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.
Jules
Hi! Can not WAIT to make this for Strawberry season!!! My question is, I want to make mini bundt cakes (it’s a tray of 6!). What do you reccomend for adjustments on time and temp? Thanks!!!
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Jules! Since I do not have the same pan and have not tried it myself, I can not provide you with an exact bake time. I would keep the bake time the same and just keeping an eye on them. I hope that they turn out well and pair perfectly with your fresh strawberries and whipped cream! 🙂
Jeannine Simmons
I made this for Mother’s day. I submitted vanilla for almond. It came out wonderful. I will definitely be making this again. My boys loved it. Thank You.
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that it turned out well and everyone enjoyed it, Jeannine! Thank you for trying my recipe and for commenting. 🙂
Cheryl
Hi! Will a metal skewer work to test if the cake is done?
Sam
Hi Cheryl! I don’t think the metal will hold onto batter like wood will so I’m not sure it would work. 🙁
Rebekah
I’ve done make this recipe 10 times & it’s been delicious everytime I’ve made it💖 Thanks For sharing🥰 I’ve even made some cupcakes out of the batter with some homemade cream cheese lemon juice & powder sugar & butter😍😩
Sam
I am so happy to hear this, Rebekah! Thank you so much for commenting! <3
Aish
Hi! I was wondering if I have to bake the cake right away, would it be okay to put it in the fridge or store it overnight and then bake it in the morning.
Sam
Hi Aish! I recommend baking right away, though I imagine it would be fine if stored overnight in the fridge, just cover tightly with plastic wrap.
Charis
Hello! I’m going to try to make this recipe tomorrow for mother’s day, and all I have are loaf pans– how would you recommend switching up the measurements?
Sam
Hi Charis! You will need 2 loaf pans. Do not fill either more than 2/3 – 3/4 full and discard any excess batter you may have. 🙂
Crystal
I made the cake today, for tomorrow. What is the best way to store it overnight, without it drying out?
Sam
Let it cool and then store in an airtight container or wrap well with plastic wrap. Keep at room temperature. Enjoy! 🙂
Anggie
Hi.. I followed your recipe but in half recipe in a loaf pan with temperature 175 C for 45 mins.
However in 30 mins the outside get crusty but the inside still wet batter.
At 45 mins the inside still slightly wet and the outside is brown and dry.
Any tips for better result?
Sam
Hi Anggie! I would loosely tent the top with foil if it seems it is browning too quickly. I hope that helps!
Anggie
Thank you will tried again next week. I found the half recipe is too sweet, should I go with 300 gr or 250 gr of sugar?
And I’m using convection oven, What is the best temperature and baking time for half recipe?
Sam
It’s honestly a matter of personal preference, I would say 250g wouldn’t be sweet enough, but I tend to like my desserts on the sweeter side. I also do not bake with a convection oven so I really cannot say for sure what differences should be, but if you do try it I would love to know how it works for you.
Amy
I followed the recipe, making 1/2 the recipe exactly. It was too sweet, but that is an easy remedy. It was buttery and dense. Too dense for us. I didn’t want the light consistency of a cake, but something in between. I’ll keep looking for that perfect recipe with the consistency I want in a pound cake.
Sam
I’m sorry to hear it wasn’t a hit for you, Amy, it is a dense & buttery cake. I have a bundt cake coming soon that you might prefer; it’s lighter than the pound cake but more dense than classic vanilla cake.
Amy
Thank you…I look forward to trying your new recipe for the bundt cake!
Susan Baez
Hi can I make this in a jelly roll pan?😊
Sam
Hi Susan! This recipe would probably need three jelly roll pans if not more to hold all of the batter. So long as you don’t over-fill the pans it will work 🙂
danielle sida
Does this recipe require any raising agent because it says to use all purpose but I’m from UK and all we have is plain flour and the cake flour, I’ve read that you take plain flour and remove two TBS and add 2 TBS cornflour?
Sam
Hi Danielle! This is a dense cake so no leavening agents necessary. I would use plain flour for this recipe. Enjoy! 🙂
Julia
Husband was only able to find jumbo eggs, and it looks like every one of them has a double yolk! Do you think that we could just use 6 eggs (or less, since they’re jumbo, and the recipe calls for large), and with the yolks doubled, that would work fine?
Sam
Hi Julia! Hmm, that’s a good question! I *think* that should work just fine, but would love to hear how it turns out for you!
Aaliyah
I heard that using coconut flour asorbs moisture so I’m goin to use normal flour instead, will this recipe come out good in cupcake tins? Also do you know if it would taste good with butter cream frosting?
Sam
Hi Aaliyah! It should be fine in cupcake tins just keep in mind that it will make a lot of cupcakes and I would not fill more than 2/3-3/4 full. It’s a bit sweet for buttercream frosting but that’s really a matter of personal preference. Enjoy!
Christine Ho
Excited to try this recipe but if I halve it, can I just use 3 large whole eggs, or is it necessary to have the additional 3 large egg yolks too? What do those additional egg yolks do? I wouldn’t know what to do with the excess egg white!
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Christine! Pound cake got its name because it called for a pound of each of four ingredients — flour, butter, eggs, and sugar. If you were to halve this recipe, you will need to halve all the ingredients listed. So you will need 3 whole eggs & 3 eggs yolks. The eggs create structure and stability within a batter. The extra egg yolk adds moisture and helps the cake from being dense. As for the remaining eggs whites you can cook those or use them in another recipe (suggestion: meringue cookies). I hope that answered your questions and that you enjoy your cake if you try it! 🙂
Christine Ho
Thank you so much for explaining it helps alot! If I want my cake to be REALLY dense (as in thightly packed crumbs so it basically doesn’t bend if sliced, but still soft and smooth to the bite) should I exclude a few egg yolks?
Sugar Spun Run
You are welcome, Christine! No, I would still half the recipe using 3 whole eggs & 3 yolks. This will achieve what you are after. 🙂
Diane
I did 1/2 this recipe today and put the batter in a 6” springform pan lined with parchment.
My plan is to make a mini, layered, toasted coconut cake. I prefer the dense texture of a pound cake over the lighter, fluffier kind.
My question is how long should I bake it? I set the timer to start checking it at 45 minutes.
Sugar Spun Run
I have not tried it in those exact size pans before so you will want to keep an eye on it. I would start checking at 30 minutes. 🙂
April
Can’t wait to try this recipe. Can you use or have you used sour cream in this recipe before? And instead of shortening and flour can you use the baking cooking spray with flour in it?
Thanks
Sugar Spun Run
I am excited for you to try this recipe too, April. I tested this recipe using so many variables and substitutions before I published it. Sour cream I am sure was in the mix. The best results were the ones I published so I recommend the ingredients listed. As for preparing your pan, the cooking spray will work just fine. I hope that you enjoy the cake. 🙂