A true classic, my Pound Cake recipe is simple (only six ingredients) and satisfying! This cake is heavy and dense (as it ought to be!) while simultaneously being soft, buttery, and absolutely melt-in-your-mouth! It’s incredible served alone or pairs beautifully with whipped cream and fresh fruit. Recipe includes a how-to video!
Traditional Pound Cake (Made Better!)
I’m not sure where pound cake rates in terms of your favorite cake recipes, but I’ll admit it had never been a top contender for in my household. Humble and frosting-less, sure I would have a slice, but nobody in my house ever really got excited about pound cake, often overlooking it for light and fluffy angel food cake or prettily iced layer cakes.
If your experience with pound cakes of the past is anything like mine, you’re in for a real treat today. I set about developing this recipe with a mission, determined to perfect a pound cake that was simple and not overly complicated, one that didn’t stray too far from the traditional version (no fancy or unusual ingredients) but at the same time put all of its predecessors to shame.
Here you have it. Perfectly balanced, rich and sweet, my pound cake is so buttery and soft that melts in your mouth, and it’s anything but boring. It’s a heavy cake (as pound cakes should be!) with a dense, velvety crumb, but there’s nothing dry or crumbly about it.
While this cake can hold it’s own, it’s even better when served with homemade whipped cream and fresh fruit. It would also pair well with a spoonful or two of lemon curd (a great way to use up some leftover egg yolks!).
Break out your bowls–you’re going to need a big one–and let’s talk about what it is that makes this cake so perfectly special and irresistible.
What You Need (and What You DON’T)
Pound cake has traditionally been made with a pound each of butter, sugar, eggs, and flour. When developing my recipe, I wanted to stay as true as I could to the traditional version, but some small adjustments were in order for the absolute best flavor (I mean, hello, vanilla extract!). The result is a soft, buttery crumb that’s perfectly dense without being at all dry or crumbly.
- Butter. Unsalted butter works best for this cake. It should be softened, but not so soft that it’s greasy, melty, or oily.
- Sugar. We stick with tradition and use regular granulated sugar only in this cake. Make sure to whip your butter and sugar until fully incorporated and fluffy before you move to the next step.
- Eggs. You will need six whole eggs and six additional egg yolks. It might seem like a lot, and it is, but trust me! The extra yolks help to keep the cake crumb moist with almost custardy undertones/flavors. We omit extra whites because they would make the cake crumb too light (remember, this is a dense cake!) and could even make it dry. This cake is perfect for using up extra yolks from another recipe! Save your extra egg whites to make meringue, pavlova, or Eton mess!
- Vanilla. You’re going to add a whole tablespoon of vanilla to this cake batter. This may seem like a lot, but I promise it’s just the right amount! PS. If you have a batch of homemade vanilla extract sitting in your cabinet, this is the time to bring it out!
- Salt. For flavor, I add a little salt.
- Flour. I specificaly developed this recipe to be perfectly soft and tender using plain ol’ all-purpose flour, but include notes in the recipe in case you’d like to substitute cake flour. Make sure you know how to measure your flour properly, or may end up with a dry cake. One more thing that I cannot stress highly enough: do not, under any circumstances, use self-rising flour. Your cake will almost absolutely overflow.
You may notice that my pound cake recipe does not use baking powder. This is intentional! Pound cake ought to have a dense crumb, and baking powder serves to lighten a cake’s crumb and help it rise. The eggs in our recipe work all of the rising-magic that we need, and not only would adding baking powder make the cake crumb too light (best-case-scenario), you’re also bound to find it’s overflowed all over your oven when the baking time has elapsed.
SAM’S TIP FOR LEMON POUND CAKE: I’ve received lots of requests for how to make a lemon version of this pound cake recipe. While you could just swap out the vanilla extract for lemon, it’s not going to taste as bright and sunny as you’re used to. I have a separate lemon pound cake recipe that packs lots of lemon flavor and is draped in a stunning white glaze. I highly recommend you try it!
As always, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Pound Cake
- Grease and flour your baking pan. Shake out any excess flour and set aside.
