This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Easy Blood Orange Bundt Cake Recipe – moist and flavorful citrus pound cake, loaded with fresh blood orange flavor, baked in a bundt pan and drizzled with light and sweet simple blood orange glaze.
This quick, easy and elegant dessert is perfect for spring and winter. You can make this Easy Blood Orange Bundt Cake Recipe for either Christmas, its amazing taste and festive look makes it a great holiday dessert. Or make it right now, when spring is almost upon us, but flavorful blood oranges are still in season.
This Blood Orange Bundt Cake is made from scratch, using simple ingredients. I used fresh blood orange juice, since blood oranges are in season and I see them everywhere these days. If for some reason you can not find blood oranges, you can definitely used regular oranges.
I’m a huge fan of blood oranges and I’ve shared quite a few blood orange recipes over the years. These Blood Orange Cheesecake Squares are so festive and easy to make. I also have a Blood Orange Sorbet Recipe and Blood Orange And Raspberry Mojito one, that everyone loves. I also have the most delicious and super easy to make Blender Lemon Bread Recipe.
If you decide to use regular oranges, the flavor of this blood orange pound cake will be different. Regular oranges have more citrusy flavor, versus blood oranges, which still have the flavor of citrus, but with a hint of raspberry. It is just a different kind of flavor, which I love. But I know that not everyone likes or wants to cook with blood oranges, this is why I suggest that you use regular ones if you’d like.
Let’s talk about this Easy Blood Orange Bundt Cake Recipe:
- The orange pound cake batter – I made pound cake, flavored with blood orange juice and blood orange zest.
- I used buttermilk in this Easy Blood Orange Bundt Cake Recipe. Pound cake made with buttermilk? Yes, and I love the result, every time I make a pound cake with buttermilk.
- Buttermilk adds slight acidity to the cake batter, which helps the baked goods stay moist and tender. The tartness that buttermilk adds to this batter pairs well with the fresh blood orange flavor and the sweet pound cake glaze.
- I used fresh blood orange juice and zest for ultimate flavor. Always use fresh citrus juice and zest whenever you can.
- Always, when baking a cake bring your ingredients to room temperature. Take the eggs and butter out of the fridge 30-40 minutes before you start to mix the ingredients.
Buttermilk – can you substitute it if you don’t have any to use in this Easy Blood Orange Bundt Cake Recipe?
The short answer is NO! But you can make your own. No substitutions, because the texture of the cake will be different, it won’t turn as moist and fluffy if you decide to use milk. Milk is not a substitute for buttermilk. Buttermilk is so much different and does wonders in baked goods.
You can make your own buttermilk, if you: add 1 tbsp of lemon juice to a measuring cup. Add about 1 cup – 1 tbsp of whole milk to the cup. Stir. Let it stand for 5 minutes. Use in the recipe.
If the recipe calls for 1/2 cup of buttermilk, just add 1 1/2 tsp of lemon juice to a cup, and then fill the cup with whole milk to the 1/2 cup line. For 1/4 cup of buttermilk, the amount of lemon juice will be 3/4 tsp of lemon juice, for 3/4 cup – 2 1/3 tsp and for 2/3 cup – 2 tsp lemon juice.
You’ll notice that this pound cake batter is not extra thick as most pound cake batters often are. Don’t worry, it will turn out delicious, once properly baked.
A little tip for zesting citrus:
Make sure you wash and dry well the oranges lemons, before you attempt to zest them. The reason why? Store bought citrus is often sprayed on the outside, so it doesn’t go bad. This makes the zest extra bitter. By washing the citrus, you remove some of that stuff, that makes it extra bitter.
For zesting citrus, I use a microplane zester. I find this tool super easy to use and perfect for citrus zesting.
- Use a good quality bundt pan. I use this Nordic Ware Anniversary Pan all the time, it is heavy, sturdy and I never have issues with bundt cakes, ever since I got it.
- Make sure you spray the bundt pan generously, before you add the batter and bake. Pound cakes, sometimes are tricky to take out.
When attempting to remove any bundt cake from a bundt pan, being patient is crucial. Why? Because I’ve had my fair number of ruined bundt cakes, when I try to remove them from the pan too soon. Since the cake is still hot and extra tender, I suggest that you let it cool inside the pan for at least 20-30 minutes, then try to invert it.
If you try to invert the cake onto a platter, while it is still very hot, it may tear and fall apart.
Baking time – this particular Easy Blood Orange Bundt Cake Recipe takes about 1 hour to bake.
The sweet blood orange glaze is made with blood orange juice and powdered sugar.
This orange bundt cake with sweet glaze is perfect for tea/coffee lovers, it makes the perfect snack, but will also look great at your brunch table.
Easy Blood Orange Bundt Cake Recipe
Ingredients
For the blood orange pound bundt cake:
- 1 cup butter, 2 sticke, 224 grams, at room temperature, soft
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tbsp blood orange zest, 3 medium blood oranges
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 cup buttermilk, see text above the recipe for substitutions
- 3/4 cup blood orange juice, freshly squeezed
For the blood orange glaze:
- juice from 1 blood orange, an average blood orange makes around 1/4 cup, or a little less of juice
- 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted, you may need more powdered sugar, if the glaze appears too runny
Instructions
For the blood orange pound bundt cake:
- Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour a bundt pan. Set aside. I almost always only grease my pans, but pound cakes require that you take the extra step and also flour your pan, for easier removal.
- In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.
- Beat together the butter and sugar for 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and the bottom of the mixing bowl.
- Add eggs and vanilla and beat to combine. Add the blood orange juice and zest, mix to combine.
- Add 1/2 of the flour and mix until just combined. Add 1/2 of the buttermilk. Mix to incorporate. Repeat with the remaining flour and buttermilk.
- Pour mixture into the prepared pan and bake for 60-70 minutes, until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool inside the pan for at least 20 minutes, then invert onto a serving platter.
For the blood orange glaze:
- In a small bowl, mix together the blood orange juice and powdered sugar. If the mixture appears too runny, add more powdered sugar. I personally prefer runnier glaze for this particular recipe, because the blood orange pound cake is already dense and glaze, that is thinner and pourable keeps it nice, moist and sweet. Pour the glaze on top of the cake.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Before you go, I have some more delicious bundt cake recipes for you:
Cranberry Pomegranate Pound Cake With Orange Cream Cheese Glaze
Chocolate Mousse Bundt Cake recipe
No Bake Three Chocolate Cake Recipe
Mira, this cake is absolutely GORGEOUS! I love it! Such a great idea to use blood oranges in here. And I love your tips about using buttermilk. This cake looks so moist and fluffy, just the way it should be! Pinning this beauty and can’t wait to try!
What a gorgeous cake! I love the drizzles of the frosting – so pretty!
Hi
Do I let the cake cool completely before adding the glaze.
I made this Blood Orange Cake and it was Amazing! Took some to work the receptionist said Omg I’ve Never had Anything like this and that the glaze drizzling was Fantastic because it added a little texture to the moistness of the cake not to mention the Guys Inhaled it meaning how much they enjoyed it! Thank You so much for sharing!  Ow I have to make one for y nephew!
I I’d like to know if the Blood Orange can be substituted with pink or red grapefruit  because the store was out of blood Oranges
Yes, blood oranges are hard to find, so both pink and red grapefruit will work
Very dry. Not moist at all
Not sure what went wrong, when I make it, it is not dry at all.
Can this be made gluten free by substituting for 1:1 gf flour? Also, I would like to use mascarpone  cheese instead of the butter, would the recipe still work the same?
Hi Haley, I have not tried it with gluten free flour and I can not tell. I also use Mascarpone cheese only for mousses, cheesecakes and frostings, not for baked goods, so again, I’m not sure how it is going to turn.
Can I bake this in a nine inch loaf pan?
It might be a little too small for the amount of batter.