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An Authentic Recipe: Orange Pound Cake

Last Updated on March 27, 2024

We always love baking with delicious Florida citrus, and it’s time to dig out an old favorite from the Authentic Florida kitchen. You’ll love this homemade Florida Orange Pound Cake. And it’s as good as it looks. Sweet, citrusy, and a perfect chaser to any meal.

Florida Orange Pound Cake

Photo of a pound cake
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 9 minutes

Ingredients

  • ½ pound unsalted butter (2 sticks), room temperature
  • 2 ½ cups granulated sugar, [divided 2 cups + ½ cup]
  • 4-extra large eggs, room temperature
  • 4-6 Florida oranges for 1/3 cup of orange zest (4 large or 6 medium oranges)
  • 3 cups of all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon of kosher salt
  • ¾ cup of freshly squeezed orange juice [divided 1/4 + ½ cup]
  • ¾ cup buttermilk, at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • Orange Glaze:
  • 1 cup confectioners sugar
  • 1 ½ teaspoons freshly squeezed orange juice
  • Two – 8 ½ X 4 ½ X 2 1/2 –inch loaf pans
  • Parchment paper

Instructions

    1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two loaf pans. Line the bottoms with parchment paper.

    2. Zest the oranges to create ⅓ cup of zest. Set aside zest. Using a juicer, squeeze ¾ cup of orange juice.

    3. Using an electric mixer, cream the 2 sticks of butter and 2 cups of granulated sugar for five minutes until light and fluffy. Crack the eggs and place them in a bowl. One at a time, add the eggs to the mixture. Next, add the zest.

    4. Next compose the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, sift together the 3 cups of flour, ½ teaspoon of baking soda, ½ teaspoon of baking powder, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Set aside.

    5. Combine ⅔ cup of buttermilk, ¼ cup of orange juice, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla.

    6. Next, with the mixed batter (from Step 2), add the flour (from Step 3) and buttermilk (from Step 4) mixtures alternately beginning and ending with flour.

    7. Divide the batter between the pans. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

    8. While the cakes bake, in a saucepan, cook the remaining ½ cup of orange juice with ½ cup sugar over low heat, until the sugar dissolves.

    9. Let the cakes cool for 10 minutes. Take them out of the pans and place them on a baking rack set over a tray. Spoon the orange syrup over the cakes and allow the cakes to cool.

    10. For the glaze, combine sifted confectioners’ sugar and orange juice in a bowl, mixing with a wire whisk until smooth. If needed, add more juice to thin. Pour over the top.

Orange Pound Cake Ingredients

  • ½ pound unsalted butter (2 sticks), room temperature
  • 2 ½ cups granulated sugar, [divided 2 cups + ½ cup]
  • 4-extra large eggs, room temperature
  • 4-6 Florida oranges for 1/3 cup of orange zest (4 large or 6 medium oranges)
  • 3 cups of all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon of kosher salt
  • ¾ cup of freshly squeezed orange juice [divided 1/4 + ½ cup]
  • ¾ cup buttermilk, at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • Orange Glaze:
  • 1 cup confectioners sugar
  • 1 ½ teaspoon freshly squeezed orange juice
  • Two – 8 ½ X 4 ½ X 2 1/2 –inch loaf pans
  • Parchment paper

Orange Pound Cake Directions

  • Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two loaf pans. Line the bottoms with parchment paper.
https://asoft11222.accrisoft.com/authenticfla//Orange Pound Cake/PoundCakeZest625X.jpg
  • Zest the oranges to create 1/3 cup of zest. Set aside zest. Using a juicer, squeeze ¾ cup of orange juice.
https://asoft11222.accrisoft.com/authenticfla//Orange Pound Cake/PoundCakeWetIngredients625X.jpg
  • Using an electric mixer, cream the 2 sticks of butter and 2 cups of granulated sugar for five minutes until light and fluffy. Crack the eggs and place them in a bowl. One at a time, add the eggs to the mixture. Next, add the zest.
https://asoft11222.accrisoft.com/authenticfla//Orange Pound Cake/PoundCakeDryIngred.625X.jpg
  • Next compose the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, sift together the 3 cups of flour, ½ teaspoon of baking soda, ½ teaspoon of baking powder, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Set aside.
https://asoft11222.accrisoft.com/authenticfla//Orange Pound Cake/CombinedFinalWetIngredients625X.jpg
  • Combine 2/3 cup of buttermilk, ¼ cup of orange juice, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla.
  • Next, with the mixed batter (from Step 2), add the flour (from Step 3) and buttermilk (from Step 4) mixtures alternately beginning and ending with flour.
https://asoft11222.accrisoft.com/authenticfla//Orange Pound Cake/WetMixturePans625X.jpg
  •  Divide the batter between the pans. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
https://asoft11222.accrisoft.com/authenticfla//Orange Pound Cake/ToppingSauce625X.jpg
  • While the cakes bake, in a saucepan, cook the remaining ½ cup of orange juice with ½ cup sugar over low heat, until the sugar dissolves.
https://asoft11222.accrisoft.com/authenticfla//Orange Pound Cake/HotSauce625X.jpg
  •  Let the cakes cool for 10 minutes. Take them out of the pans and place them on a baking rack set over a tray. Spoon the orange syrup over the cakes and allow the cakes to cool.
  • For the glaze, combine sifted confectioners’ sugar and orange juice in a bowl, mixing with a wire whisk until smooth. If needed, add more juice to thin. Pour over the top.
https://asoft11222.accrisoft.com/authenticfla//Orange Pound Cake/PoundCakeGreenery625X.jpg

Recipe is adapted from the Barefoot Contessa.

Don’t miss all of our favorite Authentic Florida dessert recipes using citrus:

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