Zesty Orange Pound Cake with Candied Orange Peel
Zesty Orange Pound Cake with Candied Orange Peel
Homemade Orange Pound Cake Recipe with Refreshing Orange Zest and Sweetness
Craving a delightful café-style dessert at home? Introducing our moist and tender Orange Pound Cake. The pound cake, traditionally made with equal weights of butter, sugar, eggs, and flour, guarantees a delicious outcome. This recipe elevates the classic with the vibrant addition of fresh orange zest and sweet orange marmalade for an intensified flavor. Coating the orange peel with a little flour before adding it to the batter helps prevent it from sinking, ensuring a beautifully even texture throughout. The bright aroma and sweet taste of orange will burst in your mouth, making it the perfect companion for coffee or tea. This Orange Pound Cake is ideal for special occasions or as a thoughtful gift for loved ones. Let’s bake it together!
Main Ingredients- 300g unsalted butter, softened
- 250g granulated sugar
- 25g corn syrup (or golden syrup)
- 5 large eggs (approx. 280g), room temperature
- 6g baking powder
- 50g almond flour
- 300g cake flour (or all-purpose flour)
- 50g candied orange peel
- Orange marmalade, for glaze (optional)
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
1. Cream the Butter: In a large bowl, beat the softened butter until smooth and creamy using a hand mixer or whisk. Add the granulated sugar and corn syrup, and continue to beat until the mixture is light, fluffy, and pale in color, resembling a cream. Ensure the sugar is well incorporated.
Step 2
2. Incorporate Eggs: Add the room temperature eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition until fully combined and the mixture is smooth. If the batter looks like it’s starting to curdle, add a tablespoon of the sifted dry ingredients or gently warm the bowl over a double boiler to help emulsify.
Step 3
3. Prepare and Mix Orange Peel: Chop the candied orange peel into small pieces. To prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the cake, lightly toss the chopped orange peel with a tablespoon of the cake flour. Add the almond flour and the floured orange peel to the batter, and gently fold them in with a spatula until just combined. Be careful not to overmix.
Step 4
Tip: Lightly coating the orange peel with flour acts as a ‘life jacket,’ helping to distribute it evenly throughout the cake batter for consistent flavor in every bite.
Step 5
4. Add Dry Ingredients: Sift the cake flour and baking powder together into a separate bowl. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in two or three additions, folding gently with a spatula until just combined and no dry streaks remain. Overmixing can lead to a tough cake, so mix only until the flour is incorporated.
Step 6
5. Pan the Batter: Line a loaf pan with parchment paper or grease and flour it. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, filling it about 70% full. Smooth the top and create a slight indent down the center of the batter with your spatula; this encourages an even rise.
Step 7
6. Bake: Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C (350°F) for 10 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 170°C (340°F) and continue baking for another 30-35 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. If the top browns too quickly, you can loosely tent it with aluminum foil.
Step 8
Cooling: Once baked, let the cake cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before inverting it onto a wire rack to cool completely. This helps prevent the cake from breaking.
Step 9
7. Glaze and Decorate: Once the cake has cooled completely, warm the orange marmalade slightly and brush it evenly over the top of the pound cake for a beautiful glaze. You can add extra candied orange peel or a dusting of powdered sugar for decoration, if desired.
