Orange Buttermilk Pound Cake
on Apr 27, 2020, Updated Nov 09, 2023
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This moist, soft Orange Buttermilk Pound cake is really fresh, full of tart flavors and makes for a perfect tea time snack. Every slice is citrusy and when served with a dollop of cream, its absolutely irresistible! After all, what good is an evening without something yummy to nibble on?

Gosh I have so much to tell you guys! I’m just back from the most exciting and memorable road trip at the cutest homestay, I curated a list of my favorite places to eat on Explocity and my best friends are here to spend ONE WHOLE WEEK with me. Plus this orange pound cake which we devoured in exactly seven minutes. What’s better than some good company, a trip with countless memories made and a lovely dessert? That’s right, nothing! 😉
The cake actually happened because of the girls-only road trip I did. These oranges were freshly plucked from the coffee estate we stayed at in Coorg, and we just couldn’t get enough of them so we got a bagful home. Along with some lovely coffee blossom honey, banana jam and alphonsos. Jealous much? I put the fresh oranges to use and made this cake that tasted so good, we really didn’t want it to get over.

We had a blaaaaast doing this shoot with my friends who chipped in with some beautiful blue pottery from Jaipur (notice the cake platter and me beaming on the side), and ran around to make sure we had everything laid out before the light became dull. They are MAJOR sweethearts!
Update: I clicked some new pictures to show you how moist and soft the crumb is. But I’m leaving this original picture in the post as a reminder of the fun I had shooting this with my friends


One of the key ingredients in this cake is buttermilk. Its what adds a little tang and gives the cake a little lift + makes the crumb so soft and keeps its moist. If you don’t have buttermilk, here’s how to make your own buttermilk at home for baking.
We are using both orange zest as well as juice in this pound cake for an extra hit of orange. So that both the smell and flavour will remind you of oranges.
This orange pound cake is moist and soft, with a gorgeous hint of tangy oranges that remind us of the time we spent at the estate, plucking berries and oranges straight from the tree for a quick snack. Try it and I know you won’t be disappointed. It tastes so fruity and fresh, and makes for a perfect dessert to be shared with your closest friends over high tea!
More Tea Cakes and Bread
Watch How to make Orange Buttermilk Pound Cake Recipe Video
This recipe was originally published on July 4, 2015 and has been updated with new pictures, a video with no changes to the original recipe

Orange Buttermilk Pound Cake
Equipment
- Oven
Ingredients
- 200 g All-Purpose Flour, 1 ⅔ cups
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 113 g Unsalted Butter, ½ cup
- 160 g Sugar, 2/3 cup + 2 tablespoons
- 1 teaspoon Orange Zest
- 2 large Eggs, at room temperature
- ½ cup Buttermilk
- ¼ cup Orange Juice, freshly squeezed
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 175 degree celcius. Grease and line a 8.5 inch x 4.5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper so that the paper hangs down the sides. This makes it much easier to lift the cake out once it’s baked.
- Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl and keep aside.
- In another bowl, beat butter, sugar and orange zest till light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time until combined.
- Add half the flour mixture and mix till just combined. Add the buttermilk and orange juice and give it another stir. Add the rest of the flour to the mixture until just combined.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared baking pan and bake for 55-60 mins until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Once baked, let it cool in the pan for 15 minutes before removing it and placing it on a wire rack to cool further.
- Sprinkle with icing sugar, and serve with freshly sliced oranges.
Notes
- This recipe makes 1 loaf.
- Quick substitution for buttermilk: Mix together ½ cup milk and ½ teaspoon vinegar and set aside for 10 minutes.
- In the video, I mistakenly added both eggs at once and honestly it didn’t change the texture.
- The baking time will depend on your oven. Bake at 180C for 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. You can judge by touching the top of the cake, if it is too soft, then it needs at least 10 more minutes. The surface should be firm to touch.
- Once the cake is done baking, allow it to cool for 10 minutes. Transfer onto wire rack and remove the parchment. Allow it to cool for another 10 minutes before serving.




This was a brilliant recipe. Was easy to make and it came out really good
Thank you so much Sudheesh! So glad you enjoyed this recipe
Hw much ml is orange juice and buttermilk ?
You can use yogurt for the buttermilk too
It was perfect the first time. I learn so much from you as well! Keep it up great post.
I am not a baker by any means but this recipe turned out great.. the cake was so moist and fluffy.. loved it.
Now you are! Thank you so much Anvita. So glad you enjoyed this recipe!
This recipe is so mouthwatering and even easy to make😍already made twice and will make more😍
Wohooo! You are on a roll Yugma. Keep cooking
Can this be made in microwave? If yes then can you please tell microwave settings? Thanks in advance.
Yes you can make it in a convection microwave. Just use the same temperature settings as for the oven
Tried this yesterday and it was sooo good. The oranges makes it so fragrant and fresh,my kids loved it too. Very easy and quick to make. Thank you for all the recipes, and your replies to all my doubts Richa.
Sounds fantastic! Thank you so much Shereen. So glad you enjoyed this recipe!
Hi – I really would like to try this cake. Could you advise what replacement can be used for eggs? Thanks so much.
Hey Swati, sorry but I haven’t tested this recipe without eggs
Hey Pooja! I hope you do 🙂 yes I used granulated sugar and the flour measurements are pre sieving
Love how this looks and I’m planning to try it out soon. Just wanted to check – did you use granulated sugar? Also, is the 200g flour post-sieving measurement?