Orange Blossom Cake Recipe

Orange Blossom Cake sliced in half on a serving board.

5 from 2 votes

Orange Blossom Cake combines a firm yet light, tender buttery sponge with a sweet orange blossom glaze. It's a classic pound cake with a sophisticated flavour.

Prep Time20

Cook Time55

Total Time1 15

Course: Cakes

Cuisine: British

Servings: slices

Calories: 513kcal

Author: Emma Duckworth

Equipment

Stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or hand held electric beaters
2 lb loaf pan 23 x 14cm (9 x 5.5-inch)

Ingredients

Orange blossom pound cake

220 g unsalted butter, room temperature
250 g granulated sugar
4 large eggs room temperature
2 teaspoon orange blossom water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
300 g plain flour (all-purpose) sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon fine salt
120 ml sour cream

Orange Blossom Glaze

125 g powdered icing sugar (confectioners’ sugar) sifted
1 teaspoon orange blossom water
1-2 tablespoon milk or water

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Orange blossom pound cake

Pre-heat oven and prepare pan. Pre-heat the oven to 160°C (320°F) and grease with butter and line with parchment paper a 2 lb loaf pan 23 x 14cm (9 x 5.5-inch). Ensure the sides of the parchment paper overhang the sides to then use them as a sling to lift the cake from the pan.
Cream butter and sugar. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar for around 5 minutes until light and creamy.
Add eggs. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until combined before adding the next egg. Add in the orange blossom water and vanilla extract and mix in. Ensure that you scrape down the sides and base of the bowl. The mixture may look curdled, but this is normal so don't worry.
Add wet and dry ingredients. Sift into the mixing bowl half of the flour, then add in the baking powder and salt. Beat on low speed until mixed.
Add in the sour cream and mix in.
Add the remaining flour and mix until a few flour streaks remain.
Pour into pan and bake. Pour into the prepared loaf pan and level off with an offset spatula. Bake on the middle shelf for 55 to 65 minutes. If the cake is browning too quickly on top, then loosely tent with aluminium foil halfway through the baking time.
Once baked, take it out of the oven and leave it to cool in the pan for 15 minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Orange Blossom Glaze

Make the glaze. Sift powdered icing sugar into a bowl and add the orange blossom water and milk and whisk until the desired consistency is reached. If you like a super thick glaze, then add less milk If it's too thick then add in more milk.
Drizzle the orange blossom glaze over your cooled pound cake, slice, serve and enjoy!

Notes

Step-by-Step Photos: My blog post includes helpful step-by-step photos to help guide you through making this recipe.

To store: It's best to store your Orange Blossom Pound Cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Alternatively, wrap well in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 to 5 days.

To freeze: Wrap well in plastic wrap and store in a freezer-safe container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight at room temperature.

TIP 1: Use room temperature ingredients. Butter, eggs, and sour cream all have to be at room temperature before making the cake.

TIP 2: Cream the butter and sugar sufficiently. To get a light fluffy sponge, the key is creaming the butter until light and the sugar has completely dissolved. You can check this by rubbing it between your thumb and finger.

TIP 3: Don't over mix. Once the last addition of flour has been added to the batter, mix until you can just see a few streaks. This prevents over-mixing which in turn creates a tougher sponge.

TIP 4: Tent with foil. Pound cakes have a long bake time and the top can brown too much. Loosely tent with aluminium foil will slow down over-browning.

TIP 5: Check cake is done. The best way to check if your loaf is done is to insert a toothpick and if there are a couple of moist crumbs on it, then it's perfect.

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