A show stopper in both taste and appearance! Add a slice of sweet sunshine to late winter and early spring weather with this blood orange pound cake.
Springtime brings longer days, blooming flowers, and the perfect excuse to take our meals outdoors! Picnic season is in full swing here in Los Angeles. (Plus we’re due for a crazy heatwave next week!)
There’s no better treat to pack than a loaf of citrusy, buttery, not-too-sweet blood orange pound cake.
Ingredients
This loaf pound cake recipe is an adaptation of my orange juice cake. The original recipe is meant for a 10-cup Bundt pan or tube pan. This adapted version is for one standard pound loaf pan (9×5 or 9×4-inch pan).
It’s a quick and easy recipe that highlights the bright and tart fresh squeezed blood orange juice.
For this cake you will need the usual ingredients of: flour, sugar, butter, oil, sour cream, and salt. Along with vanilla, eggs, and baking powder.
The star ingredients are blood orange zest and fresh squeezed blood orange juice. If you don’t have blood oranges, this cake works just as well with Cara Cara oranges or navel oranges.
Orange zest is a key ingredient packed with a ton of flavor. Use a zester, such as a microplane, to remove the zest from the fruit. Avoid zesting too deep, you don’t want to scratch off the white pith which has a bitter taste. Freeze squeezed juice tastes the best! Plus, it the gives the cake batter and glaze a beautiful pink hue.
Blood Orange Season
In the Northern Hemisphere, blood orange season typically runs from late November through April. Timing is dependent on variety. They are said to be at their sweetest and juiciest during the coldest months.
We have a blood orange tree in our backyard. It produces the best fruit during February! When we have an abundance of fresh blood oranges, these are my go to recipes: blood orange earl grey tarts, blood orange limeade popsicles, and blood orange olive oil cake.
Helpful Baking TIps
As mentioned in the orange juice cake, fully extract all the oils and flavor from the orange zest by rubbing it with sugar. The sugar crystals bruise the zest extracting and releasing the most flavorful oils.
Don’t overmix! Mix just until the ingredients are combined. Overmixing can lead to a dense dry pound cake. For the best results use room temperature ingredients.
I love being able to see the little flecks of orange zest in the baked cake.
Serving Suggestions
The additional blood orange glaze isn’t necessary. The cake tastes great as it. However, the glaze does add a bit of drama and intrigue with its beautiful hues.
Cool loaf pound cake to room temperature before slicing. A warm cake will easily tear and crumble. I let my pound cakes sit overnight before slicing to really let the flavors meld.
Use a serrated knife in a gentle sawing motion to achieve clean slices.
Store glazed pound cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days. Overtime, the glaze will melt. Keep in the fridge for up to a week. Chilled cake needs to sit out at room temperature for at least 30 minutes for best texture and flavor.
More Pound Cakes
Blood Orange Pound Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour, (195 g)
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ cup granulated sugar, (150 g)
- 2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, (57 g), melted, slightly cooled
- ¼ cup avocado oil , or neutral flavor oil such as grapeseed oil
- 2 large eggs, room temp
- 2 Tabespoon sour cream, (30 g)
- ½ cup fresh squeezed blood orange juice, (120 ml)
Glaze:
- 1 cup confectioners' sugar, (120 g) aka powdered sugar
- 1 Tablespoon fresh squeezed blood orange juice
- 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest, optional
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- pinch kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Butter and sugar standard one pound loaf pan (9×5 or 9X4-inch). Tap out excess sugar. Set aside.
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, rub orange zest and granulated sugar to extract frangrance and flavor. Pour in melted butter and oil. Secure paddle attachment to stand mixer. Beat together until well combined.
- With the mixer running on medium speed, add eggs one at a time, ensuring each egg is incorporated before adding the next. Add sour cream. Mix until combined.
- Add dry flour mixture in three additions, alternating with orange juice. Mix on low speed. Begin and end with fllour. Mix on low speed utniul there are no longer than dry streaks of flour. Scrape down bowl as needed to ensure thorough mixing.
- Transfer batter to prepared loaf pan. Bake for 40-45 minutes until cake springs back to touch and toothpick inserted in center cake comes out clean.
- Cool cake in pan for 10 minutes. Run mii offset spatula along the edges of the pan. Invert cake or pull cake out of loaf pan. Cool to room temp before serving.
Glaze:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together confectioners' sugar, orange juice, zest, salt, vanilla extract, and almond extract until smooth. Pour mixture over cooled cake.
Notes
- This loaf pound cake recipe is an adaptation of my orange juice cake
- Cool loaf pound cake to room temperature before slicing. A warm cake will easily tear and crumble. I let my pound cakes sit overnight before slicing to really let the flavors meld.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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