Orange pound cake is packed with sweet citrus flavor! It is made with staple ingredients in just a few minutes hands-on time.

This orange pound cake is incredibly moist. It’s got a vibrant, delicate orange zest, and it’s covered with a sweet orange glaze to make it irresistible!

An orange pound cake on a white serving platter.
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As the weather starts to get sunnier, I like to introduce fun and light flavors into my baking. It’s easy to celebrate spring with a delicious and simple orange pound cake.

Every bite – from the moist cake to the vibrant icing to the very last crumb – tastes like spring!

The light and citrusy flavor of orange is fresh and happy, like springs itself. Which makes orange pound cake the perfect dessert to serve at celebrations like Easter and Mother’s Day. However, you don’t need to save it just for holidays – it’s so easy to make that you can turn any day into a special occasion!

A slice of orange pound cake on a white plate.

Pound cake is a classic recipe for dense, moist and delicious cake made from staple ingredients – butter, flour, sugar, eggs and milk. Whether you serve Cinnamon Pound Cake, Lemon Pound Cake, Apple Pound Cake, or Chocolate Chip Pound Cake, you’re sure to have a dessert than everyone will enjoy and rave about.

Check out my pound cake guide for tips that will ensure your cake is perfect!

An orange pound cake on a white serving platter.

Orange Pound Cake

Pound cakes must be my love language. I love how I can whip up a cake so fast and have a delicious and gorgeous treat to serve at breakfast, a brunch, or for dessert. And if there are leftovers, it slices up for an indulgent snack the next day!

Why You’ll Love It

Versatile – Pound cake is amazing for breakfast, brunch and dessert.

Staple Ingredients – It’s made with staple ingredients and the juice and zest of an orange.

Effortless – It takes just a few minutes hands on time to create this beautiful and flavorful dessert.

Orange pound cake is buttery, moist and dense with flecks of orange zest throughout the cake. The icing is flavored with orange juice, making it smooth and bright. Its adds one more layer of moisture and complements the cake perfectly.

A slice of orange pound cake on a white plate.

Orange Pound Cake Ingredients

  • Butter – Salted or unsalted, your preference, at room temperature.
  • Sugar – White granulated sugar not only sweetens pound cake, but also aids in the leavening process when mixing with butter.
  • Eggs – At room temperature for best results.
  • Flour – All purpose flour is alternated with milk to give it a luxurious consistency.
  • Milk – Any milk from skim to vitamin D works well.
  • Orange Zest – Use zest of naval oranges, mandarin oranges or clementine for sweet orange flavor.
ingredients to make orange pound cake on white surface

Orange Glaze

  • Butter – Salted or unsalted, your preference.
  • Powdered Sugar – Also known as confectioner’s sugar, it gives the glaze a smooth consistency.
  • Orange Juice – Freshly squeezed or store-bought, your preference.
A glass bottle of orange glaze, with a small orange beside it

Variations

  • Add your choice of nut to the batter, or just sprinkle nuts on the icing.
  • Mix in mini chocolate chips for an orange and chocolate pound cake!
  • Add poppy seeds to the batter for that slight nutty flavor and crunch.
  • Bake in mini loaf pans for darling orange pound cakes. Cut baking time to 50 minutes.
A glass bottle of orange glaze, pouring over an orange pound cake.

Recommended Loaf Pans

  • 1 Pound Loaf Pan – Make as directed.
  • Citrus Loaf Pan – This loaf pan is a little smaller. Dispose excess batter or use to make a miniature loaf. When cake has cooled, trim off excess from rise and invert to remove.

How to Make Orange Pound Cake

  1. Prep – Preheat oven and grease loaf pan.
  2. Beat Butter and Sugar – In a large mixing bowl, beat until light in color. This aerates the mixture and adds rise without a leavening agent. butter and sugar on beater
  3. Add Eggs One at a Time – Mix on low, and just until incorporated.
  4. Alternate Flour and Milk – Continue mixing on low while alternately adding flour and milk.pound cake batter on beater
  5. Add Orange Zest – Gently fold in zest for bright flavor and a pop of color.pound cake batter in glass mixing bowl
  6. Bake – Pour into prepared pan. Bake. Allow to cool on a wire rack. Invert to remove. pound cake batter in gold loaf pan
  7. Glaze – Combine melted butter, powdered sugar and orange juice until smooth and pour over pound cake.

Serving Suggestions

  • Garnish with fresh fruit, such as strawberries or blueberries, at a breakfast or brunch.
  • Serve with whipped cream and then sprinkle with toasted coconut.
  • A la mode – with creamy vanilla ice cream.
An orange pound cake on a white serving platter.

