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This easy pound cake recipe is always a crowd pleaser! It’s rich, moist and dense with vanilla flavor, with a tender crumb and texture.
You’ll make this traditional pound cake again and again – it’s perfect for Easter, Mother’s Day, birthdays, or an incredible treat!
It’s so delicious and made with just six staple ingredients! Be sure to save this one for later, because you don’t want to skip it.
I tend to gravitate toward desserts that are just as beautiful as they are delicious. This Pound Cake is no exception.
This isn’t the dried out pound cake that you find pre-packaged in convenience stores or made months in advance at America’s favorite coffee shop. It’s a rich, traditional pound cake with incredible texture which results in a beautiful slice, every time.
This recipe has been adapted from the famous old Million Dollar Pound Cake recipe, which makes significantly more and uses almond extract.
Of course it’s best served drenched in glaze, which is equally easy to make. It hardens just enough to get the perfect slice, but is still soft in texture and taste. Let’s make it together!
Table of Contents
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Butter – Salted or unsalted, your preference, at room temperature.
- Sugar – White granulated sugar not only sweetens pound cake, but also aids in the leavening process when mixing with butter.
- Eggs – At room temperature for best results.
- Flour – All purpose flour is alternated with milk to give it a luxurious consistency.
- Milk – Any milk you have on hand, from Skim to Vitamin D, works well here.
- Vanilla Extract – Learn how to make your own vanilla extract here.
Variations
- Use the extract of your choice to change the flavor. Some options include almond extract, lemon extract, orange extract and rum extract.
- Drizzle with a unique glaze for a fresh spin! Choose from one of the following options.
Glazes
- Basic Glaze (as pictured in this post)
- Cream Cheese Glaze
- Lemon Glaze
- Orange Glaze
How to Make Pound Cake
- Prep – Grease 1 pound bread pan and preheat oven to 300 degrees.
- Fluff – In a mixing bowl, beat the butter until light in color (about 3 minutes). Gradually incorporate sugar and beat until light and fluffy.
- Add eggs one at a time and blend in on low, careful not to over mix.
- Alternate adding flour and milk, add vanilla until smooth.
- Bake – Pour into pan and bake for 1 hour 20 minutes.
- Cool on a wire rack.
- Glaze – Use a classic glaze or cream cheese glaze.
Tips
- Don’t Overfill Your Loaf Pan – Fill 2/3 full to compensate for rise.
- Use the Toothpick Test – Insert a toothpick in the center. When it comes out clean, it’s done.
- Use the Correct Loaf Pan – Learn more about Loaf Pan Sizes here.
- Beat in the sugar until it’s light and fluffy. The fat (butter) and sugar hold air bubbles to create a fine texture and leaven the cake.
- Bring eggs to room temperature – This will provide a really smooth texture to the cake.
- Don’t over beat. Beat eggs one at a time. This will prevent the batter from curdling and prevent the air in the mixture from deflating. Egg acts as a leavening agent.
- As with all cakes, it’s best if you mix dry ingredients together first. This will result in a fine texture, ensuring all lumps are broken up and a nice even bake.
Make More (or Less!)
Scaling up, down or substituting? You’ll love this printable Measurement Conversion Chart!
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes a pound cake different from a regular cake?
A true pound cake is different than a traditional cake because of its density. A pound cake is thicker and less fluffy than a regular cake.
How do you keep pound cake moist?
To retain the moisture in your pound cake, store it in an airtight container at room temperature.
Baking Alternatives
- Mini Loaves – Try this recipe in mini loaf pans, perfect for gifting! Bake time is less than a traditional large loaf, of course, so bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.
- Make it Ornate – I often make pound cake in a traditional loaf pan, but you can make it in a bundt pan, or one of my favorite specialty pans for added interest.
- Seasonal – You can also make pound cake in various shapes for holidays and seasons like bunnies and more!
Serving Suggestions
Pound cake is delicious all on its own, but it’s even more decadent paired with these suggestions!
- Garnish with fresh fruit, such as strawberries or blueberries, at a breakfast or brunch.
- Serve with whipped cream and then sprinkle with toasted coconut.
- Or, try with this mascarpone cream recipe.
