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    Home » Desserts » Cakes and Cupcakes » Best Pound Cake Recipe

    Published: Oct 2, 2020 · Modified: Mar 13, 2021 by Kemi · This post may contain affiliate links

    Best Pound Cake Recipe

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    The best pound cake recipe that is slightly dense but moist, buttery, and delicious. It is also super easy to make and requires just 5 ingredients. Let me show you how to make lemon, orange, or vanilla pound cake from scratch.

    Slices of pound cake on a white plate.

    The classic pound cake is traditionally dense but not dry! It's buttery and delicious. It's perfect served with tea or coffee and it's a great dessert option served on its own or with some ice cream and syrup added.

    You can make this easy pound cake recipe vanilla, lemon, or orange-flavored. I have detailed what to do to get any of the 3 flavors so you can make whichever flavor you desire. 

    The moist pound cake is usually made using a loaf pan or bundt pan and I like making mine in a loaf pan just like I do with my popular madeira cake recipe.

    pound cake slices displayed on a plate.

    Why is it Called Pound Cake

    It's called pound cake because it's made with a pound measurement each of the ingredients i.e a pound of butter, pound of sugar, etc. It is not traditionally made with a rising agent and thus has a denser texture than the British Victoria Sponge Cake. 

    The difference between a pound cake and a regular cake is that it uses All-purpose flour (plain flour) while most regular cakes tend to use self raising flour (cake flour) or add baking powder to the plain flour. It also does not require milk.

    Pound Cake Recipe

    For this best pound cake recipe, you only need just 4 ingredients. You also don't need a lot of tools. The tools you'll need for making this include:

    Mixing bowl

    Electric mixer - Hand mixer or stand mixer. If you do not have any of this, you can use a wooden ladle to cream the butter.

    Spatula - To scrape down the ingredients from the sides of the bowl.

    Loaf pan or bundt pan

    Cake tester - You can use a wooden skewer.

    Cooling rack

    This pound cake recipe is simple, straightforward and you can't go wrong with it. So let me show you how to go about it.

    Ingredients

    The detailed ingredients list, directions, and video is in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post but do read the important notes and tips in the post before scrolling to the bottom.

    Butter- I personally like to use stork butter for my cakes. They are easily available in stores in the UK and specifically made for baking. It's salted. Whichever country you are be it the US, Canada, Australia, or any other parts of the world, use good quality butter.

    Sugar - Use granulated or caster sugar.

    Eggs

    Flour - I like to use a mix of plain and self-raising so the cake is not as dense. Half plain flour and half self raising flour are what I go for however, you can just use plain flour.

    Ingredients for the recipe diaplayed.

    How to Make Pound Cake

    Lightly grease the loaf tin and line with parchment (baking paper) then set aside.

    greased and baking paper lined loaf tin.

    Preheat the oven at a temperature of 160C (fan).

    Add butter and sugar in a mixing bowl then use an electric mixer to mix till the butter-sugar is light (pale) in color and fluffy. 

    butter and sugar in a mixing bowl.

    Add in the eggs and mix till it comes together with the butter-sugar mixture. 

    eggs added in the mixing bowl.

    Fold in the flour with the spatula and mix till the batter comes together then use the mixer briefly to mix (for about 30 seconds) till batter is smooth. 

    flour folded in with spatula.

    Pour the cake batter in the lined loaf tin then bake in the preheated oven at a temperature of 160C (fan) for 50 minutes. 

    cake batter poured in the loaf pan.

    When the time is up, test with a cake tester. If the tester inserted in the middle comes out clean, bring the cake out of the oven. If not continue baking and check for doneness at 5 minutes intervals. 

    the baked cake in loaf pan.

    When done, bring the loaf tin out of the oven, leave to rest for 3-5minutes then turn the cake onto a cooling rack and leave to cool. 

    When it has cooled, cut, serve, and enjoy.

    serving plates, cake and knife displayed.

    Lemon Pound Cake

    For lemon pound cake, use this same recipe but add the zest of a whole lemon and ¼ teaspoon of lemon extract in the cake batter at the time you add in the eggs then follow all other instructions as detailed above.

    Orange Pound Cake

    For orange pound cake, use the same recipe as described above but add the zest of a whole orange, and ¼ teaspoon of orange extract at the time you add the eggs in the butter-sugar mixture. Not only will your kitchen smell citrusy, but you will also enjoy moist, delicious cake.

