Orange Dream Pound Cake

This sweet bread is as rich and velvety as a pound cake. Made with fresh orange zest and juice, it’s bursting with flavor. This Orange Dream Pound Cake is the ultimate citrus treat!

Citrus season is such a delicious time here in my home state of Arizona. Trees are fragrant with blossoms and full of ripened oranges, lemons and grapefruits! Incorporating citrus into my baking is a no brainer. If you’ve ever zested a lemon or orange, you know how amazing the scent can be – and if it smells that incredible, then it tastes even better!

The inspiration for my Orange Dream Pound Cake comes from my love for my Lemon Coconut Bread. If you love lemon, that recipe needs to be on your to-bake list!

A pound cake is typically a type of cake made with a pound each of four different ingredients: flour, butter, eggs and sugar. Pound cakes are denser than a traditional cake and lighter in flavor. You’ll love how velvety and rich this orange bread is! While there isn’t quite a pound of each ingredient in this recipe, there is generally an equal amount of each, yielding a pound cake-like texture.

Ingredients for Orange Dream Pound Cake

• All purpose flour is the base for this moist, tender loaf.
• Unsalted butter at room temperature combines well with the granulated sugar, creating a fluffy loaf.
• Eggs help to provide structure and when combined with the creamed butter and sugar, help to create a light and airy pound cake.
• Sour cream gives moisture and a slight tang to the flavor. It makes this loaf extra special! Let it come to room temperature to combine well with the room temperature butter and eggs.
• Orange zest and freshly squeezed orange juice add a burst of citrus flavor! It truly creates an orange dream!

Prepare to make this recipe by getting out your butter, eggs and sour cream about 30 minutes before mixing to get them to room temperature. Mixing with these room temperature ingredients will allow them to incorporate better together.

Making the pound cake

1. Preheat your oven to 325°F.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar for two minutes until they’re nice and fluffy. Be sure there are no clumps of unmixed butter – pockets of unmixed butter will make a messy loaf when baked.
4. Add the orange zest and combine.
5. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition. 
6. Add the sour cream, orange juice and vanilla. Mix until combined. At this point, the mixture may separate a bit, but don’t despair – it will come together when you add the flour.
7. Slowly add the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Just like a usual cake recipe, try to avoid over-mixing once the flour is added.
8. Grease your loaf pans generously with nonstick spray. Spoon batter into pans, filling no more than two-thirds full. I prefer to use mini loaf pans, but you can make larger loaves too. I’ve also made this in my Nordicware bundt pan using my Cake Goop to make sure it comes out nice and clean!
9. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Mini loaf sizes will need less bake time (closer to 50 minutes). Full size loaves will need more bake time (closer to 60 minutes). All ovens bake differently so be sure to keep an eye on it. The first time making this recipe, check it a bit early – just in case your oven bakes faster.
10. Let it cool in the pans for 30 minutes before removing and cooling completely on a wire rack. 
11. Prepare the glaze by combining the powdered sugar, milk and orange zest. Add more powdered sugar or milk to get a thick consistency. A thicker glaze will set on top of the pound cake, creating an extra burst of orange flavor!
12. Drizzle over loaves after they have completely cooled. The glaze should set up and harden in about 30 minutes. 
13. Slice, serve and enjoy!!

Baking

When it comes to sweet breads, I prefer baking mini loaves, rather than larger loaves. Smaller loaves are easier to bake evenly, especially a denser loaf like this pound cake. It’s also easier to slice and serve.

Be sure to bake your loaves until they are cooked all the way through. Check them with a toothpick – it should come out clean with a few moist crumbs. Letting them rest in the pans for 30 minutes after baking will allow them to continue baking internally.

I use a mini loaf pan that is a 5 3/4″ by 3 1/4″ in size. A large loaf pan would be about 5″ by 9″.

This recipe will make around 5 mini loaves or 2 large loaves.

Storing your Orange Dream Pound Cake

You’ll want to eat every single bite of this loaf! It’s highly unlikely you’ll have any leftover, but in the event that you do, be sure to store it in an airtight container. This will keep it from drying out.

• Make ahead: You can make the pound cake ahead of time and freeze it. Before glazing it, wrap the cooled pound cake in plastic wrap and store in a freezer ziplock bag. Freeze it for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to enjoy it, take it out of the freezer and let it thaw on the counter for about 6-8 hours. Glaze it after it has thawed completely.

Follow & Share

Be sure to leave a comment below if you make this recipe. Post and share your baking creations on Instagram and tag me @thatbreadlady. I love to see how you are enjoying my recipes with your family and sharing them with others!

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More recipes to try

Lemon Coconut Bread

Orange Sweet Rolls

Basic Sourdough

S’mores Cookies

Need extra help with bread making?

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It’s a great community of bakers just like you – bakers that love to get creative in the kitchen and improve their baking skills. I’d love to bake with you!

Love,

Heather