingredients, it takes 10 minutes to prepare and it’s a success every single time.

The recipe ingredients

• 1 orange. A medium orange will give you about ¼ cup (60 ml) orange juice. Don’t forget to zest it first, to bring up all the orange flavors in the pound cake.
• Eggs. You need 3 eggs for this recipe.
• Sugar. Choose granulated sugar but do not try to experiment with other types of sugar such as brown sugar, as they would impact the final result of the cake.
• Butter. I recommend salted butter for this recipe for a boost of flavors, but the recipe would work with unsalted butter too. If choosing the latter, just add a pinch of salt.
• All-purpose flour. Measure it correctly and sift it, to ensure the perfect texture.
• Baking powder. Use ¾ teaspoon of baking powder to give a little lift but keep the crumb perfectly moist and tender (not dry!).

How to make orange pound cake?

Here’s a snapshot of how to make this orange pound cake. Find the full instructions in the recipe card below.

• Start with whisking eggs and sugar until the mixture becomes pale and fluffy. Note that this step can be easily achieved with a whisk, you do not need to use a hand mixer.
• Then sift the flour and baking powder over the mixture and stir until incorporated.
• Now add the melted (and slightly cooled) melted butter, orange juice and zest, and mix until incorporated.
• Pour into the prepared pan, and bake. I told you it was easy!

Should I serve it with or without the glaze?

While most pound cakes tend to be a little dry and benefit from an additional glaze, this orange version is just perfect as it is. Perfectly sweet, moist and tender. That being said, you can always drizzle a simple orange glaze on top if desired.

Can I use store-bought orange juice instead?

Yes! Depending on the size of the orange, you will need approximately 60ml store-bought orange juice for this recipe, about ¼ cup.

But if you ask me, I always prefer to use the whole fruit, as you will need both the juice and the zest for this recipe. Freshly squeezed oranges make the cake perfectly moist and juicy, while orange zest will make it fragrant.

Make the recipe yours

Feel free to add your own touch to tis orange pound cake recipe, and create a different version every time. There are plenty of options depending on your mood, your tastes, and the ingredients you have at hand. Here a few suggestions:

• Flavor with a hint of cinnamon
• Add some dried cranberries or other dried fruits
• Or maybe chopped walnuts, pecans, almonds
• Add mini chocolate chips or finely chopped chocolate. However, I do not recommend regular size chocolate chips as they might fall into the bottom of the pan.
• Create a marble version. To do so, mix one Tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder with half of the batter. Then pour into the loaf tin, alternating layers between the chocolate flavored orange mixture and the plain orange one.

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