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Almond Flour Orange Pound Cake recipe for the perfect hybrid of classic pound cake and orange cake, made gluten-free and grain-free! This moist and dense pound cake has the perfect texture and is a wonderful option for sharing with friends and family for brunch.
Imagine rich buttery pound cake got into a tussle with a shipment of oranges and the two joined forces to delight brunch goers everywhere. The fresh orange flavor? Magic. The dense buttery texture? Pure bliss.
With citrus season in full swing and sunny weather for weekend brunch, now is the perfect time to experiment with this fresh twist on traditional pound cake.
I make this orange pound cake grain-free using almond flour and coconut flour, which is prefect for those with gluten intolerance. The taste and texture is so spot on, however, that even those who don’t eat gluten-free with love it!
You need no baking experience or fancy equipment like a stand mixer to have great success with this easy recipe!
The simple ingredients can be found at most grocery stores. Below is s brief overview of why I selected each ingredient, and the recipe card at the end of the post includes all of the measurements.
Orange Pound Cake Ingredients:
Almond Flour: The majority of the base of this pound cake recipe comes from grain-free almond flour. Almond flour produces a light and fluffy texture and also adds healthy fats, fiber, and plant-based protein to the treat.
Coconut Flour: A little coconut flour helps firm up the bread so that it is the right consistency, similar to traditional pound cake made with wheat flour. Coconut flour is very absorbent, so only a little is necessary.
Butter: A rich butter flavor comes from none other than butter. It also adds moisture and richness to the loaf, taking responsibility for the tender crumb.
Eggs: Because this recipe is grain-free, we need extra eggs to achieve the same rise that all-purpose flour gets. I don’t recommend replacing the eggs with an egg replacer, as the batter won’t rise the way it should and the center will remain uncooked.
Orange Zest & Fresh Orange Juice: The reason for this recipe! Fresh orange zest adds tremendous orange flavor to the pound cake, as the majority of the orange essence comes from the orange peel. A little orange juice is of service too.
Granulated Sugar: Pick your favorite granulated sweetener. I recommend regular cane sugar, brown sugar, sugar-free sweetener (such as allulose or monk fruit sweetener), or coconut sugar.
Vanilla Extract: Optional but recommended, pure vanilla extract gives a warm flavor to complement the tangy orange flavor.
Baking Powder: The leavening agent that helps the loaf rise to its full potential into its fluffy, dense glory.
Sea Salt: A pinch of sea salt enhances all of the flavors to make the loaf taste richer, sweeter, and more citrusy. Don’t skip it!
Optional Orange Glaze:
Powdered Sugar: Confectioner’s sweetener makes the perfect easy glaze for any baked good. For a lower carb version, use sugar-free powdered sugar (such as powdered monk fruit or allulose).
Orange Juice: Adds another pop of orange flavor so that the citrus essence really shines.
Ways to Customize
- Make it Lemon: Make my Almond Flour Lemon Pound Cake for a lemon version.
- Coconut Flour Replacement: Swap the coconut flour out for ⅔ cup of tapioca flour.
- Use Oats: If you prefer baking with oats instead of almond flour, make my Oatmeal Orange Bread recipe. I recommend adding 1 to 4 tablespoons of granulated sweetener for a sweeter bread.
How to Make Almond Flour Orange Pound Cake:
Preheat the oven to 330 degrees Fahrenheit (not 350), and line a 9” x 5” loaf pan with parchment paper.
Add the almond flour, coconut flour, granulated sugar, baking powder and sea salt to a large bowl and mix well until all of the dry ingredients are combined.
Mix the melted butter, eggs, and orange juice in a separate large mixing bowl until well combined.
Pour the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ingredients and mix until a thick batter forms. Stir in the orange zest.
Transfer the orange pound cake batter to the prepared baking pan and spread it into an even layer.
Cover the pan with a sheet of aluminum foil, leaving it tented so that the bread has room to grow. Bake on the center rack of the preheated oven for 60 minutes.
Remove the foil and insert a digital thermometer into the center of the pound cake to check its internal temperature. If the thermometer reads 190 degrees Fahrenheit or higher, the pound cake is ready.
If it is lower than 190, place it back in the oven for another 5-10 minutes, or until it is fully baked and golden brown. Allow the orange loaf to cool to room temperature before slicing and serving.
If you’d like, you can make the optional orange glaze (instructions below), or serve pound cake with homemade whipped cream or my dairy-free Coconut Milk Whipped Cream and fresh berries.
Make the Orange Glaze
Stir the powdered sugar and orange juice together in a small bowl or a measuring cup until creamy. For extra orange flavor, you can grate a small amount of orange zest and mix it into the glaze.
Drizzle the glaze on top of the cake and allow it to harden before slicing and serving. To speed up this process, you can transfer the glazed orange loaf to the refrigerator until it has sufficiently cooled and the glaze has set up.
Storage Options:
- Room Temperature: Cover the loaf pan with plastic wrap and store on the counter for up to 2 days.
- Refrigerator: Transfer the leftover loaf to an airtight container or a zip lock bag and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
- Freezer: For longer term storage, slice the remaining loaf into individual slices, and freeze in a large zip lock bag or a freezer bag for up to 2 months.
If you love making sweet loaves of bread like this easy pound cake recipe, also try some of my other quick bread.
More Quick Bread Recipes:
- Blueberry Lemon Breakfast Bread
- Sweet Potato Oat Bread
- Carrot Ginger Cake
- Protein Cinnamon Roll Bread
- Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Bread
- Apple Cider Donut Bread
Almond Flour Orange Loaf
Ingredients
- 2 cups almond flour, packed and leveled
- ¼ cup coconut flour, packed and leveled
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar*
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 4 large eggs
- 2 Tbsp orange zest
- 3 Tbsp orange juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 330 degrees Fahrenheit (not 350), and line a 9” x 5” loaf pan with parchment paper.
- Add the almond flour, coconut flour, granulated sugar, baking powder and sea salt to a large bowl and mix well until all of the dry ingredients are combined.
- Mix the melted butter, eggs, and orange juice in a separate large mixing bowl until well combined. Pour the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ingredients and mix until a thick batter forms. Stir in the orange zest.
- Transfer the orange pound cake batter to the prepared baking pan and spread it into an even layer.
- Cover the pan with a sheet of aluminum foil, leaving it tented so that the bread has room to grow. Bake on the center rack of the preheated oven for 60 minutes. Remove the foil and insert a digital thermometer into the center of the pound cake to check its internal temperature. If the thermometer reads 190 degrees Fahrenheit or higher, the pound cake is ready. If it is lower than 190, place it back in the oven for another 5-10 minutes, or until it is fully baked and golden brown.
- Allow the orange loaf to cool to room temperature before slicing and serving. If you’d like, you can make the optional orange glaze (instructions below), or serve pound cake with homemade whipped cream and fresh berries.
Make the Orange Glaze:
- Stir the powdered sugar and orange juice together in a small bowl or a measuring cup until creamy. For extra orange flavor, you can grate a small amount of orange zest and mix it into the glaze.
- Drizzle the glaze on top of the cake and allow it to harden before slicing and serving. To speed up this process, you can transfer the glazed orange loaf to the refrigerator until it has sufficiently cooled and the glaze has set up.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate and comment below!
I might just be missing it (and I’m sure it’s wonderful without the glaze) – but I’m not seeing ingredient quantities for the glaze.