The Most Amazing, Moist Lemon-Orange Pound Cake

We’ve reached that point in the late-winter-almost-spring-dear-goodness-let-it-be-spring where I desperately need warmth and sunshine.  And this lemon orange pound cake is basically the pastry embodiment of sunshine, so it will just have to do.

I’ve adapted this recipe from a lemon pound cake that A Beautiful Plate posted.  While I love lemon with my whole heart, I thought that the addition of orange would bring a balance with a milder and sweeter citrus.  And boy, does it ever!  I also upped the citrus in the glaze in particular.

Besides the amazing flavor, the other thing to love about this cake is the texture—it’s so moist!  In my experience, pound cakes are denser and drier, but the greek yogurt helps keep this super soft and fluffy.  Basically, this cake is a winner!

(On a side note, I absolutely love the stunning Magnolia bundt cake pan I made this in…was my first time trying it out!).

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Preheat your oven to 325° Fahrenheit.  Butter and flour a bundt pan VERY WELL; chill in the refrigerator for a few minutes.

Go ahead and zest your fruit and squeeze the juices into a measuring cup.

In a stand mixer bowl with paddle attachment, combine the granulated sugar and lemon zest (use your fingers to rub the sugar and zest together until it’s fragrant).  Add the softened butter, and beat mixture together at medium speed 3 to 4 minutes or until fluffy.

Add the 1/4 cup of combined lemon and orange juice and almond extract, and beat until blended.  I like to add a tablespoon of the flour while it’s mixing to keep it from curdling or separating.

Add the eggs in one at a time, mixing until the yellow disappears before adding the next one.  Same thing here, you may need to add a tablespoon of flour from time to time to keep the mixture from curdling.

Whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder in a medium bowl.  Alternate adding the dry ingredients and the yogurt to your batter mixture, beating at low speed until just blended after each addition.  Don’t over-mix!

Pour the batter into your bundt cake pan and bake 60 to 75 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in center comes out clean (my average is 65-70 minutes).  I actually filled it above where the pic below shows (maybe 1/2 inch below the top?).

If you have extra batter then just grease a ramekin and bake that separately—your own little cake!

Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack for an hour, then flip over and transfer to a plate and cool completely (about another hour).

Whisk together the powdered sugar, remaining zest, and lemon-orange juice, and then add milk little by little until it’s the consistency you want.  For me I wanted a thick glaze so it almost sank into the cake.

Drizzle the glaze over your cake and let set before serving.

This pound cake was SO moist and so fragrant!  I took it to work the next day, and it was gone before I ever got to snag a piece later in the day…

Other citrus goodness you’ll love:

• Lemon White Chocolate Lava Cakes
• November Cakes (a.k.a. Gooey Delicious Orange Buns)
• Lemon Cupcakes with Raspberry Frosting
• Smitten Kitchen’s Whole Lemon Tart
• Citrus Cake with Marmalade Filling and Lemon-Orange Icing
• Sweet Corn Cake with Tart Lemon Glaze

Lemon-Orange Pound Cake

This assumes you have a large lemon and orange; if your fruit is undersized throw in an extra

• 2.5 cups (500 grams) of granulated sugar
• 1 cup (226 grams) of unsalted butter, softened
• The zest of 1 lemon and 1 orange (reserve a little for the glaze)
• 1/4 cup of mixed fresh lemon and orange juice (about 1 lemon and one orange)
• 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract
• 6 large whole eggs, room temperature
• 2 1/2 (315 grams) cups of all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1 cup (226 grams) of whole fat, plain Greek-yogurt

Lemon-Orange Glaze

• 3/4 cup (95 grams) of powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons of the mixed lemon and orange juice (or however much is left)
• Milk to thin it to the consistency you want
• Extra lemon and orange zest

1. Preheat oven to 325° Fahrenheit.  Butter and flour a bundt pan VERY WELL; chill in the refrigerator for a few minutes.  I love this gorgeous Magnolia bundt pan.
2. In a stand mixer bowl with paddle attachment, combine the granulated sugar and lemon zest (use your fingers to rub the sugar and zest together until it’s fragrant).  Add the softened butter, and beat mixture together at medium speed 3 to 4 minutes or until fluffy.
3. Add the 1/4 cup of combined lemon and orange juice and almond extract, and beat until blended.  I like to add a tablespoon of the flour while it’s mixing to keep it from curdling or separating.
4. Add the eggs in one at a time, mixing until the yellow disappears before adding the next one.  Same thing here, you may need to add a tablespoon of flour from time to time to keep the mixture from curdling.
5. Whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder in a medium bowl.  Alternate adding the dry ingredients and the yogurt to your batter mixture, beating at low speed until just blended after each addition.  Don’t over-mix!
6. Pour the batter into your bundt cake pan and bake 60 to 75 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in center comes out clean (my average is 65-70 minutes).
7. Cool cake in the pan on a wire rack for an hour, then transfer to a plate and cool completely (about another hour).
8. Whisk together the powdered sugar, remaining zest, and lemon-orange juice, and then add milk little by little until it’s the consistency you want.  For me I wanted a think glaze so it almost sank into the cake.  Drizzle glaze over cake and let set before serving.

Adapted from A Beautiful Plate

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