Orange Spiced Pound Cake
The egg yolks made me do it. Do you ever have an ingredient you feel compelled to use, and end up building an entire recipe around the singular ingredient? That’s how I came about this recipe for an Orange Spiced Pound Cake. I had 6 egg yolks sitting forlornly in my refrigerator, cast aside when I needed just as many egg whites to create a salt crust for a whole-baked salmon. I couldn’t throw them away, so I decided to make a pound cake. It was a bit of an experiment, because normally I use 3 whole eggs in a pound cake, and this time I substituted 6 yolks instead.
Anticipating a yellow-tinged cake enhanced by the yolks, I decided to run with it. Instead of my go-to lemon, I added orange juice and zest which would be visually asserted by the rich cake color. Since oranges are sweeter and rounder than puckery lemons, I added a teaspoon of coriander to ground the orange flavor. The result was a softly sweet and light cake, redolent of orange with a faint hint of earthy spice. Best of all? It had a rich and beautiful color.
Orange Spiced Pound Cake
Makes one loaf
3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
6 egg yolks
2/3 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest
Preheat oven to 350 F. (180 C.) Butter a cake or loaf pan. Line bottom with parchment and butter parchment. Dust with flour.
Combine sugar and butter in bowl of electric mixer. Beat until light and fluffy. Beat egg yolks in a separate bowl until thick and lightened. Whisk into the sugar and butter.
Combine buttermilk, orange juice and vanilla in a small bowl. Sift flour, baking powder, coriander and salt together in another bowl. Add 1/3 of the flour to the eggs, mixing well to combine. Add 1/2 of the buttermilk, and continue to alternate, finishing with the flour. Mix in the orange zest. Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake until golden and a skewer inserted in center comes clean, about 1 hour. Cool on rack 10 minutes. Remove cake from pan and cool completely. (The flavors will develop as the cake cools.)
Love your recipe and photos – also covet that sweet baking dish!
When’s your birthday ? 🙂
Love this!! Buttermilk and orange zest are two miracle ingredients. This looks wonderful. I’ve already clipped it and hope to try it this weekend. Thanks!
Rivki @ Healthy Eating for Ordinary People
Thanks, Rivki – I hope you like it!
Fully agree with lizthechef, including that sweet little baking dish 🙂
I still owe you a housewarming gift 🙂
Wonderful recipe. If I hadn’t been over indulging all winter long, I’d be in the kitchen making this right now, but I’ve got to take a break!!
You’ll find this a good way to ease back into the sweets.
What a beautiful little experiment, and as always, a gorgeous photo. – S
beautiful cake. (and my birthday was just last month…. about that dish….)
OMG I just LOVE this! I have to make it. And hide it from my husband. Seriously, this is mistake that looks like it found a little piece of heaven.
Great cake- couldn’t wait for it to cool to cut it! 🙂 Too bad I put it in one of those silicone bread loaf pans…. it didn’t keep it’s shape, guess we’ll have to eat it all ourselves!!!! LOL 🙂
Oh I love orange pound cake! It looks so moist and delicious! I posted my version about a month ago! My husband and I love it…I will have to give your recipe a try too… 🙂
I love orange cake!! cant wait to try this recipe!!
Very nicely done. And that dish is making me all weepy. (In a jealous way.) 😀
I love that baking dish too. And successful experiments!
Looks gorgeous and sounds delicious! I’ll have to save this recipe and try it some time 🙂
I love your pan. Where did you get it? Great pictures! The recipe sounds delicious!
Your Pound Cake looks absolutely DELIGHTFUL! I also love the napkin (towel?) under your pan! The pattern is so cute!
xoxo
Kathleen
Wow that cake looks simple but I guess that would taste really nice