- Beat the butter until smooth, then add sugar. Cream until light and fluffy.
- In a separate bowl, combine eggs, egg yolks, vanilla, and salt. Slowly drizzle egg mixture into your butter mixture with mixer on low speed. Pause to scrape sides and bottom of the bowl, then increase speed and beat for another 1-2 minutes.
- Reduce speed to low and gradually add flour. Scrape and stir again on medium speed until well-combined, then beat for another minute. You should have a completely smooth, uniform batter. Pour batter into prepared pan, smoothing the top.
- Bake in 350F oven for an hour and ten to an hour and fifteen minutes. Test with a wooden skewer for doneness.
- Cool for 20 minutes, then run a knife around the sides and center of the pan before carefully inverting onto a cooling rack. Allow to cool completely before serving.
SAM’S TIP: To test if your cake is finished, the best method is to use a long wooden skewer (like the kind used for shish-kebabs) as this batter is so thick that a toothpick just won’t cut it. Insert the skewer into your cake and check it for moist crumbs. If you have wet batter on your skewer, your cake needs to bake longer, but if there are a few moist crumbs then it’s time to pull that cake out of the oven! The cake is going to continue to bake while it cools, so if you pull out a completely clean skewer from your cake, it’s already at risk of being over-baked and dry, so you want to retrieve your cake from the oven before it hits that point.
Frequently Asked Questions
While this recipe was very deliberately developed to be moist, the most important thing when baking your pound cake is to make sure that you do NOT over-bake it. I recommend making sure your oven is not running hot (I keep two oven thermometers in my oven at all times just to make sure my oven display is telling me the truth) and then checking your cake earlier rather than later. Because of its thick batter and the sheer volume of batter, it’s going to take quite a while in the oven, probably an hour and ten to an hour and fifteen minutes. I check my cake at one hour and then return it to the oven in about 5-minute increments until it’s finished baking.
This cake was originally made with a pound each of butter, sugar, eggs, and flour, and so the name pound cake was born. Crazy stuff, huh? 😉
This pound cake should not overflow if prepared as written and baked in the proper-sized pan (indicated in the recipe card). I have found that some people have had their cakes overflow, and in each instance this has happened because they had substituted self rising flour, used 12 whole eggs, or added baking powder to the recipe. Please do not make any of these alterations.
Enjoy!
More Classic Cakes to Try:
Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook
The Perfect Pound Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups (455 g) unsalted butter softened
- 3 ½ cups (700 g) granulated sugar
- 6 large whole eggs¹
- 6 large egg yolks¹ (these 6 egg yolks are in addition to the 6 whole eggs listed above)
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 ½ cups (438 g) all-purpose (plain) flour²
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350F (175C) and generously grease (with shortening) and flour a 10 inch tube pan or 12 cup bundt pan. Shake out excess flour and set aside.
- Place your butter in a large bowl (this recipe makes a lot of batter! I recommend using a stand mixer if you have one) and use an electric mixer to beat the butter until it is creamy and smooth.2 cups (455 g) unsalted butter
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the sugar. Beat until the ingredients are well combined and light and fluffy (about 1-2 minutes).3 ½ cups (700 g) granulated sugar
- In a separate, medium-sized bowl, combine your eggs, additional egg yolks, vanilla extract, and salt.6 large whole eggs¹, 6 large egg yolks¹, 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon salt
- Use a fork to lightly beat the eggs and yolks until all egg yolks are broken up and salt and vanilla are incorporated.
- With mixer on low speed, slowly pour egg mixture into your batter, allowing it to gradually become incorporated (don’t pour all the egg mixture in at once, if you can’t manage a steady stream then add the egg mixture in about 6 parts, allowing each part to become well incorporated before adding more). Once all of the egg mixture is incorporated, pause to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, then increase speed to medium-high and beat for another 1-2 minutes.
- Reduce mixer speed to low and gradually, about ¼ cup at a time, add flour to the batter until all has been added.3 ½ cups (438 g) all-purpose (plain) flour²
- Scrape down the sides and bottom of bowl and stir again on medium speed until well-combined and beat for another minute.
