Best Pound Cake Recipe

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.

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.

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.

How to Make Pound Cake

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

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. 

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

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. 

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. 

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.

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. 

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.

Related Recipes on the blog

Apple Cake 

Lemon Cake

Coconut cake

Vanilla cupcakes 

Instant pot cake

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