The colors of this Candy Corn Colored Citrus Pound Cake were inspired by the iconic Halloween candy, but not by the taste!
I've never been a fan of candy corn candy, but I do love the colors.
That is why I came up with a colored pound cake recipe that would replicate those fun, bright, candy corn colors, but would be rich, buttery and incorporate some lovely citrus flavors instead.
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The ingredient list:
**Note - The following lists of ingredients plus kitchen tools and equipment contain affiliate links (highlighted in blue) for your consideration and shopping convenience.
- Butter
- Granulated Sugar
- Eggs
- Salt
- Baking Powder
- Pure Vanilla Extract
- Milk
- Orange Zest
- Orange Extract
- Lemon Zest
- Lemon Extract
- Lemon Juice
- Orange Juice
- Gel Food Color (orange, and yellow)
It may seem like a long list of ingredients, but every single ingredient serves a purpose and can be tasted throughout each bite of this moist and dense pound cake. You're going to love it!
Kitchen tools and equipment needed:
- Hand Mixer or Stand Mixer
- Baking Spray
- Bundt Pan
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Large Bowl
- Medium Bowls
- Spatula
- Whisk
- Citrus Zester
- Baking Sheet (optional)
- Parchment Paper (optional)
Why this recipe works:
Pound cake is probably my favorite kind of cake, and hopefully, it's yours too.
I'm not a big fan of thick sugary frostings so a buttery, rich pound cake with a light dusting of confectioners sugar is something that is very appealing to me.
Another thing that is very appealing to me is when you cut into a cake and inside find a surprise you didn't necessarily see coming.
This candy corn colored citrus pound cake does not disappoint in the flavor department, or the colorful inside.
Directions for how to make candy corn colored pound cake:
- In a large bowl, use a hand blender or stand mixer to cream together the softened butter and sugar.
- Blend in the vanilla and eggs, one at a time.
- Beat well, and slowly blend in the milk.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir well to combine.
- Spoon approximately 1½ cups of the uncolored batter into the bottom of a bundt pan that has been sprayed liberally with baking spray.
- Smooth the batter evenly around the pan.
- Freeze until ready to add another color.
- To a medium bowl, add approximately 3 cups of the remaining batter along with the orange zest, orange juice, orange extract, and orange gel food color.
- Stir well to combine.
- Spoon the orange batter evenly over the original layer of pound cake from the freezer, and smooth.
- Freeze again until the ready to add the final color.
- In a medium bowl, add lemon zest, lemon juice, lemon extract and yellow gel color to the remaining batter.
- Stir well to combine.
- Spoon the yellow layer of pound cake batter evenly over the orange layer and smooth.
- Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes and then turn it out onto a serving plate to cool completely.
- Once completely cooled, sprinkle the cake liberally with confectioner's sugar.
- Slice and serve with ice cream, whipped cream, and candy corn candy (if desired).
- Cover and refrigerate any uneaten Candy Corn Colored Citrus Pound Cake for up to 4 days.
Do I have to freeze the cake batter in between layers?
No.
I only did that to (hopefully) make sure the layers didn't combine during the baking. My intention was to have three separate layers of colors (much like candy corn, itself), but as you can see, it didn't actually turn out that way.
While I can't say that the freezing of the cake batter in between colors kept the layers separate, I also can't confirm that the colors wouldn't have completely combined had the layers not been frozen between colors.
It's your call what you choose to do.
Since you have the time while mixing up colors, I say why not freeze for a few minutes in between the layers? It can't hurt.
Additional pound cake/bundt cake recipes:
*Chocolate Cherry Bundt Cake (pictured below) from (yours truly) Kudos Kitchen
"This chocolate cherry bundt cake is a chocolate and cherry lovers dream come true! It’s a rich, dense cake with a brownie-like consistency, and you have my promise that the chocolate and cherry taste will make you swoon with delight!"
*Caramel Apple Cider Bundt Cake from Goodie Godmother
*Bacon Root Beer Bundt Cake (pictured below) from (yours truly) Kudos Kitchen
"The unexpected flavors of bacon and root beer pair deliciously well in this surprising Bacon Root Beer Bundt Cake. It’s the perfect cake for any Autumn celebration."
*Lemon Corn Pound Cake from Pastry Chef Online
*Meyer Lemon Pound Cake (yours truly) Kudos Kitchen
"Lemon lovers, this is for you! This Meyer Lemon Poundcake is wonderfully dense, moist and loaded with luscious, lively lemon flavor."
*7UP Pound Cake from Fantabulocity
*Orange Bundt Cake with Banana and Poppy Seeds (pictured below) from (yours truly) Kudos Kitchen
'This orange bundt cake recipe came about because I’ve been craving oranges like crazy this freezing cold winter and have been purchasing navel oranges non-stop from the grocery store."
*Candy Corn Colored Citrus Pound Cake (pictured below) This is the place!!
Printable Recipe Card
Candy Corn Colored Citrus Pound Cake
Ingredients
- 1 pound (4 sticks) butter softened (I use salted butter, but feel free to use unsalted)
- 2½ cups granulated sugar
- 7 eggs
- 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup milk
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoon orange zest
- 1½ teaspoon orange juice
- 1 teaspoon orange extract
- 1½ teaspoon lemon zest
- 1½ teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract
- orange gel food color
- yellow gel food color
- baking spray
- bundt pan
- whipped cream optional
- candy corn optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350-degrees.
- In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Gradually add the eggs, one at a time, and the vanilla extract.
- Slowly blend in the milk until thoroughly combined. Set aside.
- In another large bowl, whisk together the baking powder, salt, and all-purpose flour.
- Add the flour mixture in thirds to the butter and egg mixture, using a spatula or wooden spoon to stir to combine.
- Spray a bundt pan liberally with baking spray.
- Spoon approximately 1½ cups of the pound cake batter into the bottom of the prepared bundt pan. Freeze while preparing the colored batter.
- In a medium bowl, add approximately 3 cups of the batter along with the orange zest, juice, orange extract and a few drops of the orange gel food color. Stir well, adding more gel color if desired.
- Spoon the orange batter evenly over the cream colored layer and return to the freezer while preparing the yellow batter.
- In a medium bowl, add the lemon zest, lemon juice, lemon extract and a few drops of the yellow gel food color to the remaining batter. Stir well, adding more gel color if desired.
- Spoon and smooth the yellow batter evenly over the orange layer.
- Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool the cake for 20 minutes and then invert it onto a serving platter to cool completely.
- Once completely cool, dust the cake liberally with confectioner's sugar.
- Slice and serve with whipped cream, ice cream, and candy corn (if desired).
Notes
Nutrition
I sincerely hope you've enjoyed today's citrus bundt cake recipe as much as I've enjoyed bringing it to you.
Should you have any questions or comments regarding anything you've seen on my site, please don't hesitate to reach out to contact me. It is always my distinct pleasure to get back with you just as soon as I possibly can!
Thank you so much for visiting me today in my Kudos Kitchen. I hope you found something you'll love and that you will come back and visit me often. Please know that there is always room for you around my kitchen table!
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Until we eat again, I hope you have a delicious day!
wilhelmina says
This cake turned out so rich and buttery! So yummy!!!
Liz says
LOVED the citrus flavors and my kids thought the colors were so fun! What a great Halloween cake!