Pomegranate Cake is a light, fluffy, and beautifully colored dessert that celebrates one of fall’s most elegant fruits. With its juicy ruby-red seeds and naturally sweet-tart flavor, the pomegranate adds a touch of freshness and sophistication to every slice.
This easy Pomegranate Cake recipe is simple to make and requires only a few basic ingredients: flour, sugar, butter, eggs, lemon zest, and fresh pomegranate juice. The juice gives the cake its delicate pink hue, which can vary from soft blush to deep rose depending on the color of your fruit.
Soft, moist, and perfectly balanced in flavor, this Italian-style pomegranate cake is ideal for breakfast, an afternoon snack, or a light dessert. Dust it with powdered sugar and decorate with fresh pomegranate seeds for an elegant finishing touch.
Baked in a Bundt pan or any cake mold you prefer, this dessert is also perfect for Christmas or New Year’s celebrations — not just for its refined look, but because pomegranates are a traditional symbol of prosperity and good fortune.
Follow this step-by-step Pomegranate Cake recipe and impress your guests with its delicate flavor and natural beauty!
Ingredients
Prep Time: 10 Min | Cook Time: 40 Min | Servings: 6
For a 20 cm (8 inch) Bundt Cake Pan
- 2 medium pomegranates (or store-bought pomegranate juice) - you’ll need ¾ cup (160 ml) of juice plus a few seeds for decoration
- 200 g (1 ⅓ cup) "00" flour
- 110 g (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
- 2 medium eggs
- Zest of 1 organic lemon
- 150 g (¾ cup) granulated sugar
- 10 g (2 ½ teaspoon) baking powder
- Powdered sugar, for dusting
Kitchen Tools and Equipment
- To make Pomgranate Cake, get a really useful stand mixer to stir the ingredients well, adding them gradually without stopping mixing. I chose the Kitchen Aid Hand Mixer.
- It’s also very important to mix the dry ingredients together. For best results, we recommend sifting the powders with a Fine Mesh Strainer. This allow the flour and baking powder to mix evenly. You will also need this kitchen tool to dust the cake with powdered sugar at the end.
- To extract pomegranate juice you can use, as I did, a simple and common hand juicer.
- However, there are specific tools on the market for squeezing pomegranate. Very practical and useful items if you are a regular drinker of pomegranate juice. They can also be an original gift idea.
- I opted for a 20 cm (8 inch) Bundt Cake Pan. But you can also use other shapes of your liking with the same capacity.
- Finally, I recommend using a cake dome to preserve its fragrance and softness.
Instructions
Step 1) - To make the pomegranate cake, start by placing the 2 medium whole eggs in a bowl with the 150 g (¾ cup) of granulated sugar. Beat with electric mixer until light and fluffy.
Step 2) - Add 110 g (1 stick) of softened butter at room temperature and mix well, again using electric mixer on medium speed.
Step 3) - In another bowl, mix 10 g (2 ½ teaspoon) of baking powder with 200 g (1 ⅓ cup) of flour. Sift the powder into the egg and butter mixture a little at a time.
Step 4) - Add the powders a little at a time, always mixing with the whisk, until the mixture is creamy and smooth.
Step 5) - Now squeeze 2 medium pomegranates or pomegranate juice. You need 160 ml (~¾ cup) of juice. Remember to keep a few seeds for the final decoration. Slowly pour the pomegranate juice into the mixture and mix well.
Step 6) - Now add the grated zest of 1 lemon. I recommend grating only the yellow part of the lemon as the white part would make the mixture bitter.
Step 7) - Pour the mixture into a floured and buttered cake pan and bake at 180°C (356°F) for 40 minutes.
Step 8) - When done, remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool. Turn the cake upside down onto a serving dish.
Finally, dust the pomegranate cake with plenty of powdered sugar and decorate with a few pomegranate seeds.
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Storage
You can store the Pomegranate cake at room temperature for up to two days under a dome or on a plate covered with plastic wrap.
Can I Freeze the Pomegranate Cake?
Sure. You can freeze it once it's completely cooled and consume it within a month. We recommend that you already cut it into slices and store it in well sealed freezer bags. You can defrost it at room temperature.
Variations
Depending on your taste, you can enrich this recipe to make this cake even more beautiful and inviting.
- CINNAMON: You can scent the dough with a pinch of cinnamon, very appropriate for Christmas days.
- CHOCOLATE CHIPS: You can make the pomegranate cake richer by adding dark chocolate chips
- WALNUTS: or add some crunch by adding chopped walnuts.
- JAM FILLING: Once the cake is baked, you can also decide to cut it in half with a long knife and fill it with a layer of citrus or raspberry jam. This will make the cake even more delicious.
- WHIPPED CREAM: As for the decoration, you can replace the powdered sugar with delicious whipped cream, always adding pomegranate seeds for the beautiful color contrast.
Tips
- I remind you that the decoration should be done just before serving the cake to your guests. In fact, the powdered sugar melts after a while and is partially absorbed by the cake. While the whipped cream is likely to fall apart and become more liquid.
- Also, the pomegranate seeds may release their juice over time and color the surrounding area.
- Another tip I give you is to cut and peel the pomegranate with kitchen gloves and in a bowl with some water. The juice, while beautiful and delicious, is very colorful and you would risk staining.
- I recommend that you PRESS the pomegranate as indicated in the recipe. Do not blend it, because the skin of the seeds and the hard arils inside are very bitter and would spoil the flavor of the juice.
- Finally, you can use a pre-made pomegranate juice to make this cake, but believe me when I tell you that this cake has a really great flavor with the fresh fruit!
Recipe Card
Torta alla Melagrana (Easy Pomegranate Cake)
Ingredients
- 2 medium pomegranates - (or store-bought pomegranate juice) - you’ll need ¾ cup (160 ml) of juice plus a few seeds for decoration
- 200 g "00" flour - 1 ⅓ cup
- 110 g unsalted butter - 1 stick, softened at room temperature
- 2 medium eggs
- 1 lemon zest
- 150 g granulated sugar - ¾ cup
- 10 g baking powder - 2 teaspoon
- powdered sugar - for dusting
Instructions
- Start by placing the 2 medium whole eggs in a bowl with the 150 g (¾ cup) of granulated sugar. Beat with electric mixer until light and fluffy.
- Add 110 g (1 stick) of softened butter at room temperature and mix well, again using electric mixer on medium speed.
- In another bowl, mix 10 g (2 ½ teaspoon) of baking powder with 200 g (1 ⅓ cup) of flour. Sift the powder into the egg and butter mixture a little at a time.
- Add the powders a little at a time, always mixing with the whisk, until the mixture is creamy and smooth.
- Squeeze 2 medium pomegranates or pomegranate juice. You need 160 ml (~¾ cup) of juice. Remember to keep a few seeds for the final decoration. Slowly pour the pomegranate juice into the mixture and mix well.
- Add the grated zest of 1 lemon. I recommend grating only the yellow part of the lemon as the white part would make the mixture bitter.
- Pour the mixture into a floured and buttered cake pan and bake at 180°C (356°F) for 40 minutes.
- When done, remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool. Turn the cake upside down onto a serving dish.
- Finally, dust the pomegranate cake with plenty of powdered sugar and decorate with a few pomegranate seeds.
Barbara says
This cake is absolutely delicious! Moist, fruity, and bursting with flavor, it’s the perfect dessert for any occasion. I followed the pomegranate cake recipe exactly and it turned out beautifully - definitely a keeper!