Classic Pound Cake Recipe (loaf or bundt!)

At a glance

What stands out: Rich, dense, and buttery, this pound cake recipe is a classic dessert that is so rich as is, but beyond wonderful combined with fruit, whipped cream, or any other topping you dream up. It’s straightforward to mix!

How long it takes: 1 hour, 15 minutes (includes cooling time)
Equipment you’ll need: loaf pan, parchment paper, oven, electric mixer, mixing bowl
Servings: 9 slices

Sometimes Simple Is best.

Pound cake is a classic for a reason. It’s a blank slate, straightforward to mix, and reliable for summer berries or anything you’d like to top it with.

What makes ours special:

• Rich buttery flavor. Classic pound cake is dense and sweet, with a nice moist crumb. The flavor is rich and wonderful. We add a bit of nutmeg to give the pound cake even more flavor.
• Not a complicated recipe. Pound cake is not a difficult cake to make. The ingredients are simple. If you read on, you’ll find helpful tips for making sure your pound cake is a success.
• A base for great toppings – and we have ideas to share! Pound cake is rich as is, but there are so many ways to dress it up, too. Keep reading for lots of ideas.

David Said:

“Great recipe, straightforward to follow, and rich results.”

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What goes in

• Unsalted butter & sugar: The butter needs to be at room temperature, or in other words, softened. Granulated sugar is beaten into the butter until the mixture is light and fluffy. There is no added leavening (baking powder or baking soda) in the cake so beating the butter and sugar is an important step.
• Eggs: You’ll need 4 large eggs, and make sure they’re also at room temperature. Here’s a tip for bringing eggs to room temperature quickly if you forgot to get them out of the refrigerator ahead of time.
• Flour: All-purpose flour is best for a classic style cake. Read the tips below so you know how to accurately measure flour.
• Pure vanilla extract: This will give the cake so much great flavor!
• Nutmeg: This is optional but we love the je ne sais quoi it adds. (we just showed off a little. That little French phrase means “a pleasing quality that’s hard to describe.”)

How it comes together

Prep. Get out your electric mixer, a large bowl, and a loaf pan. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line the loaf pan with parchment paper, then spray it with nonstick cooking spray. It isn’t essential to use the parchment paper but it does make it easier to to lift the cake out of the pan neatly so you can slice it.

Beat butter and sugar. Beat these two ingredients until the mixture is light and fluffy, at least 4 minutes. Don’t skimp on the beating time.

Add vanilla and eggs. Add the vanilla extract and then add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. The eggs should be well incorporated.

Fold in dry ingredients. Add the flour, nutmeg, and salt gradually until just combined, scraping down sides as needed. The batter will be thick.

Put batter into the loaf pan. Scrape the batter into the pan, smoothing out the top.

Bake. The cake should bake for 50 to 55 minutes.

How will you know when the cake is done? The top and the sides of the cake will be golden brown, there will often be a deep crack in the center, and a toothpick inserted in the center will come out clean.

Tips for a reliable pound cake

While pound cake sounds relatively simple, there are a few tricks to making a reliable old-fashioned pound cake. Please don’t be scared off by the list of tips. If you’re like us, you’re not necessarily looking for THE PERFECT POUND CAKE, but you’d like a cake that is presentable and tastes great. Let us assure you, you won’t have a problem!

• Every ingredient should be at room temperature, including the eggs.
• Measure the flour correctly. Always lightly spoon the flour into a measuring cup. Scooping the flour right from the canister or bag results in compacted flour, or in other words, too much flour.
• Soften the butter. Don’t melt it or use it rock hard. Leave it out of the refrigerator overnight if you plan to bake first thing in the morning.
• Beat the butter and sugar well. Don’t skimp on this step. It’s better to go too long than not long enough. If you want to time it, we've found that 4 minutes is the sweet spot. If your cake turns out too heavy or dense, chances are you didn’t beat the butter, sugar, and eggs long enough.
• Add the eggs one at a time. Beat well each time, allowing about half a minute per egg. Beat just until the mixture looks smooth, not curdled, with no yellow yolk still showing.
• Slowly fold in the flour. There’s no need to beat the batter with the flour.
• Let the cake cool in the pan. We've found that you need to cool the pound cake for at least ten minutes before removing from the pan. Don’t try to hurry it or the cake may crack while you’re trying to move it.

