Anyone can make pound cake – and everyone should, as often as possible. It has a short list of very basic ingredients, the technique is simple, and the batter takes less than 10 minutes to mix. But the best reason to make it: this Vanilla Pound Cake is moist and close-crumbed, not too sweet, an ideal foundation for layering on fruit or chocolate sauce, or ice cream, whipped cream or Crème Anglaise. And it’s just as perfect enjoyed perfectly plain.
Pound cake is a classic and I’m not revolutionizing it here. This Vanilla Pound Cake sticks pretty close to the standard, cream-cheese-based recipe used by Martha Stewart, Ina Garten and many others. I have incorporated lots of lessons learned, and tested and rejected a number of variations and substitutions other bakers have suggested. In case you’re curious, here are a few things not to do to pound cake in a misguided attempt at innovation:
- Don’t use cake flour in place of the all-purpose flour. It makes the pound cake dry and chalky.
- Don’t use sifted flour (sifted first and then measured using the spoon-and-level method). Do weigh your flour (see the FAQ on my About page for more on this subject.) (I have a major pet peeve about sifted flour – I’ve never understood why recipe developers would call for this when sifting is an imprecise process, yet using a precise quantity of flour is the single most important thing in baking. Just tell me exactly how much flour to use, preferably in grams, thank you. If sifting is crucial to remove lumps or blend ingredients, I’ll do it after I weigh, not before. And it’s not necessary for pound cake.)
- Don’t add baking powder. A true pound cake is leavened by the eggs and the air that you whip into the batter when you beat the butter, cream cheese and sugar together.
- Don’t add sour cream, milk, or other liquids. To compensate for these you’ll add more flour and probably baking powder for leavening, and now all of a sudden you’re not making pound cake anymore. It might come out fine, it’s just not pound cake.
- Don’t add lemon. OK, this one isn’t really a rule, it’s just my personal preference. I prefer vanilla – an assertive amount, with no competition from other flavors. I add a full tablespoon to this downsized recipe.
Speaking of downsizing, most pound cake recipes yield twice the volume of this one, making two loaves or a large Bundt cake. I find one loaf cake to be the perfect amount for my small household, so I like these proportions. But the recipe is easy to double if you have a larger crowd, or if you want to stash an extra cake in the freezer for later.
Making this ahead and what to do with leftovers:
- You can slice and serve this Vanilla Pound Cake as soon as it’s fully cooled, but it will be even better the next day. Wrap it well and keep it at room temperature, and it will stay fresh for at least 3 days.
- Freeze a whole cake for up to two months. I like to slice it before I freeze it, so I can thaw a couple of slices without having to thaw the whole loaf. A sliced cake will dry out faster than an uncut one, so use it within one month.
To make the dessert as shown in this post, first make the Crème Anglaise, then refer to this Strawberry Shortcake post for instructions for preparing the strawberries. No need to heat the pound cake, just slice it, pile on the strawberries, and drizzle with a generous amount of the sauce.
Vanilla Pound Cake
Ingredients
- 1½ cups (6 3/8 ounces or 180 grams) all-purpose flour, plus additional for the pan
- ½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt, or ¼ teaspoon Morton’s
- ¾ cup (12 tablespoons/171 grams) unsalted butter, preferably European-style, at room temperature, plus additional for the pan
- 4 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
- 1¼ cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
Directions
- Step 1 Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Butter and flour a standard (8½ x 4½-inch) loaf pan.
- Step 2 Combine the 1½ cups of flour and the salt in a small bowl and stir with a whisk to combine them.
- Step 3 Combine the butter, cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat the mixture on medium speed until very light and fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping down the bowl occasionally with a silicone spatula.
- Step 4 Add the eggs one a time, beating on medium speed just until each egg is combined into the mixture before adding the next one, and scraping the bowl in between eggs. Don’t overbeat at this stage. Add the vanilla and beat just until it’s incorporated. Scrape the bowl.
- Step 5 Add the flour mixture and beat on low speed until the flour is incorporated. Don’t overbeat, but do make sure that all the flour is thoroughly mixed in. Use the spatula to give the batter a good stir, including the batter at the very bottom of the bowl. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
- Step 6 Bake for 65 to 75 minutes, until a tester comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and cool the cake in the pan for 30 minutes, then carefully turn the cake out of the pan and let it cool completely before slicing or storing.