    Vanilla Pound Cake

    To make it vanilla pound cake, add ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract the same time you add the eggs. Follow all other instructions, and tips as detailed in this post.

    How to Store

    Leave to cool then wrap tightly in clingfilm and foil then store on the countertop, in the fridge or freezer. It will last on the worktop for up to 3 days, in the fridge for up to 4 days, and in the freezer for up to 3 months. If stored in the fridge, when ready to eat, bring it out 30 minutes before time to eat to bring it to room temperature. 

    pound cake cut in a plate.

    Tips for making Pound Cake

    • If flour is lumpy or been stored for a while, sift it before use. This gives a lighter outcome.
    • Bring the eggs to room temperature before use. 
    • Break the eggs one by one in a separate bowl so if there's any bad one in the batch, it won't contaminate the good ones.
    • If you don't have parchment/baking paper, rub the cake pan with butter and lightly dust it with flour. 
    • Don't forget to preheat the oven.
    • Put the cake pan in the middle of the oven for the best heat distribution.
    • Don't open the oven in the first 30 minutes of baking as this might cause the cake to sink in the middle. You can open towards the end of baking time to check for doneness.
    • Do not over bake.
    The sliced cake in a white plate on top of more serving plates.

    Related Recipes on the blog

    Apple Cake 

    Lemon Cake

    Coconut cake

    Vanilla cupcakes 

    Instant pot cake

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    Slices of pound cake on a white plate.
    Print Recipe
    5 from 2 votes

    Best Pound Cake Recipe

    The best pound cake recipe. This traditional pound cake is soft, moist, buttery, and delicious. It is also super easy to make and requires just 5 ingredients. Let me show you how to make it from scratch.
    Prep Time35 mins
    Cook Time55 mins
    Total Time1 hr 30 mins
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: best pound cake recipe, easy pound cake recipe, how to make pound cake, pound cake, pound cake recipe
    Servings: 8
    Calories: 345kcal
    Author: Kemi

    Equipment

    • Oven
    • Mixing bowl
    • Mixer
    • Loaf tin

    Ingredients

    • 175 g Butter
    • 175 g Sugar
    • 3 Eggs
    • 175 g Flour

    Instructions

    • Lightly grease the loaf tin and line with parchment (baking paper) then set aside. Preheat the oven at a temperature of 160C (fan).
      greased and baking paper lined loaf tin.
    • Add butter and sugar in a mixing bowl then use an electric mixer to mix till the butter-sugar is light (pale) in color and fluffy. 
      butter and sugar in a mixing bowl.
    • Add in the eggs and mix till it comes together with the butter-sugar mixture. 
      eggs added in the mixing bowl.
    • Fold in the flour with the spatula and mix till the batter comes together then use the mixer briefly to mix (for about 30 seconds) till batter is smooth. 
      flour folded in with spatula.
    • Pour the cake batter in the lined loaf tin then bake in the preheated oven at a temperature of 160C (fan) for 50 minutes. When the time is up, test with a cake tester.
      If the tester inserted in the middle comes out clean, bring the cake out of the oven. If not continue baking and check for doneness at 5 minutes intervals. 
      cake batter poured in the loaf pan.
    • When done, bring the loaf tin out of the oven, leave to rest for 3-5minutes then turn the cake onto a cooling rack and leave to cool. When it has cooled, cut, serve, and enjoy.
      the baked cake in loaf pan.

    Notes

    How to Store
    Leave to cool then wrap tightly in clingfilm and foil then store on the countertop, in the fridge or freezer. It will last on the worktop for up to 3 days, in the fridge for up to 4 days, and in the freezer for up to 3 months. If stored in the fridge, when ready to eat, bring it out 30 minutes before time to eat to bring it to room temperature.
    Lemon Pound Cake
    use this same recipe but add the zest of a whole lemon in the cake batter at the time you add in the eggs then follow all other instructions as detailed above.
    Orange Pound Cake
    Use the same recipe as described above but add the zest of a whole orange at the time you add the eggs in the butter-sugar mixture.
    For Vanilla, add half a teaspoon of vanilla extract.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 345kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 108mg | Sodium: 180mg | Potassium: 51mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 636IU | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 1mg

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Margiemfon says

      August 10, 2022 at 7:02 pm

      Hello ma'am, good day,please can I use this recipe for fondantcake?

      Reply

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