Clementine Pound Cake

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A&M say: SavvyJulie showcases both citrus and cardamom by setting them against the backdrop of a pitch-perfect pound cake: the crumb is tender and melting, while the rich brown crust is paper thin and brittle as an eggshell, crunching pleasantly between your teeth. The perfume of the clementine zest and juice permeates the entire cake, and the cardamom (which we recommend you grind fresh) makes the party official. While this would be great with a dollop of ice cream, it certainly doesn't need it. Toasting a slice for breakfast can't be a bad idea. - A&M

SavvyJulie says: When you make this cake, you have to let it cool completely. All the way. It will be tough. You’ll want to cut into the rich goodness immediately. You’ll want to taste the citrus on your tongue, feel a bite of the cake melt in your mouth. But you must be patient. Just trust me on this one. You don’t want a crumbly cake, now do you?

With this dessert, you only need a small piece. It is that rich. And that delicious. A little goes a long way. - SavvyJulie

Serves 10-12

  • 1 1/2 sticks butter, softened, plus more for the pan
  • 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract or paste
  • 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1 tablespoon clementine zest, from about 2 clementines
  • 4 tablespoons clementine juice, from about 2 clementines
  • 1/4 cup milk
  1. Heat the oven to 350F. Butter and flour a 9x5x3″ loaf pan.
  2. Cream the butter, olive oil and sugars together until smooth.
  3. Mix in the eggs, one at a time, until completely blended.
  4. Stir in 1 cup of the flour, followed by the salt, vanilla, cardamom, clementine zest and juice.
  5. Add the milk and the rest of the flour. Beat until the batter is smooth and consistent, but do not over-beat!
  6. Scrape the cake batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, until the edges are browned and just pulling away from the sides of the pan, and a cake tester inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.
  7. Allow to cool for 10 minutes in the pan. Run a knife or spatula around the edges of the cake to release it from the pan, and flip onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing and serving.

Tags: freezes well, potluck, travels well

Comments (67) Questions (4)

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Kitchenaid

about 1 year ago BlissfulBaker

I made this cake over the weekend. Delicious! I followed AntoniaJames advice for traditional poundcake's extra-long creaming method. I also reduced the cardamom by 1/2. The result was a tall, moist cake with a beautiful crumb and a perfect balance of flavors. Thank you so much! Like tinabeans, my cake was done in an hour, so I recommend everyone check the cake early.

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about 1 year ago tinabeans

excellent flavors. i skipped the cardamom because we didn't have any, but it still tasted great. very nutty and citrusy. also, i baked this for only 1:05 and it got really hard and crunchy around the edges, which is something i rather like but i realize isn't standard for poundcake :D

thanks for the lovely cake.

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over 1 year ago TheWimpyVegetarian

Made this yesterday for a dinner party last night - and just love love loved it. Easy and perfect flavors. Thanks so much for a great recipe!!

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over 1 year ago TheWimpyVegetarian

Oh, I meant to add that I made a strawberry conserve to go with it and it was a wonderful combination.

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over 1 year ago Rivka

Cake's in the own now. I havent licked this much batter in years - divine! Planning to serve with fresh strawberry compote. Very excited.

Sangak1

over 1 year ago Golab

Made this last weekend! It literally disappeared off the plate in minutes. I took your advice and spent a good deal of time on the creaming process and it came out beautifully. Thanks so much SavvyJulie! Will be making this again & again ...

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almost 2 years ago Robin Donovan

This bread is delicious. It was hard to wait for it to completely cool, but well worth the wait!!

Sugar.board

almost 2 years ago thebreukelenlife

omg - this cake disappeared in like 2 seconds in the office this morning. Delicious!

Sugar.board

almost 2 years ago thebreukelenlife

Made this cake this morning and added in a blood orange. The smell was a great way to wake up. Looking forward to having that first slice tonight!

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almost 2 years ago jnewberry

Awk! I just put the cake in the oven and realized I forgot the olive oil. Wondering how serious a mistake this will turn out to be...

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almost 2 years ago lillianrossc

Pound cake is in the oven, and my apartment couldn't smell better. It's going to be a good night.

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about 2 years ago cookbookchick

I made the cake with McCormick's ground cardamom and did not have that problem. I baked it ahead so it wasn't eaten until it was two days old -- then and even a couple of days later, the clementine flavor was dominant. Funny you should mention a glaze, though -- I was thinking as I ate a piece last night that the cake, while delicious, would be even better with a glaze. Next time!

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about 2 years ago AntoniaJames

AntoniaJames is a trusted source on Bread/Baking.