- A la mode – with creamy vanilla ice cream.
Dietary Considerations
- Nut Free
- Vegetarian
How to Store
- Room Temperature – To prevent it from drying out, store (cooled) in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Refrigerate – Pound Cake can be store refrigerated up to 4 days as well. Wrap with plastic wrap and store in an airtight container or bag.
- Freeze – Wrap in plastic wrap and store in a freezer bag to prevent any freezer odor from seeping in. Bring to room temperature to enjoy.
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8 Easy Pound Cake Recipes
Choose from the easiest classic recipe or one of these incredible pound cake variations!
Yield
Ingredients
Instructions
- Grease 1 pound bread pan and preheat oven to 300°F.
- In a mixing bowl, beat butter until light in color (about 3 minutes). Gradually incorporate sugar and beat until fluffy.
- Add eggs one at a time. Blend in on low.
- Alternate adding flour and milk, add vanilla until smooth.
- Pour into bread pan and bake for 1 hour 20 minutes. Insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. When the toothpick comes out clean, it is done.
- Allow to cool and top with glaze if desired.
Tips
Substitutions
- Butter – Salted or unsalted, your preference.
- Milk – Whatever you have on hand.
- Extract – Use almond, lemon or orange to mix up the flavor.
Variations
Add a Glaze Fold Ins- Chocolate Chips
- Nuts
- Dried Fruits
Tips
- Bring Ingredients to Room Temperature – Cold butter doesn’t beat as evenly. You’ll notice that this Easy Pound Cake Recipe doesn’t use a leavening agent like baking powder or baking soda. When you you beat the butter until light in color. It incorporates air into the butter which helps it increase in volume. Bringing eggs to room temperature will provide a really smooth texture to the cake.
- Make it Fluffy – Beat in the sugar until it’s light and fluffy. The fat (butter) and sugar hold air bubbles to create a fine texture and leaven the cake.
- Don’t Over Beat – Beat eggs one at a time. This will prevent the batter from curdling and prevent the air in the mixture from deflating.
- Combine Dry Ingredients First – As with all cakes, it’s best if you mix dry ingredients together. This will result in a fine texture, ensuring all lumps are broken up and a nice even bake.
- Test Bake Time – Bake time can vary from oven to oven, so use the toothpick test to determine the optimal baking time for your oven. (Approximately 1 hour, 20 minutes)
To Store
- Room Temperature – To prevent it from drying out, store (cooled) in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Refrigerate – Pound Cake can be store refrigerated up to 4 days as well. Wrap with plastic wrap and store in an airtight container or bag.
- Freeze – Wrap in plastic wrap and store in a freezer bag to prevent any freezer odor from seeping in. Bring to room temperature to enjoy.
Video
Nutrition Information
Calories: 241kcal (12%), Carbohydrates: 50g (17%), Protein: 5g (10%), Fat: 2g (3%), Saturated Fat: 1g (5%), Cholesterol: 51mg (17%), Sodium: 29mg (1%), Potassium: 69mg (2%), Fiber: 1g (4%), Sugar: 31g (34%), Vitamin A: 101IU (2%), Calcium: 32mg (3%), Iron: 1mg (6%)
Estimated nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is not guaranteed.
Lauren says
What temperature do I set the oven for?
Julie says
300
SHERRY says
I haven’t made it yet but it looks wonderful and it’s a favorite of mine all I have is self rising flour is that okay?
Julie Blanner says
Unfortunately, no…it already has a leavening agent in it which will dramatically change the recipe/result.
Jenny says
Would like to try this recipe, do you use salted butter?
Julie says
I do just as a rule of thumb, but unsalted is just fine! Enjoy!
Mara says
Maded the cake on Sat. Yummy
Julie says
I’m glad you enjoyed it as much as we do, Mara! Thanks for sharing!
Pam says
Julie, My mother and aunts used to make Cream Cheese Poundcake. The crust was kind of crunchy, but oh my….. good stuff! Yours looks yummy too, and your photos are awesome!
Julie says
That sounds fantastic! Have a beautiful weekend!
pamela says
Thank you for the recipe, the cake looks yummy.
Have a great day