Toppings for Pound Cake

Fresh fruit: Strawberries, raspberries, or peaches are great choices. The juicier the fruit, the better!

Whipped cream or ice cream: Top each slice of pound cake with a dollop of whipped cream, which is especially good with fruit. Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt to a slice of pound cake and drizzle it with chocolate syrup, hot fudge or caramel sauce.

Fruit sauces: From-scratch fruit sauces such as peach sauce, blueberry sauce, and rhubarb sauce are straightforward and so tasty. Lately we’ve been loving this strawberry sauce. Lemon curd is wonderful with pound cake!

Simple syrup/liqueur: Add rich flavor to the cake with flavored simple syrup. Whiile the cake is still warm, brush the syrup on or poke holes into the top of the cake with a skewer, so the syrup soaks in more deeply. If you’re using liqueur, mix it with simple syrup or an icing glaze so it’s not too overpowering. (Keep the mixture to ½ cup or less.) Try Grand Marnier, Amaretto, Kahlua, or a dark rum. Wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Why Do They Call It Pound Cake?

Way back in the 1700s, a traditional pound cake was made of only four ingredients: butter, sugar, eggs, and flour. The measurement for each ingredient was exactly one pound each, or 16 ounces. We guess it should be called “four pound cake”!
Recipes vary today by region and by individual cooks but many cooks, particularly from Southern United States, still use this traditional recipe.

Ways to change it

• Make a Bundt cake. Double all the ingredients and use a well-greased 10 cup Bundt pan. Bake for 55 minutes.
• More traditional pound cake: For a “4 ingredient” pound cake, omit the vanilla and nutmeg. We don’t advise omitting the salt, unless you use salted butter.

Keeping leftovers

Room temperature/refrigerator: Pound cake wrapped in plastic wrap or in a sealed container will keep at room temperature for three days or in the refrigerator for a week. However, you’ll find that the cake has better texture at room temperature.

Freezer: You’ll be glad to know that pound cake freezes beautifully. It’s so nice to have in the freezer for a speedy dessert, especially if you pre-slice it. Wrap it well and it can be frozen for up to six months. Thaw the cake on the counter. Do not heat or microwave a pound cake in an attempt to thaw it more quickly.

Leftover Love

Want to do something fun with leftover cake? Substitute pound cake for angel food cake to make a strawberry trifle. Pound cake is reliable for strawberry shortcakes, too. We'd like to try this pound cake French toast someday soon, too!

• Yield: 9
• Prep: 10 minutes
• Cook: 55 minutes
• Total: 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature (if you use salted butter, omit the ¼ teaspoon salt)
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour
• ¼ teaspoon fine salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. Line a 9 inch loaf pan with parchment, leaving an overhang on the sides, and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
3. With an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.
4. Add vanilla. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
5. Add flour, salt (and nutmeg if using) gradually, either using the mixer on low speed, or stirring by hand until just combined, scraping down sides as needed. Don't over mix the batter; it will be very thick.
6. Scrape batter into prepared pan, smoothing out top.
7. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Baking time may vary depending on what size loaf pan you use. In addition, we've found that cake baked in glass loaf pans takes longer to bake than in metal pans.
8. Cool on rack in pan for 10 minutes. Remove cake from pan and cool completely.

Notes

Bundt cake: Double all the ingredients and use a well-greased 10 cup Bundt pan. Bake for 55 minutes. Let cool at least 10 minutes before removing cake from pan.

Storage: After pound cake has cooled completely, wrap or cover it tightly. It will keep at room temperature for 3 days, or refrigerated for up to a week. Pound cake can be frozen for up to 6 months. Thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature. Serve at room temperature for best flavor. Do not microwave cake.

Topping ideas: Fresh fruit and whipped cream are reliable (pound cake is an excellent substitute for shortcake!). Top sliced pound cake with a scoop of ice cream or frozen yogurt, and drizzle it with chocolate syrup, hot fudge or caramel sauce. Lemon curd is wonderful with pound cake. From-scratch fruit sauces such as peach sauce, blueberry sauce, strawberry sauce, or rhubarb sauce go well, too.