Wondering if anyone else has made this, and then eaten it after three days. I made it on Friday for a dinner party on Saturday. (Glazed it with a light blueberry syrup from raw pack blueberries I'd put up last summer, which I reduced then brightened with some Meyer lemon zest). I put aside two slices for our dessert last night. The cardamom was overwhelming in those last two pieces. You could not taste the clementines, and you could not taste the cake. All you could taste was the cardamom. I understand that the author of this recipe used ground cardamom (i.e., already-ground when purchased), and I used cardamom seeds that I had removed from pods, then crushed fairly fine using my mortar and pestle (but didn't grind them in an electric mill). Could that be the difference? Is there something about cardamom that makes it intensify over time? I'll post this to foodpickle as well. I'm interested in knowing whether the food52 testers had the same issue. I suppose it could also be the type of cardamom I bought (at an Indian grocer, which looked exactly like all of the other green cardamom pods I've ever bought). Also, I only used 1/2 teaspoon of ground cardamom, measuring after I crushed it, because I kow from other uses that a little goes a long way. Help!! ;o)

Junepr05

about 2 years ago ChefJune

I have not made this cake yet, but I do use quite a bit of cardamom in baking. Since I always grind mine from fresh, I reduce the amount I add to baked goods by about one-half. The freshly ground is much more potent than the stuff that comes already ground. I can only imagine that the freshly crushed would be also.

Kitchenaid

about 2 years ago BlissfulBaker

This same thing happened to me when I made aargesi's cardamom cranberry coffee cake. The flavors were well-balanced on the first two days, but by day 4, the cardamom was very strong. I think this is a spice that intensifies over time.

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about 2 years ago alamesa

I made this on Sunday, but added more clementine juice for added zing. Unfortunately, I had to used sweetened ground vanilla as it's all I could find locally here in Spain but the vanilla flavour still came through nicely. I love vanilla so I used 2 teaspoons. I bought what little was left into the office and everybody enjoyed it.

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about 2 years ago skooj

Thanks, Julie!. I will beat more between eggs to incorporate more air. The cake is still wonderful, albeit very low to the ground!

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about 2 years ago Michelle Meeks

I've tried and tried to make poundcake with no luck. However!!!! This is the perfect recipe because it turned out beautifully! I only had whole wheat flour and it has this beautiful color to it. I also had a smaller size pan so I had to cook it a bit longer but overall it is EXCELLENT!!! Thanks for the recipe and congrats on the W I N!!

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about 2 years ago skooj

I just made the cake and it is delicious. However, it is only a couple of inches high. I notice all my other poundcakes call for baking powder, but this one did not. Not an omission, is it? Did I do something wrong since the cake is so "low". The picture of your cake looks much higher. I did use the right size pan. Thanks!

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about 2 years ago SavvyJulie

No, there is no baking powder or baking soda in the cake. Did you cream the butter, oil and sugar together before adding the rest of the ingredients?

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about 2 years ago AntoniaJames

AntoniaJames is a trusted source on Bread/Baking.

The key to making any pound cake turn out, regardless of whether it has a chemical leavener, is to beat the butter and sugar for a good long time, until they are practically white and almost look like frosting, at the outset. Then add the eggs one at a time, and beat very, very well between each egg addition. (I almost never use an electric mixer when making cakes and cookies. I do for pound cakes for this reason.) A well-made pound cake takes a long time to prepare, before putting it in the oven. Olive oil also makes baked goods much more dense. ;o)

Junepr05

about 2 years ago ChefJune

@AntoniaJames: I call the consistency needed for the creamed butter and sugar "fluffy as a shampooed cat!"

Kitchenaid

about 2 years ago BlissfulBaker

Love that tip, Antonia!

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about 2 years ago drbabs

Barbara is a trusted source on General Cooking.

Me, too, AJ! I wish there were a "like" button on people's answers!

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about 2 years ago AntoniaJames

AntoniaJames is a trusted source on Bread/Baking.

Awww shucks, you guys, you're way too nice. ChefJune, that's hilarious! (Not sure I've ever met a cat who'd allow you to shampoo it, but I love the image!!) ;o)

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about 2 years ago TXDjinn

This sounds great and I'm looking forward to trying it - when you say a stick and half of butter, how many tablespoons is that? I'm also assuming you mean sweet butter

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about 2 years ago SavvyJulie

12 tablespoons!

Junepr05

about 2 years ago ChefJune

I LOVE pound cke. Will be making this one while Clementines are still in the market.

Congrats on the win.

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about 2 years ago AEC

Sounds terrific! I have some wonderful Cara Cara oranges I want to try here. Can't wait!

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about 2 years ago marytarry

Congrats! on your win! I've made this twice so far to rave reviews. Absolutely delicious, so moist and such a great aroma. Thanks again for sharing your recipe

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about 2 years ago SavvyJulie

I'm so glad you like it!

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about 2 years ago ShoeboxKitchen

We just made this but substituted lemons and grated nutmeg for the clementines and cardamom. It turned out great - thanks so much for the recipe, and CONGRATS!