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If you’re looking for a simple dessert that doesn’t require a lot of fussy ingredients but tastes like a million dollars, Easy Pound Cake is exactly what to make. Enjoy it plain, with a drizzle of chocolate sauce, or stacked with fresh berries and whipped cream to make shortcake.
The best Pound Cake recipe has a buttery vanilla flavor and a soft but tight crumb. It is somehow sturdy and light at the same time, it’s absolutely delicious.
I love that this classic pound cake is made in one bowl with just 5 minutes of prep time. Then pour the batter into a loaf pan and bake – like magic!
Serve it with berries and whipped cream, chocolate sauce, or salted caramel… so many ways to enjoy this easy dessert recipe.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Cake flour: This finely milled, bleached flour has a lower protein content (about 8%) than all-purpose flour. Making cakes with cake flour gives your desserts a soft, tender texture and an excellent crumb.
- Vanilla: Or substitute almond extract. See Recipe Tips and Variations for other flavor combinations to try.
Step-by-step instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9-inch by 5-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray, then line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt. In a second bowl or a large measuring cup, whisk together the sugar, melted butter (you can use unsalted butter if you prefer), eggs, and vanilla. Scrape down the sides of the bowl while mixing.
- Scrape into prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean with a few crumbs attached, about 55 to 60 minutes. Rotate the pan halfway through baking. Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and peel the parchment from the bottom of the cake. Cool completely on a wire rack before slicing. Dust with powdered sugar if desired.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This recipe makes 1 loaf of Easy Pound Cake, enough for 8 slices or so depending on how you cut them.
- Storage: Store wrapped at room temperature for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: Wrap in plastic wrap and transfer to a freezer bag. Label, date, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
- Serving suggestion: Pound Cake is delicious plain, but it’s heavenly when served with a mound of whipped cream and a pile of fresh strawberries (the pound cake version of Strawberry Shortcake).
- Mixer: If you prefer to use a standing mixer, start with your dry ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk your wet ingredients together separately, then add to the dry and combine on medium speed.
- Mini pound cakes: This recipe will also make 4 miniature pound cakes. Use four 2-cup mini loaf pans and reduce the baking time to 40 minutes.
- Lemon pound cake: Add 2 tablespoons grated lemon zest and 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice to the sugar before processing in Step 2.
- Orange pound cake: Add 1 tablespoon grated orange zest and 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice to the sugar before processing in Step 2.
- Ginger pound cake: Add 3 tablespoons minced crystallized ginger, 1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger, and ½ teaspoon mace to the sugar before processing in Step 2.
- Bundt cake: For a similar cake made in a bundt pan, try my Hot Milk Cake. It also has a light yet tight crumb and a delicious vanilla flavor.
Frequently Asked Questions
The secret is the butter. While cakes don’t actually contain a full pound of butter anymore (they used to), they are still made a lot of it and it gives pound cakes their signature buttery taste.
To produce a properly risen pound cake that doesn’t fall, make sure your leavening agent is fresh, not expired. We use baking powder in this recipe, but the same would apply to baking soda. Do not over-mix the cake batter either. Over-mixing can incorporate too much air which gives an artificial lift to the batter while it’s baking but ultimately, it might fall. Last, be sure to keep the oven door closed until the baking time is up. No peaking!
This easy pound cake recipe is made in a standard loaf pan, approximately 8 ½ inches by 4 ½ inches by 2 ½ inches.
Serving suggestions for pound cake
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Easy Pound Cake
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups cake flour (see note 1)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup butter melted (2 sticks)
- 4 large eggs at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract (see note 2)
- powdered sugar for dusting, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9-inch by 5-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray, then line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt. In a second bowl or a large measuring cup, whisk together the sugar, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla.
- Make a well in the dry ingredients and slowly pour in the wet ingredients, whisking constantly until most of the lumps are gone. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
- Bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean with a few crumbs attached, about 50 to 60 minutes. Rotate the pan halfway through baking.
- Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and peel the parchment from the bottom of the cake. Cool completely before slicing. Dust with powdered sugar if desired.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Cake flour: This finely milled, bleached flour has a lower protein content (about 8%) than all-purpose flour. Making cakes with cake flour gives your desserts a soft, tender texture and an excellent crumb.
- Vanilla: Or see Recipe Tips and Variations for other flavor combinations to try.
- Yield: This recipe makes 1 loaf of Easy Pound Cake, enough for 8 slices or so depending on how you cut them.
- Storage: Store wrapped at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
Do you think I can add some chocolate chips? Will I need to change the recipe if I do?
Hi Jeff, I haven’t tried it myself, but I don’t see why not. I would add around 1 cup, just so the load isn’t overloaded with chocolate chips. Please write back and let me know how it turns out! – Meggan
It was my first time making a pound cake and I wanted a recipe that didn’t require a mixer. This was very easy to make and it came out really good
I’m so glad you loved it, Jae! – Meggan
I tried to make it with a mixer because I had one lol I was worried I couldn’t get the butter and sugar fluffy. I can’t find the same recipe so I can’t remember if the flour goes in before or after the egg.
I am using this recipe for the 2nd time, I made only few adjustment to the quantity of eggs and added milk to mine. Overall, I think this is a great recipe. Thanks Megan!!
You’re welcome, Vickki! Thank you so much for your comment! – Meggan
Pound cake is one of my favorites! This truly is the easiest and most delicious pound cake recipe. I didn’t have cake flower but used AP Flour and replaced 3 TBSP of it with corn starch!
So glad you loved it, MM! Take care! – Meggan