Prepare a deliciously rich and moist snack cake with just a little prep! This Pound Cake recipe is so easy and will be your new go-to for mornings with a cup of coffee, or a simple dessert for brunch, luncheons, or any occasion.
Serve a slice of pound cake with fresh berries, homemade whipped cream, or some delicious raspberry sauce!
Moist, tender, and rich, who doesn’t love pound cake? It’s a classic dessert that should be a part of any home cook’s recipe binder. Every bite you eat is dense and indulgent with flavors of sweet vanilla and almond. This pound cake recipe is so easy that even the most inexperienced baker won’t have any problems making it. We love it so much – a freshly baked loaf doesn’t last long in our house!
Why is it Called Pound Cake?
Pound cake dates back to the 1700s. It originally got its name because the recipe called for a pound of each main ingredient: 1 pound of flour, 1 pound of sugar, 1 pound of butter, and 1 pound of eggs! I suppose back then, people had like 15 kids so they needed enough cake to feed an army. Today, the recipe has been scaled down to accommodate smaller, more realistic sized families.
Pound Cake Recipe
This easy pound cake calls for pretty basic ingredients, but the results are a scrumptious crumb that you can’t get enough of! Here’s what you’ll need:
- Butter: Butter is the base of pound cake. Use unsalted butter, so the cake doesn’t end up too salty.
- Eggs: Eggs provide structure. You can’t make pound cake without eggs.
- Cream Cheese: Cream cheese is one of the ways to make pound cake moist. Dry pound cake is the worst.
- Sour Cream: Added sour cream is another way to prevent the cake from being dry, plus a hint of tanginess.
- Sugar: For sweetness and to properly cream together the butter and cream cheese. Remember, this is a dessert cake!
- Cake Flour: For best results, use cake flour. It’s lighter than all-purpose flour and produces the most soft, tender, and delicate crumb.
- Baking Powder: Gives the cake light lift.
- Salt: Boosts the other flavors.
- Vanilla extract: A little bit of vanilla extract enhances all the other ingredients.
- Almond extract: Just a bit of almond extract takes the flavor of this cake from wonderful to exceptional!
How to Make Pound Cake
Making pound cake is not complicated at all, but there are a few tips to ensure perfection.
*Don’t miss the complete printable recipe card and video tutorial below.
- Butter and flour the loaf pan: by doing this, the cake will have a quick release once cooled and not stick to the pan.
- Spoon and level the flour: this ensures the cake isn’t like a brick!
- Wet ingredients should be room temperature: the butter, cream cheese, sour cream, and eggs should all be room temperature before starting. This allows everything to incorporate better and trap air, which expands while baking. The end result is a fluffier baked good.
- Don’t over-mix: Over-mixing will make the cake too dense and tough.
- Remove air bubbles: Once the batter is poured into the pan, bang it on the counter once or twice to bring up any air bubbles.
- Bake at a lower temperature: This cake recipe bakes at 325 degrees F, not 350. Baking at a slightly lower temperature allows the pound cake to bake from within and to develop that nice characteristic cracked top.
- Tent with foil halfway through bake time: Loosely tent the pan with foil halfway through bake time to ensure the surface does not over-brown.
- Cool in the pan: allow the baked cake to cool in the pan for at least 1 hour before transferring it to a rack to cool completely.
How to Store Pound Cake
Any pound cake that isn’t eaten needs to be covered tightly with plastic wrap and stored in the refrigerator.
- How long does Pound Cake last? When stored properly, it will keep up to 5 days.
- Can you freeze Pound Cake? Yep. Wrap baked and cooled pound cake in 1-2 layers of plastic wrap, then a layer of aluminum foil, and transfer to a freezer-safe bag. It can stay frozen for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature before slicing and serving.
Pound Cake Video
Other Cake Recipes to Try
Whether it’s for a birthday, a party, Sunday brunch, or just because, cake is the perfect dessert! Here are some other cakes to try:
I hope you love this delicious and easy recipe – be sure to give it a review below! Also don’t forget to follow Belly Full on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube!
Perfect Pound Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter , softened to room temperature
- 4 ounces full-fat cream cheese , softened to room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons sour cream , at room temperature
- 3 large eggs , at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 1/2 cups cake flour , spoon & leveled
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F (not 350°F.) Generously butter and flour a standard 9×5 loaf pan (making sure to get butter in all the corner grooves and discard any excess flour.)
- Using a handheld mixer (or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment), beat the butter on high speed until smooth and creamy, 1-2 minutes. Scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the cream cheese and beat until completely smooth and combined, about 1 minute. Add the sugar and beat until combined, about 1 minute. Then add the sour cream, vanilla extract, and almond extract and beat until combined and creamy. Scrape down the bowl again.
- On low speed, beat the eggs in 1 at a time allowing each to fully incorporate before adding the next. (Careful not to over-mix after the eggs have been added.) Once the 3rd egg is combined, add in the cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat on medium speed just until combined. (Do not over-mix.) Using a rubber spatula, give the batter a final turn to make sure there are no lumps at the bottom of the bowl. The batter will be a thick and very creamy.
- Pour batter evenly into the prepared pan. Bang the pan on the counter once or twice to bring up any air bubbles. Bake for approximately 75 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (Loosely tent the pan with foil halfway through bake time to ensure the surface does not over-brown.)
- Remove cake from the oven and allow to cool for 1 hour inside the pan. Then invert from pan and transfer to a wire rack or serving dish to cool completely.
- Slice and serve with optional toppings like homemade whipped cream & fresh berries.
- NOTE: don't miss the tips in the article to ensure you end up with perfect pound cake!
Video
Nutrition
Other Notes
First time making pound cake and this was perfect.
Fantastic pound cake! My oven required it to go the full 75 minutes. It turned out perfectly.
This truly was PERFECT pound cake! Perfect texture and taste – we loved it!
What sugar substitute, such as Stevia, Coconut sugar or another, have you found works as a white sugar slternative?
Without further recipe testing, we can’t vouch for the results using sugar substitutes, sorry!