- Spread batter evenly into prepared tube pan, use a spatula to smooth the surface of the batter.
- Transfer to 350F (175C) oven and bake in the center rack of your oven for an hour and ten to an hour and fifteen minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted in the center of the thickest part of the cake comes out clean or ideally with a few moist crumbs (do NOT over-bake this cake or it will be dry)
- Allow cake to cool for at least 20 minutes then run a knife around the sides of the tube pan and the center.
- Carefully invert pound cake onto a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before serving.
Notes
¹Eggs
A lot of people have had questions about how many eggs to use. You need a total of 12 eggs for this recipe BUT you are only going to be using 6 whole eggs and then another 6 egg yolks. Meaning you will be discarding 6 egg whites (or save them to make meringue cookies or my white cake).²Cake Flour
If you’d like, you can substitute cake flour. If measuring your flour by weight (which you really should be!) you can do a straight 1:1 substitute for cake flour. If measuring by cups you will need 3 ¾ cup + 2 Tablespoons of cake flour. This cake will turn out just as well; slightly softer, a smidge less dense, but still delicious. Just like with using all-purpose flour, you DO NOT need to add baking powder to this recipe if you use cake flour. Also worth noting: DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES USE SELF-RISING FLOUR.Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Lauren
Do you have any direction on how you would adjust the cooking time if baked in 8in rounds?
Thank you!
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Lauren! I personally have not tried baking this cake in 8″ so I do not have exact bake times for that size pan. I recommend keeping an eye on them while they bake. I hope that you enjoy the cake(s). 🙂
joyce
I halved the receipt and forgot to reduce the cook time! I checked on the cake at the one hour point and it was cooked. Probably ten minutes over cooked! Despite the Cake being over cooked the texture and taste is amazing! I will bake it again soon. Staying mindful of the cook time!
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you so much for trying my recipe, Joyce! Despite it being overcooked, I am happy that it tasted delicious. 🙂
Stephanie
This recipe is amazing! For sure not diet friendly but it’s incredible, thank you for sharing
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you enjoyed it, Stephanie! Thank you for trying my recipe and for commenting. 🙂
Aaliyah Wooten
Can I use coconut flour for this? What would be the measurements? <3
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Aaliyah! I personally have never tried using coconut flour in this recipe before therefore I can not provide you with any personal recommendations. Coconut flour does not have gluten in it so I am not sure how it will do. If you try it, let me know how it turns out.
Melody
Would a half recipe be enough for a loaf pan, or would it still be too much?
Sam
Hi Melody, half the recipe should fit in a standard loaf pan, but make sure you don’t fill it more than 2/3 of the way full. Enjoy!
Alisha M
I just put mine in a glass loaf pan in the oven. The top is getting a little too dark so I had to bump the temp down
PL
The same thing just happened to me. I wish I had done a cake pan.
Wednesday Andrews
Delightfully not diet friendly. The perfect cake for macerated strawberries and fresh whipped cream
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you for trying my recipe, Wednesday! I am so glad that you enjoyed it! 🙂
Jill
Hi, can I add cream cheese to the recipe?
Would I then use just 1 cup of butter if I’m using 8 oz of cream cheese?
Sam
Hi Jill! You would only use 1.5cups of butter then add the 8 oz of cream cheese. I do this often and it is delicious. 🙂
Hunter
Wow i cooked it and took my first bite the outside was like candy it melted in my mouth and had a fluffy inside really good recipe
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you enjoyed it, Hunter! Thanks for trying my recipe and for commenting. 🙂
Michael
I baked this for my mother in law and she loves it !!
Thank you for this wonderful recipe.
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed the pound cake so much, Michael! 🙂
Julie Goldston
I have fresh strawberries and have made a reduction to lessen the amount of liquid for baking. How can I alter this recipe to include the strawberry reduction to make a strawberry pound cake?
Sam
Ooh, that’s tricky! I’m concerned that the increased liquid could dry out the pound cake, make it too airy, or make it overflow in the pan. I can’t really advise without testing it myself, unfortunately, but if you experiment please let me know how it works for you!
Carla
What’s the difference between 6 large whole eggs and 6 egg yolks?
