I’m taking it back to basics today. You would think that with all the baking I do I would have a pound cake recipe stashed away, but I don’t. However, for many years my husband has raved about his step mom’s pound cake. Of course I had to seek out her recipe and find out what all the hype was about. (Plus I enjoy baking goodies that my husband loves.) I was not disappointed. This is the best pound cake I’ve ever had!
Pound Cake Recipe
(Makes 12 to 16 servings)
Ingredients:
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 pound (equivalent to 4 sticks) butter
- 3 cups white sugar
- 6 eggs
- 1 cup 2% milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Grease a 10 inch bundt pan and set it aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder. Set the dry ingredients aside.
- Cream together the butter and sugar.
- Mix in the eggs.
- Mix in half of the dry ingredients.
- Mix in the milk and vanilla extract.
- Mix in the remaining half of the dry ingredients.
- Pour the batter into the greased bundt pan and bake it for 70 to 75 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
Store it in an air tight container at room temperature or in a freezer friendly bag in the freezer.
I think that creaming the butter and sugar is a crucial step to baking a delicious pound cake like this one. First, make sure that the butter is at room temperature. In a pinch you can pop cold butter in the microwave for 15 to 30 seconds, just to take the chill out. Do NOT melt the butter even a little! (Creaming is impossible with melted butter. All you’ll end up with is a mess.)
Second, it will take a few minutes to cream the ingredients together. Patience is a virtue. The goal here is to have a bowl full of light and fluffy goodness. The pockets of air will help whip air into the cake batter, which will help it rise as it bakes. (You’ll see what I mean when you see the final pics.)
As a heads up, the batter will be very thick (thicker than normal cake batter). (Sorry that the lighting isn’t good in these prep pictures. I made it at night.)
“There’s a hole in this cake.” Okay, I had to get that out of my system. I’ll never look at bundt cakes the same way after seeing My Big Fat Greek Wedding.
This pound cake is sheer perfection. It’s wonderfully dense, but not heavy. It’s full of yummy buttery goodness. You’ll love this… just don’t tell your nutritionist.
Remember how I mentioned getting fun air pockets in the cake from the creaming process? Check it out. Gorgeous!
As I mentioned earlier, I made this pound cake at night. My dad was coming over the next day to help with some household chores with my husband and I knew my two favorite men would be anxious for breakfast. Yes, pound cake for breakfast. 😉
Well, it is a classic pound cake. It’s nothing fancy, just basic deliciousness. Even though my dad and husband said it looked great as is, I couldn’t leave it alone. Powdered sugar to the rescue! You know how I love that stuff. I mean, just look at this beauty!
Two plain pieces, one for each of my men and the pretty piece for me. 🙂
The original concept behind a pound cake was to make the recipe easy to remember. It really was literally a pound of sugar, a pound of flour, a pound of butter, and a pound of eggs back in the day. Can you see where it gets its name?
Everyone needs a great pound cake recipe for a couple reasons. First, who doesn’t like a buttery vanilla cake? Second, you probably have all the ingredients already in stock to whip it up.
By the way, I realize that I’m posting a very unhealthy (but tasty) recipe after I complained the other day about wanting to lose weight. Thankfully I only had one piece. (I had to taste test it for good measures, of course.) I gave the rest to my dad to bring home with him. He enjoyed several breakfasts of pound cake and coffee. 🙂
Source: New Recipes from Moosewood Restaurant
Here are some other great cake recipes.
I love a good pound cake – dense but not too heavy. This looks perfect! I would love a slice with coffee or tea : ) Sometimes basic baked goods are the best!
I totally agree! Have a lovely weekend Ashley. 🙂
Sometimes ya just need the cake! Pound cake is perfect and yours looks nothing less! You must teach me your baking skills!
You’re too kind! I wish we lived closer so that we could bake together. 🙂
I love a good pound cake and yours looks terrific!! Adding this to my ever growing baking list!
Awesome! Thanks so much. 🙂
You can never go wrong with a good poundcake! Yum! Especially love it in the summer topped with some fresh, juicy strawberries and whipped cream. Ooohhh, how I long for summer, haha!
I totally agree! That sounds lovely and refreshing…hurry, summer. 😉
I love going back to the basics! You really can’t beat a brilliant pound cake – yours looks amazing!
Thanks so much!
I think taking it back to basics is a great idea. Sometimes, we get so wrapped up in coming up with something unique and original, we forget how good the basic and classic recipes are! I love a good pound cake – so this is a fantastic post. Pinned!
Completely agree! Thanks so much! 🙂
I’ve never made a pound cake before. I love this going back to basics!! Thanks for the detail prep tutorial. I’m pinning to come back to this recipe later!! It looks so delicious and moist!
Awesome sauce! 🙂
There’s nothing better than a basic pound cake. Can’t wait to give this one a try 🙂
Definitely! I hope you love this one as much as we do. 🙂
Well, even if you don’t have a full recipe box full of pound cake recipes, I’d still think you were the pro of all pound cakes! This recipe rocks! Pound cake happens to be (one of) my weaknesses! Pinning onto my Gain a Pound Cake board… get it?! Always lands in the muffin top area though! hehe
Haha, love that! You are hysterical…and truly awesome. 🙂
love the texture and density of the pound cake!
Thank you! 🙂
Yum!! I haven’t had pound cake in forever and after seeing this, I think that has to change ASAP. I’m thinking it’s kind of dangerous that I always have these ingredients on hand in the kitchen! This looks great. 🙂
Hehe, good one! Thanks so much for stopping by. 🙂
Oh man, I freaking LOVE poundcake! So soft and tender, and BUTTERY!
Same page! 🙂
This cake looks so soft, I’d love a piece (and then go back for a few more!).
It’s like potato chips…you can’t just have one small slice. Secondsies and thirdsies, please. 🙂
Have a lovely week Pamela!
Wow!! This looks so moist and delicious!! Looks like you found a great recipe! I hope that you have a great week 🙂
Thanks so much! You too have a wonderful week. 🙂
This looks like a perfect pound cake!! What a great basic recipe. Tried and true family recipes are the best!
Absolutely agree! 🙂
Sometimes classics are the best! This pound cake looks wonderfully dense and buttery. If only it was tomorrow’s breakfast! ;–) x
Sadly I have no more left so I wish it was for today’s breakfast too! 😉
Have a lovely week Consuelo!
Everyone needs a few basic recipes in their repertoire! I love how simple this cake is. And now dense it is with those few gorgeous air pockets from the creaming process!
Thanks so much Faith! 🙂
I love a good old-fashioned pound cake. When I was a child my grandmother always had pound cake at her house when we went to visit. I love the dense texture and buttery taste. Yours looks perfect!
What wonderful memories! 🙂
I love pound cake! Add a little jam, maybe toast it a bit, and you have the breakfast of champions! Your family knows what’s up. 🙂
Lol! My family is pretty cool. 😉
You read my mind…I love toasting a piece and adding cream cheese and jam!! 🙂
This reminds me that I haven’t had a good pound cake in FOREVER! So simple and so good.
Definitely simple and good! 🙂
I need some of that pound cake now! It’s been a long time since I made pound cake and this looks like the perfect recipe! I love how dense and heavy it looks!
Thanks so much! 🙂
I love good old fashioned pound cake and yours looks incredible Tina! Love all that buttery goodness in here, I would probably be able to polish off a good half of this by myself hehe. Pinning and can’t wait to give this recipe a try 🙂
Thanks so much Kelly! I hope you love it as much as we do. 🙂
This pound cake looks just about perfect! I love pound cake with fresh strawberries and whip cream. yum!
That sounds so refreshing! 🙂
I bake alot during late summer & fall for a charity sale I have. I have recipes & have baked several different kind of lb. cakes. I’ve never been completely happy with these cakes, because they rise, then kinda “settle” some & never end up as high as I want. Flavor isn’t the problem. But I want my cake to “stand up”!! Can’t wait to try this cake. Thank you!
Hi Jan! I hope you love it as much as me and my family. 🙂