Last Updated on March 5, 2024
This mouth-watering dessert packs double freshness from Authentic Florida. Try our sweet, tangy Florida orange pound cake filled with flavor and smothered with red, juicy Florida strawberries, topped with homemade whipped cream.
Using fresh Florida strawberries and our favorite citrus just makes this cake doubly delicious!
- Makes 2 cake loaves.
- Time: 1 & ½ hours, plus 1 hour for baking
Florida Orange Pound Cake
Ingredients
- ½ pound (2 sticks) of room-temperature unsalted butter
- 2 & ½ cups of granulated sugar
- 4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature (or 5 large eggs)
- ⅓ cup of orange zest (6-8 Florida oranges) Note: Zest before you juice oranges
- 3 cups of all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup of freshly squeezed orange juice
- ¾ cup of buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 2 pints of strawberries
Optional: Orange Glaze Ingredients
- 2 cups of confectioner sugar
- 3-4 teaspoons of orange juice
Pans, Equipment
- Two – 8 ½ X 4 ½ X 2 ½ inch loaf pans, greased
- Parchment paper
- Electric Mixer
- Bowls for mixing
- Handheld sifter
Directions
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour loaf pans. Line the bottom with parchment paper.
Step One
Using an electric mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, cream 2 sticks of butter and 2 cups of sugar. Mix for 5 minutes until light and fluffy.
While the mixer is on low, add the eggs – one at a time to the mixture.
Next, add the orange zest to the mixture.
Step Two: Flour Mixture
Separately, in a large bowl, sift together the 3 cups of flour, ½ teaspoon of baking powder, ½ teaspoon of baking soda, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Set aside.
Step Three: Buttermilk Mixture
In another bowl, combine ¼ cup of fresh Florida orange juice, ¾ cup of buttermilk, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla.
Step Four
While the mixer is on slow, beginning with the flour mixture, alternately pour the flour and then the buttermilk mixture into the bowl, ending with the flour until all is blended.
Pour the final blended mixture in the loaf pans evenly. Smooth the tops.
Step Five
Bake for 45 minutes (to 1 hour). Check at 45 minutes by inserting a cake tester to see if it comes out clean. When done, let cakes cool for 10 minutes.
Step Six
While the cakes are baking, combine ½ cup of orange juice with ½ cup of sugar in a small saucepan. Stir until the sugar dissolves.
Let cakes cool (in pans) for 10 minutes on a baking rack. Take the cakes out of the pan and set them on the rack again. Under the baking rack place a deep cookie sheet.
Pour the orange syrup over the cakes. Let soak into the cakes. Allow the cakes to cool completely.
Step Seven (Optional Step)
Create an orange glaze by taking 2 cups of (sifted) confectioner sugar and mixing with 3-4 tablespoons of orange juice (add more if needed to make it pour well).
With a spoon, drip or pour over the cakes. Let the glaze dry.
Step Eight
Clean 2-3 pints of Florida strawberries and cut in quarters.
Use ready-made whipped cream or make your own using 1 cup of heavy whipped cream and ¼ cup of sugar in a mixer for 2 minutes.
Place the cake on a plate, add the strawberries, and top with whipped cream.
Adapted from Barefoot Contessa recipe, Orange Pound Cake.
If you’d like your strawberries to be fresh and from Florida, check out Why Florida Strawberries are the “Berry Best”!
Check out these other delicious Authentic Florida dessert recipes: