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Posted on Last updated: Categories Cakes, Christmas, Dessert, Holiday & Seasonal, Recipes, Thanksgiving

By: Author Kelly Pugliano

Clementine Pound Cake Recipe

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Clementine Pound Cake is a recipe full of sweet whole clementines and topped with a clementine cake glaze offering a deliciously light, sweet pound cake to enjoy as a dessert or breakfast treat. A perfect cake to enjoy when this fruit is in season. 

Clementine Pound Cake is light and sweet from clementine oranges complete with delicious clementine cake glaze to serve on top.

The Best Clementine Pound Cake Recipe Everyone Should Know How to Make

There are certain moments in time when the baking gods are on your side and what you envision in your head actually comes out the way you thought it would and then there are times when it comes out so much better than you ever expected.

This is the delicious outcome of the recipe for a clementine cake recipe that does not require a food processor or springform pan! Simply bake in a bread loaf pan to create a super light and moist cake.

Clementines in a loaf pan

When nearing the end of the clementine season,  it was so exciting that my last trip to the market yielded the sweetest bunch yet! Not wanting them to go to waste, I thought of different recipes I could try such as cookies,  muffins, or maybe scones?

Then the light bulb moment came, how about a pound cake? This is definitely the kind of cake we could enjoy with morning coffee AND as a dessert.

I've made lemon pound cake and strawberry pound cakes, but this time I wanted something more on the sweeter side rather than tart and clementines seemed to be a perfect choice.

Clementine Pound Cake

A few things you should know before we get started:

Tips to make this cake

Tip 1: Be careful zesting this fruit.

  • Unlike lemons, limes, and bigger cousin orange, clementines do not have the white pith separating the fruit from the skin to let you know when to stop your Microplane.
  • Clementines have orange all the way through the skin, so when you are piling up the clementine zest, be sure to do so with a very light hand.
Clementine Pound Cake

Tip 2: Do not over bake your cake.

  • When recipe testing, we found the initial baking time of 30 minutes for this cake batter was definitely NOT long enough.  The center of cake cracked, but remained very “jiggly.” The ideal baking time was revealed to be 45-55 minutes.
  • If your cake tester is still testing not done by the desired time, because we all know every oven is different, then continue to bake in 5-minute increments until a toothpick tests clean.
clementine juice in measuring cup

Cake ingredients

  • 6-7 clementine oranges
  • ½ cup butter (1 stick), softened
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • 1/3 c juice of fresh clementines
  • Zest of 6 clementine fruit
  • 1 tsp. vanilla exract
  • Pinch kosher salt

How to make this delicious cake

First, you will want to preheat your oven to 350 degrees. 

While oven is heating up, zest skin of 6 clementine fruit and place in a small bowl. Set aside. 

Juice the zested fruit to measure 1/3 cup. (about 4 fruit)

In a medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients; flour, baking powder, and salt, and set aside.

Prepare a loaf pan by greasing lightly with butter. 

If you have a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment to cream the butter and sugar together. If you have a hand mixer, you can cream butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl with the same results.

Add eggs one at a time into the butter mixture until incorporated. 

Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the wet ingredients in the mixer bowl, then half of the fresh clementine juice you had set aside. Alternate these two until all dry ingredients and juice have been added to the cake mixture. 

Add vanilla extract and zest and mix on medium speed until combined and smooth. 

Pour cake batter into the prepared pan and smooth out the top. 

Bake cake for 40-50 minutes until a cake tester comes clean from the center of the loaf. If the middle of the cake is not done, bake in 5-minute increments until golden brown and the cake tester is clean. 

While the pound cake is baking, make the glaze. 

In a medium bowl combine sugar and juice of 2 clementines and set aside. 

Place a sheet of wax paper underneath a cooling rack. 

Remove cake from oven and let cool in pan for 5 minutes. 

Remove cake from pan and place on the cooling rack. 

With a wooden skewer, poke holes in the top of the cake while it is still warm. 

Pour clementine glaze slowly over the top of cake so it can soak in. 

Let cool completely on the wire rack.

Clementine Cake Glaze

clementine cake pouring glaze

Clementine cake glaze is the cherry on top of this tasty, moist cake. It is surprisingly light and creates a thin crisp coating that is absolutely delicious!

Serving ideas

The best way to serve this fragrant cake is as is in my opinion, but if you would like it to look pretty on a cake stand, add a few slices of clementine as garnish and have a small bowl of fresh whipped cream ready! It is truly a lovely baked treat to enjoy any time of year.

Tools to make Cake Glaze

Every kitchen should have tools to make cooking & baking easier! We have a list of our 100 favorite kitchen gadgets which also includes the following! 

Ingredients for clementine cake glaze:

  • 1/4 cup clementine juice (about 2 fruit)
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
Clementine oranges with leaves

Baking with citrus fruits

If you want to add a burst of flavor to your cooking many cooks are known to squeeze a little bit of lemon over their finished dish. 

Putting a little pizazz in your baked goods has the same tasty results! 

Try a bit of orange, lemon, or lime zest using a Microplane next time you make some cookies or muffins. The flavor profile is amazing! 

I'm sure adding just a tiny bit of lemon zest would perk up a cherry dump cake recipe too!

Here is our wonderful recipe for Clementine Pound Cake. I hope you try it and come back and let us know how you liked it!

Related recipes:

A printable recipe is below!

Clementine Pound Cake on plate with Clementine Cake Glaze is delicious recipe from Eat Picks
Yield: 12

Delicious Clementine Pound Cake Recipe

Clementine Pound Cake is a delicious taste of citrus and spring!

Sweet Clementines make a super delicious clementine pound cake complete with clementine glaze. Perfect for snacks or dessert!

Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes

Ingredients

  • 6-7 clementine oranges
  • ½ cup butter, 1 stick, softened
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 ½ c flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • 1/3 c juice of clementine
  • Zest 6 clementine
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • Pinch kosher salt
  • Glaze:
  • ¼ cup clementine juice, about 2 fruit
  • ½ c sugar

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In small bowl, zest skin of 6 clementine fruit. Set aside.
  3. In small measuring cup, juice the zested fruit to measure 1/3 cup. (about 4 fruit)
  4. In separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt.
  5. Prepare loaf pan by greasing lightly with butter.
  6. In mixer bowl, cream the butter and sugar.
  7. Add sour cream.
  8. Add eggs one at a time until incorporated.
  9. Add 1/3 of flour mixture to mixer bowl, then half juice. Alternate until all flour and juice have been added.
  10. Add vanilla and zest and mix until combined.
  11. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and smooth out top.
  12. Bake for 40-50 minutes until cake tester comes clean from center of loaf. If still liquidy, bake in 5 minute increments until golden brown and tester is clean.
  13. While cake is baking, make the glaze.
  14. In bowl combine sugar and juice of 2 clementine and set aside.
  15. Place a sheet of wax paper underneath a cooling rack.
  16. Remove cake and let cool in pan for 5 minutes.
  17. Remove from pan and place on cooling rack.
  18. With wooden skewer, poke holes in top of warm cake.
  19. Pour glaze slowly over top so it can soak in.
  20. Let cool completely.
  21. Enjoy!

Recommended Products

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

12

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 327Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 57mgSodium: 145mgCarbohydrates: 56gFiber: 3gSugar: 40gProtein: 4g

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© Kelly Pugliano
Cuisine: American / Category: Dessert

Original Post 3/27/19

Updated 11/10/19, 7/18/21 with more helpful tips.

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Hello! My name is Kelly and I am the cook, baker, traveler, and storyteller of this space on the web. We are the place to be for the best picks when it comes to food, travel & home & hope we can help you enjoy life to the fullest. Questions?

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