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Classic Pound Cake Recipe (loaf or bundt!)

4.41
/5
1 hr 15 mins
6 Comments
Jump to Recipe Video
By: Rachel GurkPosted: 03/26/2021Updated: 06/30/2021

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

Cake with fruit and whipped cream, text overlay reads "the best classic pound cake, rachelcooks.com"
Cake with fruit and whipped cream, text overlay reads "the best classic pound cake, rachelcooks.com"
Cake with fruit and whipped cream, text overlay reads "the best classic pound cake, rachelcooks.com"
Cake with fruit and whipped cream, text overlay reads "the best classic pound cake, rachelcooks.com"

Rich, dense, and buttery, this pound cake recipe is a classic dessert that is so delicious as is, but beyond wonderful combined with fruit, whipped cream, or any other topping you dream up!

Recipe Overview

Why you’ll love it: Pound cake is so versatile and takes everyday ingredients.

How long it takes: 1 hour, 15 minutes (includes cooling time)
Equipment you’ll need: loaf pan, parchment paper, oven, electric mixer, mixing bowl
Servings: 9 slices

Pound cake slices stacked with fruit and berries.
Table of Contents
open
  • 1 Recipe Overview
  • 2 About this recipe
  • 3 What you need
  • 4 How To Make This Cake
  • 5 Tips for a perfect pound cake
  • 6 FAQs
  • 7 Make It your own
  • 8 Storage Suggestions And Freezer Tips
  • 9 Leftover Love
  • 10 More cake recipes
  • 11 Get the Recipe: Classic Pound Cake Recipe

Classic pound cake doesn’t really need to be dressed up. Try a slice of pound cake while it’s still slightly warm and you’ll see what I mean. Dense, sweet, with a nice moist crumb, the flavor is rich and wonderful. 

But there’s no denying that adding a bit of fresh fruit (strawberries! raspberries! peaches!) and a dollop of whipped cream to pound cake really makes a smashingly good dessert. Ice cream or yogurt, hot fudge, caramel sauce, all make great toppings, too. Lemon curd is wonderful with pound cake. Or try strawberry sauce or blueberry sauce.

Drizzle the top of the cake with icing or soak it with flavored simple syrup. Really the possibilities are only limited by your imagination! 

Slices of cake in a loaf format.

About this recipe

While pound cake sounds relatively simple, there are a few tricks to making a perfect old fashioned pound cake. Keep reading for some tips that may help you out.

Please don’t be scared off by the list of tips. If you’re like me, you’re not necessarily looking for THE PERFECT POUND CAKE, but you’d like a cake that is presentable and tastes great. Let me assure you, you won’t have a problem!

Cake slices on a white background.

What you need

  • Unsalted Butter: If you use salted, keep in mind you may want to decrease or eliminate the added salt in the recipe. The butter needs to be at room temperature.
  • Sugar: Good ol’ granulated sugar is what you need.
  • Eggs: Use large eggs, and make sure they’re also at room temperature. Here’s a tip for bringing eggs to room temperature quickly if you forgot to get them out of the fridge ahead of time.
  • Flour: All-purpose is best for a classic style cake.
  • Pure Vanilla Extract: This will give the cake so much great flavor!
  • Salt: To balance out the sweetness.
  • Nutmeg: This is optional but we love the je ne sais quoi it adds. (I just showed off a little. That little French phrase means “a pleasing quality that’s hard to describe.”)
Overhead view of ingredients: butter, eggs, flour, sugar, vanilla, and nutmeg.

How To Make This Cake

It’s not a difficult cake to make. The ingredients are simple. If you look in your pantry and fridge, you’ll probably discover you already have everything you need to make a pound cake.

Get out your electric mixer, a large bowl, and a loaf pan. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line the loaf pan with parchment paper, then spray it with nonstick cooking spray. It isn’t essential to use the parchment paper but it does make it easier to to lift the cake out of the pan neatly.

Loaf pan lined with parchment paper.

Beat the butter and sugar together until the mixture is light and fluffy, at least 4 minutes. Don’t skimp on the beating time.

Butter and sugar beaten together, with vanilla extract added.

Add vanilla and then add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. The eggs should be well incorporated. 

Egg added to butter and sugar.

Add the flour, nutmeg, and salt gradually until just combined, scraping down sides as needed. The batter will be very thick.

Batter in a clear glass mixing bowl.

Scrape the batter into the pan, smoothing out the top. 

Unbaked pound cake in loaf pan.

Bake for 50-55 minutes. How will you know when the cake is done? The top and the sides of the cake will be golden brown, there will most likely be a deep crack in the center, and a toothpick inserted in the center will come out clean.

Cake, sliced. Fresh strawberries scattered around.

