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This soft, buttery pound cake recipe is perfect by itself or topped with fresh fruit. It bakes up great in a bundt pan or loaf pan too!
Perfect for brunching or afternoon tea, this pound cake recipe is a great addition to your dessert rotation. It’s a classic and rivals other delicious favorites like our Fresh Strawberry Cake and Funfetti Sheet Cake.
Table of Contents
Why I Love Pound Cake Recipe
A great pound cake recipe is a must-have in your recipe box. It’s great to top with macerated berries, icing, or just eat plain. I chose to eat it with fresh berries and my kiddo added a little Reese’s spread to his.
With only 8 easy to find, easy to use pantry ingredients, this recipe is super simple. A pound cake is hard to mess up!
Ingredients
The ingredients are all common pantry ingredients used in most cake recipes. Something magical happens when you mix them up the right way, and the result is this moist, buttery, rich vanilla pound cake!
- Butter
- Granulated Sugar
- Eggs
- Vanilla Extract
- All-Purpose Flour
- Baking Powder and Baking Soda
- Salt
- Milk
How to Make Pound Cake
We’ve got a great video for you to watch below with the printable recipe, but here are some general instructions for baking your cake.
Get a detailed list of ingredients & instructions in the recipe card below.
Combine ingredients for the batter. Mix together butter and sugar, then add vanilla and eggs. Separately mix together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and salt and pour them into the bowl, alternating a few times with the milk.
Pour into the pan. Generously grease and flour a 12-cup bundt pan, then pour in the batter.
Bake, rest, and release. Bake for about an hour, then remove from the oven and cool slightly before turning out onto a flat surface to release the cake from the pan.
FAQs
Store your cake at room temperature, in an airtight container. It should stay fresh for several days. Don’t refrigerate – it will dry out the cake.
As you might guess from the name, a pound cake is denser and heavier than a traditional cake. Because it’s so rich, it’s best served with light toppings, like berries and fresh whipped or a simple glaze.
What’s the Secret to a Good Pound Cake?
Bundt pans can make anything look pretty, no matter how plain it is. Though, there are a couple of important things to remember when using a bundt pan.
- Always grease generously and flour the pan. If you’re making a chocolate cake, you can use cocoa powder instead of flour too. I’ve tried the cooking spray with flour added and some of the sprays work and some don’t. My go-to is the Baker’s Joy baking spray.
- Let it cool. Let the freshly baked bundt cake cool for 5 minutes before turning it out onto a cake plate to give it a chance to release from the pan. After it’s turned upside down, let it rest for 5 minutes upside down in the pan before you start tapping the pan. If it comes out before the 5 minutes are up, that’s even better.
Recipe Variations
You can make different flavors of pound cake by adding extracts, zests, and fresh fruit.
- Lemon, lime, or orange – Instead of adding 1 tablespoon of vanilla, add 2 teaspoons of the flavored extract, 1 teaspoon of vanilla, and the zest of 1 lemon, lime, or orange.
- Blueberry, blackberry, or raspberry – Add 1 to 2 cups of fresh berries into a bowl with 1 tablespoon of flour. Stir to coat the berries and fold into the mixed batter before baking.
- Rum, maple, or caramel – Substitute the 1 tablespoon of vanilla with 2 teaspoons of flavored extract and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Add more or less extract depending on how you prefer it.
How to Freeze Cake
Cakes hold up really well in the freezer for up to 6 months if properly stored. Cool the cake completely and slice into individual pieces. Wrap each piece in plastic wrap or parchment paper and place in a freezer bag or airtight container. Thaw overnight and enjoy.
To freeze the entire pound cake as a whole cake, you will still want to wrap it as tightly as possible and place in a large airtight container.
More Cake Recipes
- Lemon Bundt Cake
- Cinnamon Apple Monkey Bread
- Chocolate Peppermint Crunch Bundt Cake
- Tropical Hawaiian Monkey Bread
- Cinnamon Apple Bundt Cake
Pound Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter room temperature
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup milk
- fresh berries for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a 12-cup bundt pan. Tap out any excess flour.
- In a large mixing bowl, add butter and sugar. Beat on medium with a hand mixer until creamed.
- Add the vanilla extract and the eggs one at a time. Beat each egg in before adding the next. Scrape the sides of the bowl.
- In a separate bowl, add in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine.
- Measure out the milk.
- Alternately add the flour and milk always starting and ending with the flour. I added the flour in 3 parts and the milk in 2 parts. Scrape down the sides and mix to combine.
- Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan. Spread it out evenly in the pan using a spatula.
