Orange Pound Cake with orange glaze, surrounded by beautiful sugared cranberries. Moist, dense yet fine textured, this pound cake recipe is flavored with grated orange zest and fresh squeezed orange juice. It’s a perfect cake recipe for Thanksgiving or Christmas and one that will give any Holiday cake recipe a run for its money.
No one should live without pound cake and especially one that’s flavored with orange and topped with a luscious orange glaze.
This is one of those recipes that’s easy enough for a beginning baker to tackle. It’s impressive enough to be an incredibly rewarding baking project to showcase at your next Holiday party.
And it’s my new favorite cake recipe, edging out Creamy Banana Coffee Cake which is another recipe you might want to keep in your back pocket for Holiday entertaining ideas.
What is Pound Cake?
Pound cake gets its name not because it’s heavy but because it’s easy. Based on an old-fashioned method using a pound each of four ingredients: flour, sugar, butter and eggs.
But don’t let its simplicity fool you into thinking it’s a pushover in the flavor department. Designed to be made without a recipe, pound cakes have evolved into some clever flavor combinations that will wow guests at any gathering.
This is an easy and super rewarding pound cake recipe and reliable because it’s from Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa.
Beautiful with citrus flavor, this is a perfect recipe to make for any Holiday party, whether it’s your own, or when you’re invited out. Tis the season for Holiday gatherings.
How To Make Sugared Cranberries:
- Easy! Just pick-up a 12-ounce bag of fresh cranberries at the grocery store. You’ll need two cups of sugar, divided. 1/2 cup to make the syrup to coat the cranberries and 1-1/2 cups to coat the cranberries for that frosted cranberry appearance.
- Just combine 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water in a sauce pan. Cook over medium heat until sugar is dissolved, about 2 – 3 minutes.
- Stir in cranberries until they’re coated well with the syrup.
- Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cranberries to a wire rack over a sheet pan. Let dry for at least an hour.
- Working in batches, roll the sticky cranberries in the remaining sugar until well coated. Let dry for at least another hour. Done.
Recipe for Orange Pound Cake with Orange Glaze and Sugared Cranberries:
I hope you give this Orange Pound Cake recipe a try. And if you do, please come back and let me know how you liked it and give the recipe a star rating.
Your feedback is valuable to me for developing future recipes. And if you have a favorite pound cake recipe, let me know, I’d love to give it a try.
This orange pound cake was so easy and rewarding, I’m really looking forward to trying more pound cake recipes.
Love cooking with oranges? More recipes using oranges:
- Orange Roasted Salmon with Yogurt Caper Sauce
- Creamy Tomato Soup with Cognac and Orange
- Fennel Orange Salad
Orange Pound Cake with Orange Glaze and Sugared Cranberries
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound unsalted butter 2 sticks, at room temperature
- 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar divided
- 4 extra-large eggs at room temperature
- 1/3 cup grated orange zest 6 oranges
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice divided
- 3/4 cup buttermilk at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- To glaze one loaf optional:
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar sifted
- 1 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2-inch loaf pans. Line the bottoms with parchment paper.
- Cream the butter and 2 cups of the granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for about 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy. With the mixer on medium speed, beat in the eggs, one at a time, and the orange zest.
- In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl, combine 1/4 cup of the orange juice, the buttermilk, and vanilla. Add the flour and buttermilk mixtures alternately to the batter, beginning and ending with the flour. Divide the batter evenly between the pans, smooth the tops, and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until a cake tester comes out clean.
- While the cakes bake, cook the remaining 1/2 cup of granulated sugar with the remaining 1/2 cup orange juice in a small saucepan over low heat until the sugar dissolves. When the cakes are done, let them 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 completely.
- To glaze, combine the confectioners’ sugar and orange juice in a bowl, mixing with a wire whisk until smooth. Add a few more drops of juice, if necessary, to make it pour easily. Pour over the top of one cake and allow the glaze to dry. Wrap well, and store in the refrigerator.
Notes
- Easy! Just pick-up a 12 ounce bag of fresh cranberries at the grocery store. You’ll need two cups of sugar, divided. 1/2 cup to make the syrup to coat the cranberries and 1 1/2 cups to coat the cranberries for that frosted cranberry appearance.
- Just combine 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water in a sauce pan. Cook over medium heat until sugar is dissolved, about 2 – 3 minutes.
- Stir in cranberries until they’re coated well with the syrup.
- Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cranberries to a wire rack over a sheet pan. Let dry for at least 1 hour.
- Working in batches, roll the sticky cranberries in the remaining sugar until well coated. Let dry for at least 1 hour. Done.
