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blood orange pound cake
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Blood Orange Pound Cake

This vibrant pink pound cake gets its hue and flavor from blood orange juice.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time1 hour 25 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American, Southern
Keyword: blood orange, cake, citrus, pound cake
Servings: 1 cake
Author: April

Ingredients

For the cake

  • 2 ¾ cups white sugar
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 tsp orange extract
  • 2-3 tsp grated blood orange zest from 2 blood oranges
  • 5 eggs
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1 cup milk
  • nonstick cooking spray and a small handful of extra flour
  • One or two slices of blood orange before it gets juiced, for garnish

For the icing:

  • ⅓ cup unsalted butter
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • ¼ tsp orange extract
  • 4 tbsp blood orange juice from the 2 zested blood oranges

Instructions

  • Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
  • Grease and flour (don’t skip this) a bundt pan. Turn the pan upside down and tap the sides to release any extra flour, and do this over the sink or a trash can.
  • Beat the sugar, margarine, extract, zest, and eggs in a stand mixer for 30 seconds, scrape the sides as needed. Beat on high for 3 minutes, scraping as needed.
  • Mix in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Turn the mixer on low.
  • Add the milk slowly, stopping to scrape the sides as needed. The dough will be a pourable consistency.
  • Use a rubber spatula to pour evenly into the greased and floured pan.
  • Bake for one hour and 10 minutes or until an inserted knife comes out clean.
  • Cool on a wire rack in the pan for 20 minutes before gently removing it to finish cooling right side up on the wire rack.
  • Use a serrated knife to cut the bottom off to make it sit flush, if needed. Clearly, this is for the baker to enjoy, slathered in extra frosting.
  • Make the icing: Heat the butter in a smaller saucepan until melted. Add in the powdered sugar, extract, and blood orange juice until it is a thin, drizzlable consistency. Wait until the cake is 100% cool to the touch and pour the glaze over as desired. Garnish with a blood orange slice if you like. This is why the blood orange garnish is a good idea — to cover up the well of icing!