Blood Orange Pound Cake

5 from 1 vote

A rich, dense pound cake, lightened up with the delicious tang and bright color of blood oranges.

Prep Time30

Cook Time45

Adding Syrup, Cooling and Icing2 30

Total Time3 45

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: blood orange, cakes, citrus, dessert, glaze, icing, pound cake, sweet

Servings: large slices

Calories: 326kcal

170 g butter (1½ sticks)
2-3 blood oranges - use 2 if they are big like navel oranges, or 3 if they are small like juicing oranges
300 g sugar (1½ cups)
345 g all-purpose flour (2¾ cups)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon fine grain salt
5 eggs room temperature
185 g sour cream (¾ cup)

Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C/gas mark 4) and place the oven rack in the bottom third of the oven.
Prepare your pan by spraying it well with baking spray. Alternatively, use a pastry brush to coat it with softened butter and then add a layer of flour.

Melt the butter in the microwave or in a small saucepan and set aside to cool.
Use a fine grater to zest two of the blood oranges, so you have about 2 tablespoon of zest.
Add the sugar to a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, and place the zest in with the sugar. Use your fingers to rub the zest into the sugar and set aside.
Remove the peels and white pith from the oranges. Then, use a paring knife to remove the outer membranes from each section of orange. This will get a little messy, so do it over a bowl to catch all of the juice.
Once you have removed the membranes, you can separate each section of orange into smaller pieces, so the pieces are about the size of a thumbnail. Set aside.
Add the flour, baking powder and salt into the bowl with the sugar and zest. Whisk or use the paddle attachment of a stand mixer to combine.
Add the eggs, one at a time, until fully combined.
Add the sour cream, melted butter and the juice from cutting up the oranges into the flour mixture and mix well.
Add the citrus chunks and fold gently into the batter, or mix on the lowest speed until they are just combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan, making sure the top of the batter is level all around.

Place the pan in the oven and bake for about 45-50 minutes.
The cake will be done when the internal temperature is 205°F (96°C), the top springs back when lightly touched or a toothpick comes out clean.

Let the cake cool in the pan on a cooling rack for about 10 minutes.
Take another cooling rack and place it upside down on top of the pan. Carefully hold both the rack and pan together and flip them both upside down. Then, gently remove the pan from the cake.

Take the oranges you've reserved for the syrup and juice them with a citrus juicer or reamer. Reserve some of this juice for the icing and place it in the refrigerator.
Add the rest of the juice along with the sugar to a small saucepan. Bring the mixture just to a boil, stirring occasionally so the sugar is fully dissolved. Remove from the heat.
Let the syrup cool for a few minutes, and then use a pastry brush to brush it all over the still-warm cake.

Allow the cake to fully cool, for a couple of hours, and then prepare the icing.
Add the powdered sugar to a bowl and whisk in your reserved blood orange juice, a little at a time, until you get to the consistency that you like.
Drizzle the icing all over the cake using a spouted container or a large spoon.

Cut the cake into large slices and serve.
The cake will keep well at room temerature in an airtight container for about a week. To freeze, wrap individual pieces and place the pieces in an airtight container.

Instead of an icing drizzle, you can also choose to sprinkle powdered sugar on top of the cake for a different look.

I took inspiration for this recipe from Martha Stewart's Triple Citrus Bundt Cake.