- Place into the oven and bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Let cool for 5 minutes and turn out onto a cake plate. Let it rest for another 5 minutes. Tap the bundt pan with a knife to help loosen the cake from the pan.
- Garnish with fresh berries.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
This was my first time making this and it is DEFINITELY a keeper!! I used 3 tsp of lemon extract and 1 tsp of vanilla extract and it is delicious!! The cake is super moist and fluffy! I made it in a 12″ Bundt pan and it rose completely to the top!! You really need to make this cake!! Everyone just raced over it! My friend said she wants me to make this for her birthday!! Thank you for a wonderful recipe!!🥰🌟
You are so welcome Shari Lynn! Awesome feedback, thanks for stopping by.
I just wanted to try it
I like to bake so in going to try this recipe in my fryer see how it going to come out
Hi Dianne, we would love to see your feedback here in the comments. Thanks for stopping by.
The recipe came out great! Sadly, I didn’t have a bundt pan, and apparently I also don’t have any loaf pans. So I ended up making pound muffins instead. The cook time was half of the normal recipe, but they came out great! Everyone loved them, and they’re perfect for strawberry short cake!
That’s great that you were able to make it work for you!
I live in Denver, Colorado, 5,280 feet elevation.
What changes need to be made to the recipe for use at 5,280 feet elevation?
Thank you.
Hi, I found this great resource with the answers to your questions: https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/learn/resources/high-altitude-baking
This came out absolutely perfect!!! Will be my go-to recipe for sure.
I baked mine in a toaster oven, and it was done in just under an hour at 325.
Nice! Thank you so much for stopping Rebe.
I just made it in my toaster oven and it really tasted really nice. I had to make two pans one after the other and the second came out better than the first. Cause I had the first with more in the pan so it took about an hour. The second was like half the amount of the first and it was cooked about 49 minutes. So now I have one to eat with my breakfast and the other is in the freezer. The next time I make it I shall put a bit more lemon in it. Or better yet some limoncello whioh I made myself.
I tried it twice. The suggested oven temp was too low for me. It took the cake almost two hours to cook. I put the oven on 350 and it cooked in the time the recipe said it would. My family loves this cake. It only lasts about 3 days in my house.
I’m glad you were able to make it work for you! It works great for me at the temperature listed. Just keep in mind that ovens can vary. Have you ever tested the temp of yours? You can buy an oven thermometer for about $6 on Amazon to check.
Hi, I haven’t tested my oven’s temp. But I found if I preheat it like the recipe calls then turn it up to 400° then it cooks like it’s supposed to. I’ve made it so many times now and I find tweeting the temp makes it come out perfect. Thanks, I think I will invest in that thermometer!
Hi Sherri, That’s great – I’m glad you figured out what works for you!
did you use unsalted butter or salted?
I use salted butter
I made this cake for Thanksgiving dinner and there was not one drop left! I had to make another one for the house the next day! I substituted the milk with half-n-half. Delicious!!!
Nice! Thank you for dropping by Neicy.
I’ve sometimes substituted the milk with buttermilk, or evaporated milk. If I use evaporated milk I cut down on the sugar
I tried this recipe but i am not sure what went wrong. The result was not pleasing.
I’m sorry to hear that. I hope you’ll give it another try – we really love this recipe!
New favorite cake. And honestly, it tastes better the next day!!
Thank you L.
That is so true!
I wish I could give this recipe 200 stars!
Every time I would attempt making a cake from scratch it would turn into a complete disaster. Something always went wrong. But during Covid 19 I decided that this was one skill I had to perfect. I tried this recipe and the cake was perfect, bakery perfect to be exact. I was convinced it once a one time event. I have made this cake several times now and it cones out perfect each time!!! Even after I omitted the baking soda and baking powder (my husband’s tummy doesn’t tolerate both leavening agents). Thank you from the bottom of my heart for this awesome recipe!
With Love from
Nassau, Bahamas
Hi Sophia, Thank you for the review and the 5 stars! So glad you were able to make this recipe work for you. Stay safe!
Great recipe and it was a huge hit with my family. Making this for a second time and just about to take out of the oven. Smells amazing 🙂
Nice! Thanks for stopping by Angie.
A delicious poundcake recipe! I made it for a strawberry shortcake for my family and it got rave reviews. The outside was slightly crusty but not too thick and hard. Overall really light and delicious. I found that it only needed an hour, but be sure to follow the instructions for removing it from the pan because it was very effective. Thanks for a great recipe!
You are so welcome Helena! Thanks for stopping by.