Tips for a perfect pound cake

  • Every ingredient should be at room temperature, including the eggs.
  • Always lightly spoon the flour into a measuring cup. Scooping the flour right from the canister or bag results in compacted flour, or too much flour. 
  • Soften the butter, don’t melt it or use it rock hard. Leave it out of the refrigerator overnight if you plan to bake first thing in the morning. 
  • Don’t skimp on beating the butter and sugar. It’s better to go a little too long than not long enough.
  • Add the eggs one at a time, allowing about half a minute per egg. Beat just until the mixture looks smooth, not curdled, with no yellow yolk still showing.
  • Slowly fold in the flour. There’s no need to beat the batter with the flour. 
  • Cool for at least ten minutes before removing from the pan. Don’t try to hurry it or the cake may crack while you’re trying to move it.

FAQs

Why do they call it pound cake?

Way back in the 1700s, a traditional pound cake was made of only four ingredients: butter, sugar, eggs, and flour. The measurement for each ingredient was exactly one pound each, or 16 ounces. I guess really it should be called “four pound cake”!
Recipes vary today by region and by individual cooks but many cooks, particularly from Southern United States, still use this traditional recipe.

How many eggs are in a pound? What is 1 pound of sugar in cups?

For a pound of eggs, you’ll need eight or nine large eggs, depending somewhat on the size of the eggs. A pound of sugar is 2 cups.

Why is my pound cake so heavy?

If your cake is heavy or too dense, it could be that the butter and sugar were not beaten long enough. Beat for four minutes or until the mixture is light and fluffy. Make sure you add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the flour slowly, incorporating it into the batter as you go. Your cake should turn out just perfect!

Stacked slices of cake with fruit and whipped cream.

Make It your own

  • For a Bundt cake, double all the ingredients and use a well-greased 10 cup Bundt pan. Bake for 55 minutes.
  • Omit the vanilla and nutmeg for a more traditional pound cake.
Close up of a bite of cake.

Storage Suggestions And Freezer Tips

Pound cake wrapped in plastic wrap or in a sealed container will keep at room temperature for three days or in the fridge for a week. However, you’ll find that the cake has better texture at room temperature.

You’ll be glad to know that pound cake freezes beautifully. It’s so nice to have in the freezer for a quick dessert, especially if you pre-slice it. Wrap it really well and it can be frozen for up to six months. Thaw the cake on the counter. Do not heat or microwave a pound cake in an attempt to thaw it more quickly. 

Leftover Love

Want to do something fun with leftover cake? Try this Pound Cake French Toast! Or use pound cake instead of angel food cake to make a Strawberry Trifle.

Cake slices with berries and whipped cream.

More cake recipes

Simple or fancy, frosted or plain, cakes are always a hit! Try one of these sure-to-please cake recipes:

  • Apple Spice Cake with Bourbon Glaze (or leave the glaze off, it’s really great both ways)
  • Pumpkin Poke Cake 
  • Coffee Cake Recipe with Streusel
  • Peach Coffee Cake Recipe
  • Rhubarb and Nutmeg Cake
  • Flourless Mexican Hot Chocolate Cake
  • Cranberry Coffee Cake with Orange and Cardamom
  • Banana Chocolate Chip Cake with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
  • White Layer Cake with Lemon Filling and Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
  • Easiest Double Chocolate Pecan Cake
  • Clementine Vanilla Bean Yogurt Cake

Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!

Pound cake layered with berries and whipped cream.
Recipe

Get the Recipe: Classic Pound Cake Recipe

4.41 from 22 votes
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 55 mins
Additional Time: 10 mins
Total Time: 1 hr 15 mins
9 servings
Print Rate Recipe
Prevent your screen from going dark
Rich, dense, and buttery, this pound cake recipe is a classic dessert that is so delicious as is, but beyond wonderful combined with fruit, whipped cream, or any other topping you dream up!

Ingredients

  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 4 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional)

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350ºF. 
  • Line a loaf pan with parchment, leaving an overhang on the sides, and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
  • With an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add vanilla. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
  • Add flour and salt gradually until just combined, scraping down sides as needed.
  • Scrape batter into prepared pan, smoothing out top.
  • Bake for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  • Cool on rack in pan for 10 minutes. Remove cake from pan and cool completely.

Notes

  • Bundt Cake Directions: Double all the ingredients and use a well-greased 10 cup Bundt pan. Bake for 55 minutes. Let cool at least 10 minutes before removing cake from pan.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1slice, Calories: 198kcal, Carbohydrates: 37g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 86mg, Sodium: 101mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 22g

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.

© Author: Rachel Gurk
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  1. PL says

    January 15, 2023 at 7:05 pm

    I have several loaf pans and they are all different sizes. What size should I use?

    Reply
    • Rachel Gurk says

      January 17, 2023 at 9:37 pm

      An 8-inch or a 9-inch loaf pan will work for this recipe. :)

      Reply
  2. denise says

    March 27, 2021 at 1:26 am

    yummy classic

    Reply
    • Rachel Gurk says

      March 30, 2021 at 8:49 am

      For sure!

      Reply
    • Nancy says

      June 18, 2022 at 10:48 pm

      5 stars
      I have tried another recipe a few times and couldn’t get what I wanted from a pound cake…. I used this recipe for the first time and I didn’t even have to taste it and I knew it was right.

      Reply
      • Rachel Gurk says

        June 20, 2022 at 11:59 am

        That’s the best compliment! Glad you liked it!

        Reply

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