Vanilla Pound Cake is a classic recipe that’s sweet, dense, and incredibly EASY to make with simple ingredients and bakes in only 60 minutes!
Cakes can be intimidating to bake but pound cakes and loaf cakes are much easier and quicker and this pound cake is a close second favorite to our all time favorite Easy Banana Bread.
VANILLA POUND CAKE
Vanilla Pound Cake is a classic recipe dating all the way back to the 18th century, made with butter, sugar, all purpose flour, and eggs. This recipe is an updated version, including wholesome milk and a splash of vanilla extract, plus some baking powder and salt to improve the texture of the cake.
I love making this pound cake recipe on the weekends because it’s great for brunch or to serve with coffee when you’re having friends and family over. I’ve also made this replacing the vanilla extract with orange extract and a dusting of powdered sugar and a teaspoon of orange zest on top.
HOW DID POUND CAKE GET ITS NAME?
Pound Cake has been around for hundreds of years, and is originally named for its ingredients, as the cake called for a pound each of eggs, granulated sugar, butter, and all purpose flour. Now recipes don’t always call for a pound of each and vary regionally, but you’ll still find the name being used for a dense sweet cake.
HOW TO MAKE VANILLA POUND CAKE MOIST
If your pound cake is turning out too dry, try replacing the milk with buttermilk. The acid in the buttermilk works with the gluten to produce a softer texture in the cake. You can also add sour cream or cream cheese to soften up the pound cake, depending on which recipe you’re using. It’s not technically a classic pound cake with these ingredients, but it’s more like the modern version.
WHAT CAN YOU ADD TO POUND CAKE?
- Chocolate chips
- Pecans with a maple glaze
- Walnuts
- Orange zest
- Cinnamon
- Cream cheese
HOW LONG IS POUND CAKE GOOD FOR?
Pound cake will keep at room temperature tightly sealed for 3-4 days. I don’t usually recommend putting cake in the refrigerator, but pound cake won’t go stale as quickly due to the density of the cake.
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CAN YOU FREEZE POUND CAKE?
Pound cake is perfect for making ahead and freezing and will keep in the freezer for about 3 months. I like to make a few loaves of this pound cake recipe at once, then cut into slices and freeze individual portion sizes. Just make sure to wrap each slice tightly in plastic wrap, then aluminum foil to keep any air out.
MORE DESSERT CAKE RECIPES
- Easy Strawberry Shortcake
- Rainbow Poke Cake with Whipped Cream
- Gingerbread Cheesecake
- Triple Chocolate Bundt Cake
- Chocolate Molten Lava Cakes (5 Ingredients, 1 Bowl!)
TIPS FOR MAKING THIS POUND CAKE RECIPE
- Once completely cooled, top this pound cake with powdered sugar or glaze.
- Bring your ingredients to room temperature. When mixing the butter and sugar together, wait until they look light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, to make sure enough air has been incorporated. This is a critical part of this pound cake recipe, so be patient here.
- Be careful not to over-mix your dough at the end, or the cake may turn out too dense.
- Don’t remove the pound cake from the loaf pan immediately. You want to let the cake cool about halfway, at least 10 minutes, before flipping it out of the pan and letting it come to room temperature.
- You can also make this pound cake recipe in a bundt pan if you want something more decorative. Butter and flour the bundt pan before pouring the cake batter in.
- Top the finished cake with fresh strawberries and whipped cream, or 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon and a drizzle of honey, or a dusting of confectioners sugar.
- Use butter and flour to grease your pan, not cooking spray, which may prevent the cake from fully rising.
- Use a toothpick to check the doneness of your cake. If it comes out clean, the cake is ready. If it starts browning around the edges, it is over-baked and your cake will lose a lot of moistness.
Vanilla Pound Cake
Vanilla Pound Cake is a classic recipe that's sweet, dense, and incredibly EASY to make with simple ingredients and bakes in only 60 minutes!
Ingredients
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 4 large eggs
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- 2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and flour and butter an 8x4 inch loaf pan.
To a stand mixer add the butter and sugar on high speed and beat until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- On medium speed add in the vanilla and the eggs one at a time, then the milk until fully combined.
Add in the flour, baking powder and salt until just combined then pour into the loaf pan and bake for 60 minutes.
Recipe Notes
Note: click on times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer while cooking.
can you make this without a stand mixer too? like, with a handheld mixer? thanks!
Of course 🙂
Whoever thinks this recipe is too dry is not doing it properly and must be over baking it. It came out great for me and one cup of sugar was plenty 🙂
Thanks, Bonnie.
We were disappointed with this pound cake, it looked beautiful when it came out of the oven but was dry and not much flavor and the outside was crustier than pound cakes should be, with all the butter I would’ve thought it would be moist. Also I think it needed more sugar. Sorry!
I only have a 9×5 loaf pan. What would be the difference I’m cook time/temp if I used it?
You’ll want to increase the baking temperature to 375 and it’ll take less time.
Just tried out this recipe today & it is really good! Is not too sweet which is really great ?? Got to try it for yourself!! Definitely great for a high tea/afternoon snack or even breakfast ?
Hi, instead of loaf pan, can I bake as pound cake cupcakes? What would be the baking time?
I haven’t tried it but I don’t see why not. I’d recommend baking at 350 for 20-23 minutes. Good luck!
Hi, Just a suggestion, it would be better if you give in grams rather than mentioning measurements in Tablespoons and cups as these may not give exact amount of ingredients when someone else try to make it as their cups and tbs may different from yours.
Personally I think this recipe does not use enough sugar. 1 cup is not enough for pound cake. I upped it to 2 cups and it still wasn’t enough.
Seriously, two cups of sugar to two cups of flour? LOL
i tried this recipe and added some chia seeds, cloves, ginger, nutmeg and cinnoman. It was very delicious, soft on the inside with a great crust. My family loved it!!!
What size loaf pan is used for this recipe?
8×4 loaf pan 🙂
Good Morning, I plan on making this pound cake over the weekend and was wondering what kind of loaf pan do you use: glass, light non-stick, dark non-stock, ceramic, or stoneware? I know the oven temperature may need to change along with baking time depending on the type of loaf pan used.
Thank you
I used stoneware 🙂 Enjoy!
I made this yesterday it was beautiful and delicious. Thank you so much for this recipe. It’s easy to follow. Though I didn’t use butter, I used oil instead but it was delicious ??
This was my first ever pound cake from scratch. It’s just yummy and do perfect. But hubby thinks it’s a bit dry. Would you suggest I should add some vegetable oil to this and how much if I do?
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Pound cake is more dense than other cakes but make sure not to over mix the batter, bake it too long in the oven, and ensure that the flour is measured correctly. All these things can lead to a drier cake. Next time, swap out the milk for buttermilk. You can also try adding 1/4 cup sour cream. Hope this helps for next time.
First time I made this was the best and now idk what I keep doing different! These last few times now the top started to rise and crack too much. I opt to use the non-stock spray to help my loaf not rise too much.
Also, when you say not to over mix it.. how much should I mix then ? Should I still see the powder or stop mixing as soon as I stop seeing flour particles ?
Yes, stop mixing as soon as you stop seeing flour particles.