Orange Pound Cake with Cream Cheese

This orange pound cake recipe is so nice and moist you won’t be able to stop at one slice.

It’s slightly sweet with fresh, bright flavors and a subtly sour, crunchy glaze. And because it’s packed full of fruit juice and vitamin C, I say it’s okay to eat it for breakfast…and lunch…and dinner…see I can’t stop.

What are Cuties?

I am addicted to Cuties. They are easy-to-peel, seedless little mandarin oranges.

You find them in the fruit section of the store, and they’re usually sold in a pretty big box of 30-35 or a bag of 20 or so.

Unfortunately, I can never quite eat them all by myself before they start to turn. So before they reach that point, I usually peel them, freeze them and use them later in smoothies.

For a long time, Cuties was the primary company that sold this type of orange, but now, other companies like Halos, sell them too.

Recently, I shared my recipe for Lemon Cream Cheese Pound Cake. I thought…why not substitute the lemons with Cuties.

That recipe calls for about a cup of lemon juice, so I just started juicing the Cuties until I reached a cup. I quickly learned 3 cuties equals 1/4 cup of juice.

I loved this version of the cake. It turned out a little sweeter than the lemon version, but it was equally moist and delicious and full of citrus flavor. It’s a beautiful cake for the spring.

• Butter: You can use salted butter. If you use unsalted butter, add a 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the batter.
• Cream Cheese: This gives the cake a rich, creaminess.
• Sugar: You’ll want to use granulated white sugar for this recipe. The sugar goes in both the cake batter and the glaze.
• Eggs: The recipe calls for six whole, large eggs.
• Flour: I’ve only made this with all-purpose flour. If you try another type of flour, let me know how it goes.
• Baking Powder: This will help the cake rise.
• Cuties: You’ll need the fresh orange juice from 14 Cuties. 1 cup of juice goes in the batter, and the rest goes into the glaze.

Substitutions: If you can't find Cuties, you can use regular large oranges. 

1. STEP ONE: Start by creaming the butter, cream cheese and sugar together. I like using a Kitchen-aid stand mixer on medium speed with a paddle attachment, but you can also use a hand mixer.

PRO TIP: The butter and cream cheese will blend together more evenly if set them on the counter for an hour to soften to reach room temperature. 

2. STEP TWO: Add in the eggs one at a time. The reason it’s best to do this one at a time is because you want them to incorporate fully into the fats.

3. STEP THREE: Slowly add in the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder and salt on low speed or with a spatula or wooden spoon. If you used salted butter, you don’t need to add the salt. Then, mix in the juice of 12 mandarin oranges and the zest of one.

4. STEP FOUR: Butter a bundt pan and pour the batter into the prepared pan. Set it on a rimmed cookie sheet, just it case it overflows. Place it in a cold oven. You can also bake it in a loaf pan. See the notes in the recipe card.

5. STEP FIVE: Set the oven to 350F degrees and bake the cake for one hour.

6. STEP SIX: The cake will rise and the top will start to crack. To make sure it’s done, poke a toothpick inside the center of the cake. (The actual cake, not the hole in the pan). It should come out clean. Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool for 10 minutes. Turn it out onto a cake platter.

7. STEP SEVEN: To make the simple glaze, in a small bowl, combine the juice of 2 mandarin oranges and 1/4 cup sugar. Drizzle the top of the cake with the glaze and serve.

How to serve orange pound cake

To maintain freshness, slice your pieces to order. Some prefer large slices and others like thinner slices. For garnish, add a slice of orange on the side.

Storage

Pound cake can be stored on the counter for a couple of days or in the refrigerator for 5-7 days. Be sure to keep it in an airtight container to keep it moist.

This orange pound cake also freezes really well. You can keep it frozen for up to six months.