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This orange cream cheese cake is awesome.
A Different Pound Cake
There are not too many people who don’t like pound cake. That’s why there’s so many recipes for it.
This one is a bit different due to the flavor. It’s not very often you find a pound cake with orange flavor. The few I’ve seen relied upon orange extract for the flavoring. And even though it was a “from-scratch” cake, it somehow tasted like a boxed mix. Not bad, but not wonderful either in my opinion.
If it’s possible, I prefer to use a whole, real food to flavor something. I think most of us can agree that it really tastes better!
The Most Popular Recipe
One of the most popular recipes for pound cake is the one made with cream cheese. It not only has a nice mellow flavor, but the crumb is tender and very rich. No wonder it’s the most popular recipe used lately.
This particular cake is a hack of that recipe. You guessed, it; cream cheese is the the basic fat used. However, it also includes a bit of vegetable shortening to lighten up the texture a bit so this version is a bit less dense. That works so well with the orange flavor since oranges have a light and bright flavor. The crumb then compliments the nice citrusy flavor.
Nuts?
I’ve seen versions of this cake that include nuts.
I chose not to use any in this. Not because I don’t like them or have allergies, but I didn’t think they would taste good in this particular cake. I think it was because of the cream cheese because I have another orange-flavored cake where I do use them and it’s delicious.
If you want to use them, then fold in 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts or pecans in the batter before you turn it into the pan.
The Recipe
Orange Cream Cheese Cake
Ingredients
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 1/2 cup shortening
- 1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbs baking powder
- 1 cup milk
- 3 tbs grated orange zest
- 1/4 cup orange juice
Instructions
- Combine cream cheese and shortening, creaming well.
- Gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy.
- Add eggs, beating well after each addition.
- Combine flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Add flour mixture to creamed mixture alternately with milk.
- Alternate milk and flour mixture ending with flour mixture. Mix well after each addition.
- Stir in orange zest.
- Pour batter into a greased 10-cup tube pan.
- Bake at 375 F/190C for about 55 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let cool in pan for 10 mintues. Then sprinkle orange juice over loaves.
Tom Bates says
What is a tube pan? The photos look like it was cooked in a bundt cake pan.
Judith Hanneman says
It’s the same thing. A “Bundt” pan is generically a fluted tube pan.
J says
A tube pan is different from a bundt pan. A tube pan is used for baking light, delicate cakes, like angel food and sponge cakes that make a cake light and airy.
The bundt pan makes a cake more heavy and dense but there’s so many fun designs to choose from to bake in.
I like the bundt pan you used, I have that one too. This orange bundt cake looks so yummy and I can’t wait to try it! You always bake so much yummy food on your blog, which I love!
Stay safe and be well in these uncertain times now!
Judith Hanneman says
I’ve used them pretty much interchangeably–for regular butter-based cakes. The regular tube pan is a must for cakes where eggs are the only leavening.
Phyllis Kinsler says
What type of shortening is used?
Judith Hanneman says
The white vegetable stuff–like Crisco.