This recipe outlines how to create a “Zesty Orange Pound Cake,” a classic, dense, and moist cake characterized by its rich buttery flavor and vibrant citrus notes from fresh oranges. It is typically baked in a loaf pan, resulting in a beautifully golden-brown crust and a tender crumb. The image shows a freshly baked loaf cake, still nestled in its metal pan, with a subtle crack down the center, and a generous dusting of powdered sugar across its surface, giving it an appealing, rustic finish. This cake is perfect for breakfast, brunch, or a simple dessert, offering a delightful balance of sweetness and tang.
Ingredients:
For the Orange Pound Cake:
- 1 ½ cups (3 sticks or 340g) unsalted butter, softened
- 3 cups (600g) granulated sugar
- 6 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 cups (360g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (240ml) whole milk or buttermilk, at room temperature
- Zest of 2 large oranges (about 2 tablespoons)
- ¼ cup (60ml) fresh orange juice
For the Powdered Sugar Dusting:
- ¼ cup (30g) powdered sugar, for dusting
Equipment:
- 9×5 inch loaf pan
- Parchment paper
- Large mixing bowls (2)
- Electric mixer (stand or hand-held)
- Whisk
- Rubber spatulas
- Wire cooling rack
- Fine-mesh sieve (for dusting powdered sugar)
Instructions:
Part 1: Prepare and Bake the Orange Pound Cake
- Preheat Oven & Prepare Pan: Preheat your oven to 325°F (160°C). Grease and flour a 9×5 inch loaf pan. For easier removal, you can line the bottom and two long sides with parchment paper, allowing some overhang.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer, cream the softened unsalted butter and granulated sugar together on medium-high speed until light, fluffy, and pale in color, about 5-7 minutes. This extended creaming time is crucial for the pound cake’s texture.
- Add Eggs and Vanilla: Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to ensure everything is fully incorporated. Beat in the vanilla extract.
- Add Orange Zest: Stir in the orange zest into the wet mixture.
- Alternate Dry and Wet Ingredients: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, alternating with the milk (or buttermilk) and fresh orange juice. Begin and end with the dry ingredients. Mix on low speed until just combined after each addition. Be careful not to overmix the batter, as this can result in a tough cake.
- Pour into Pan: Pour the cake batter evenly into the prepared loaf pan. Smooth the top with a rubber spatula.
- Bake: Bake for 60-75 minutes, or until a wooden skewer or toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. The top should be golden brown and may have a natural crack down the middle, as seen in the image.
- Cool: Let the cake cool in the loaf pan on a wire cooling rack for 15-20 minutes.
- Remove from Pan: After partial cooling, carefully invert the cake onto the wire cooling rack and remove the parchment paper. Let the cake cool completely before dusting with powdered sugar.
Part 2: Dust with Powdered Sugar
- Dust Cake: Once the orange pound cake is completely cool, place it on a serving plate or board. Using a fine-mesh sieve, generously dust the top of the cake with powdered sugar.
Part 3: Slice and Serve
- Slice: Slice the pound cake into thick, even slices.
- Serve: Serve at room temperature. This cake is delightful on its own, with a cup of coffee or tea, or alongside fresh berries.
Tips for Success:
- Room Temperature Ingredients: Ensure butter, eggs, and milk/buttermilk are at room temperature. This allows them to combine more smoothly and creates a finer, more even crumb.
- Proper Creaming: The creaming of butter and sugar for 5-7 minutes is vital for a true pound cake texture. It incorporates air, making the cake light yet dense.
- Don’t Overmix: Once the flour is added, mix only until just combined. Overmixing develops gluten, which can lead to a dry and tough cake.
- Zest Before Juicing: Always zest your oranges before you juice them; it’s much easier to get the zest from a whole fruit. The zest contains concentrated oils that provide a significant amount of citrus flavor.
- Loaf Pan Size: Using the correct loaf pan size is important. A 9×5 inch pan is standard. If your pan is significantly smaller or larger, baking time may need to be adjusted.
- Cool Completely: Allow the cake to cool completely before dusting with powdered sugar. If the cake is warm, the sugar will melt and disappear.
- Glaze Option: While the image shows a powdered sugar dusting, you can also make a simple orange glaze by whisking ½ cup powdered sugar with 1-2 tablespoons fresh orange juice until smooth and pourable, then drizzling it over the cooled cake.
- Variations:
- Lemon Pound Cake: Substitute lemon zest and lemon juice for orange zest and juice.
- Almond Pound Cake: Add 1 teaspoon of almond extract and ½ cup of sliced almonds to the batter.
- Bundt Cake Version: This recipe can be adapted for a 10-cup Bundt pan, but baking time will likely be longer (around 60-70 minutes). Ensure you grease and flour the Bundt pan exceptionally well, similar to the Blueberry Bundt Cake.
- Storage: Store the Zesty Orange Pound Cake tightly wrapped at room temperature for up to 3-4 days. It can also be frozen, well-wrapped, for up to 2-3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
- Comparison to Other Cakes: This pound cake is simpler in construction than multi-layered cakes like the Ultimate Fudgy Chocolate Cake, Mocha Layer Cake, or Spice Bar Cake. It’s a “pound cake” in the traditional sense, relying on equal parts of certain ingredients by weight, which contributes to its dense, moist texture, much like other classic Pound Cakes. It shares the simplicity of single-pan fruit cakes like Apple Cake or Cranberry Cake but highlights citrus. While “Orange Blender Cake” is a suggested tag for the image, this recipe uses a more traditional creaming method rather than a blender. It’s a different texture and flavor profile than light and airy Sponge Cakes or fluffy Souffle Pancakes.