Tips

  • Cream Butter and Sugar Until Light and Fluffy – This gives pound cake it’s rise in lieu of a leavening agent.
  • Use Only Orange Zest – When zesting an orange, be careful not to zest the white rind, which is bitter in flavor.
  • Bake Low and Slow – Baking low and slow ensures the cake bakes evenly all the way through, without over baking the exterior.
  • Prepare Loaf Pan – Use an easy release spray or generously the loaf pan and any crevices to effortlessly release.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a pound cake the same as a sponge cake?

No, a pound cake is moist and dense while a sponge cake is lighter and has a spongy consistency because the egg whites are whipped.

When do I remove a pound cake from the pan?

Let the cake cool in the pan for at least 15-20 minutes so it can firm up. Then gently turn the pan over to release the cake. If you used enough spray oil, the cake should slide right out.

An orange pound cake on a white serving platter.

How to Store

  • Room Temperature – Store in an airtight container or covered for up to 5 days. You want to keep all the moisture inside! Individually sliced pound cake keeps for 3 to 4 days, covered or wrapped.
  • Refrigerate  Store covered or in an airtight container up to 7 days in the refrigerator. Make sure that the side that has been cut is covered with plastic.
  • Freeze  Wrap pound cake in plastic wrap then add an extra layer of aluminum foil or put in a freezer bag to prevent frost and to keep freezer odors from getting into your cake. Freeze up to 3 months. Bring to room temperature when ready to eat.
An orange pound cake on a white serving platter.

What to Do with Leftovers

  • Make French ToastClassic or Crème Brûlée French Toast
  • Freeze Individual Slices – They make a great last minute snack!
  • Make a Trifle – Cut into cubes and layer with pudding, whipped cream and fresh fruit.
An orange pound cake on a white serving platter.

Orange Recipes

An orange pound cake on a white serving platter.
5 from 5 votes

Orange Pound Cake

Classic pound cake with bright orange flavor! Dense and delicious with a tender crumb and picture perfect slice.
Prep: 10 minutes
+ time to frost and decorate: 1 hour 20 minutes
Total: 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 10
Pin Rate Print

Ingredients  

  • 2 cups unsalted butter softened
  • cups white granulated sugar
  • 3 large eggs room temperture
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • ¾ cup milk
  • 2 tablespoons orange zest

Orange Glaze

  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • cup orange juice fresh squeezed or store bought

Optional

  • 1 teaspoon orange zest

Instructions 

  • Grease a 1 pound loaf pan and preheat oven to 300°F.
  • In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat butter until light in color and fluffy (about 3 minutes). Gradually incorporate sugar.
    2 cups unsalted butter, 1½ cups white granulated sugar
  • On low speed, add eggs one at a time. Scrape the bowl down, if needed.
    3 large eggs
  • Alternate adding flour and milk until just incorporated. Add orange zest.
    2 cups all purpose flour, ¾ cup milk, 2 tablespoons orange zest
  • Pour batter into loaf pan. Bake 1 hour 20 minutes or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Allow cake to cool on wire rack. Invert to release.

Orange Glaze

  • In a medium mixing bowl, combine melted butter, powdered sugar and orange juice until smooth. Pour over cooled cake and allow to set.
    6 tablespoons unsalted butter, 3 cups powdered sugar, ⅓ cup orange juice

Julie’s Tips

Make sure when you’re zesting the orange, you don’t get any rind, which is bitter in flavor.
Use the toothpick test for accuracy in bake time as ovens vary.

How To Store

  • Room Temperature – Store in an airtight container or covered for up to 5 days. 
  • Refrigerate – Cover cake using plastic wrap and store in an airtight container up to 7 days refrigerated.
  • Freeze – Wrap pound cake in plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag to prevent frost and to keep freezer odors from getting into your cake. Freeze up to 3 months. Bring to room temperature to enjoy.

Video

Calories: 676kcal | Carbohydrates: 68g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 45g | Saturated Fat: 28g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 172mg | Sodium: 414mg | Potassium: 81mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 67g | Vitamin A: 1483IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 47mg | Iron: 1mg

Estimated nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is not guaranteed.

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14 Comments

  1. some of your pound cake recipes use 1 cup of butter and some use 2 cups of butter but the other ingredients are the same.

    just checking if this recipe should truly be 2 cups of butter.

    thanks

  2. This is such an easy and delicious pound cake. I took your suggestion and added poppy seeds. Wow! Delicious nutty flavor. I also added mini chocolate chips to another which was a big hit.