Scratch-made Orange Zest Pound Cake with Orange Curd is buttery and soft with a light citrus flavor. The Orange Curd is luscious, sweet, slightly tart, and adds just enough zing to the cake. This recipe combo of cake plus curd is dessert heaven.
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This pound cake is both dense and moist with a small crumb. It’s full of orange flavor with both orange zest and orange juice in the cake. Orange Zest Pound Cake is sweet without being overly sweet and the Orange curd adds just the right about of kick. Coincidentally, the orange curd and vanilla ice cream make a delicious and tasty dessert on its own.
I have enjoyed making all different pound cake recipes for my Pound Cakes series. There are basic pound cakes and various flavors of fruit, and nut pound cakes and I enjoy all of them. Check them out here and see which one you like best > Pound Cakes Reviewed
You may also enjoy these pound cake recipes
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- Cold Oven Brown Sugar Whipping Cream Pound Cake
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- Kentucky Butter Sauce Pound Cake
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- Vanilla Red Velvet Marbled Pound Cake
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- Old Fashioned Buttermilk Orange Juice Pound Cake
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- Homemade Sour Cream Cinnamon Roll Pound Cake
Scratch-made Orange Zest Pound Cake with Orange Curd Tips
My favorite way to eat a pound cake is warm from the oven with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. This definitely holds true for this Scratch-made Orange Zest Pound Cake with Orange Curd. Therefore, when cooking the curd, time it so that the curd is still warm when the cake comes out of the oven. Warm sauce plus warm cake and cold vanilla ice cream is the best dessert ever. This pound cake is great and the Orange Curd is a must. Don’t leave it off.
Pound cakes are a very basic cake to make and easy to master. I gave a lot of tips for making pound cakes here and in this post for Whipping Cream Pound Cake. Most importantly is measuring the flour correctly and having the ingredients at room temperature. I suggest you click over and read through those tips if you’re a rookie baker.
Tips
Pound cakes are dense and take a long time to bake. Be patient, it’s well worth the wait. Like traditional pound cake, my Scratch-made Orange Zest Pound Cake with Orange Curd has that nice crust on the outside while remaining tender and soft on the inside. Coincidently, pouring the curd over the cake makes a beautiful presentation and is a great idea if you’ll be serving it immediately. However, if you don’t plan to serve it immediately, I would serve the orange curd on the side so that you keep that nice crisp outside to the pound cake. I’m all about the texture when it comes to pound cakes.
Scratch-made Orange Zest Pound Cake with Orange Curd
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 1 cup butter at room temperature
- 1/2 cup shortening
- 3 cup granulated sugar
- 6 large eggs at room temperature
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 2 tablespoon orange zest
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
For the curd
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1 and ½ tablespoons butter melted
- 2 teaspoons orange zest
- 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
- 1 large egg lightly beaten
Instructions
For the Cake
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
- Grease a 10-inch tube pan with solid vegetable shortening and sugar (or flour, I use sugar because it doesn't leave white patches) or Wilton Cake Release.
- Add sugar and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs, one at a time until the yellow disappears.
- Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together. Add it alternately with the milk and orange juice, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.
- Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition.
- Stir in orange zest and vanilla.
- Pour batter into prepared tube pan.
- Bake at 325 degrees F for 1 hour 20 minutes to 1 hour and 30 minutes or until a long wooden pick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean or with dry crumbs.
- Cool cake in pan on wire rack 20 minutes before inverting it on a serving tray.
- Meanwhile, prepare orange curd. (below)
- Remove cake from pan to wire rack and cool for 1 hour. You can either glaze the cake with the curd or drizzle the curd over the cake when served.For the curd
- Stir together all the ingredients in a small, heavy saucepan.
- Cook over low heat, stirring constantly for 10 to 12 minutes or until the mixture thickens slightly. (It will begin to form bubbles around the edge of the pan.)
- Use immediately or refrigerate up to one week.
Notes
Nutrition
You can also find great recipes at my recipe index or Meal Plan Monday,
Barbara says
If I make this in a loaf pan, do I half the recipe ?
The first time I made it, the flavor was great but a bit too sweet in the curd. This time, I’ll cut back on the sugar a bit!
Paula says
You can half it, you need about 1 and 1/2 inch from the top of the loaf pan (loaf pans are different sizes). If you find you have some left, you can make cupcakes out of it.
grace costa says
do you used solid shortening or a liquid shorten in the recipe? ?
Paula says
solid vegetable shortening
Margi says
So glad I found your site as I’ve been looking for an orange pound cake. Did this post to Southern Bite? Saw one in my feed, thought I had it marked in my e-mail and now when I needed it I couldn’t find it and thought that most likely would be through Stacey. Even if this wasn’t the one It’s the one I’m making this afternoon. I’ve joined so I don’t lose you.
Paula says
I think I posted it to Stacey’s party on Friday. I’m so happy you found me and joined my emails. This is one of my favorite cakes.
ammie says
No directions for the crud.
Paula says
Yes, bottom of ingredient list and directions
grace says
can I use cake flour in place of all purpose flour?
Paula says
Yes but there are a couple of changes. You may want to google it yourself. “To substitute cake flour for all-purpose flour use 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons cake flour for every cup of all-purpose flour. Make your own – one cup sifted cake flour (100 grams) can be substituted with 3/4 cup (85 grams) sifted bleached all-purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons (15 grams) cornstarch.”
grace says
can I use cake flour instead of all purpose
Marcene says
Do you flour your pan? The directions say grease but not flour. I had to use a sharp knife and run around the outside and inner cone to get it out and most of the bottom crust stayed in the pan, but I scraped it out and ate it! It was yummy! Can’t wait til it cools and I put the orange curd on a slice!!
Paula says
I use solid vegetables shortening then instead of flour I use sugar, but I still run the knife around the edges. I have actually found the cakes with fruit, especially the lemon and orange ones tend to stick more too. I just made a new lemon one this morning and I had to work with it to get it out.
Janet White says
You stated the cake should bake at 235 correct?
Paula says
Ack, no 325~! going to correct that now!
Olivia says
So super tasty and easy to make, I love it!
Claire says
Love this, it looks beautiful & delicious
Elissa Kozlowski says
Could you make this recipe substituting lemon for the orange flavoring? I have 2 bottles of Lemon curd and don’t know what to do with it? Thanks
Paula says
Absolutely, sub lemon or lemon zest for the orange and orange zest and it’ll be fabulous! (And, I love lemon curd warmed a little over vanilla ice cream too)
Soulvegan says
Hi, this seems like a wonderful recipe. However, I’m Just wondering at what time is the orange juice added? I don’t believe it states in the directions. For some reason it’s left out. I’m guessing along with the milk, but just wanted to make sure. Thanks
Paula says
Yes, with the milk, I’ll correct that. Sorry for the confusion
Deb says
This pound cake looks so moist and delicious and I will be making it soon! Thanks for sharing the recipe, Paula!
Karen says
Could this be made with a orange buttercream glaze instead of the curd? My family loves icing and frosting on most cakes.
Paula says
Yes, that would be great.