Sugar Spun Run
You need 1 full carton of eggs (1 dozen). You will add 6 whole eggs to the batter. Then, you will remove the egg whites from the 6 other eggs leaving just the yellow yolks. This recipe has a video where I walk you through my process that you may find helpful too. I hope that helps, Carla. 🙂
Eboni Perkins
What are your thoughts on silicone Bundt pans?
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Eboni! I have honestly never tried one! This recipe makes a ton of batter… I’d be afraid that it would tip over… but not certain.
Prue
This is the very best pound cake. My husband raves about it and I just put a second batch in the oven. I shared it with neighbors who were equally enthusiastic about it. Thank you!
Sugar Spun Run
That is wonderful to hear, Prue! I am so glad that everyone has enjoyed it! Thanks for commenting. 🙂
Ki
Omigosh! This is the best pound cake recipe! I followed the recipe to the T, with the exception of also adding 1 tbsp of almond extract and my cake turned out A-MA-ZING! Even my super picky hubby said I outdid myself! I’d searched and searched for a pound cake recipe and even watched a million videos and decided to go with this recipe and I’m glad I did! I read and followed all of the tips. I even purchased an oven thermometer. I’m glad I did because I found out that my oven runs 15 degrees hotter than the oven dial. I didn’t have a bundt pan but I did have a disposable aluminum foil 9×13 cake pan. I baked it for an hour and checked it with a skewer every 5 minutes afterwards. It took 1 hour and 10 minutes for it to bake. The cake is super delicious and moist! Thank you so much Sam for sharing the recipe and the many helpful tips!!
Sugar Spun Run
I am so happy that you choose my recipe to try and that it turned out perfectly for you, Ki! I am glad that you found the tips helpful as well. It’s amazing when you check your oven for accuracy how off they can be right?!!! I had the same issue when I tested my new oven too. You are now set for all future baking. Thanks again for commenting. I appreciate your feedback. 🙂
Cass
Hello, the cake looks amazing! As for the eggs, does the recipe actually call for 12 egg yolks + the whites?? To many eggs in proportion to the other
ingredients. Thank you again for your consideration!!!
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Cass! Yes, this recipe calls for 6 large whole eggs + 6 large egg yolks. Given the name, it calls for a pound of each of four ingredients — flour, butter, eggs, and sugar. 🙂
Ark
700 g sugar ! OmG..
Gabriela
It’s good but taste way too much like egg
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you for trying my recipe, Gabriela! I appreciate the feedback. 🙂
AJ
If I’m making just half the quantity, will it be enought to bake for 30-45 mins??
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, AJ! If you are cutting the recipe in half, it fits nicely into (1) 9″ loaf pan. Others who have tried it reported that it took approximately 1 hr 20 minutes to bake. I reccomend keeping an eye on it. Enjoy! 🙂
Tracy
Hi I’ve tried this recipe several times but the middle always seems to be a little under cooked. I’ve even tried baking at 325. The rest of the cake taste so good if only I can get the middle to comply. Any suggestions?
Sugar Spun Run
Hmmmm… it may just need a little longer in the oven. I wonder if your oven is running hotter than what is indicated? I recently purchased a new oven and after testing for accuracy, I found that it was running 15 degrees hotter than what was shown. Have you tested your oven recently, Tracy?
Tracy
Ok thanks I will look into that.👍🏽
Rosemary
I used your recipe for my very 1st CAKE last month and it was amazing. My family said my pound cake beat my mother’s. I was filled with so much joy. I decided to make another one this evening. This time I added sour cream and 1 teaspoon of lemon flavor. The batter was amazing. Waiting for the end results in an hour. My question is what do you do with the excess mixture? I used a blunt pan and a 6 cupcake pan and I still have enough for another cake.
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that your family loved the cake, Rosemary! Thank you so much for trying my recipe! I don’t usually have excess batter when I bake this cake. It makes enough batter to fill (1) 10″ tube pan or (2) 9″ x 4″ loaf pans. Your bundt pan might be on the smaller side. In that case, making cupcakes was the perfect solution. 🙂