Best Pound Cake
A couple of tricks like using cream, cake flour, and alternating the wet and dry ingredients make this the Best Pound Cake Recipe you’ll ever taste! Dense and moist, with a fine crumb, it’s an amazing staple for your dessert repertoire.
The pound cake got its name from the simple proportions used to make the batter. British in origin, the first recipes called for a pound each of butter, sugar, eggs, and flour. I’m not sure what my ingredients weigh, but I guarantee this Whipping Cream Pound Cake is scrumptious!
Why You Must Make
I made my first pound cake for Junior High Home-Ec after browsing my mother’s cookbooks and spotting an easy recipe. Even though I forgot the vanilla, my teacher admired the wonderful taste and texture. And I learned that I could bake! Years later I found this easy pound cake recipe in Gourmet magazine. I promise that it’s the BEST!
- It’s Elvis’ favorite pound cake! So it’s a tried and true recipe that’s been around for decades.
- A vanilla pound cake is a perfect way to showcase fresh seasonal berries, ice cream, whipped cream, and more!
- It’s dense, buttery, and delicious. Just look at the perfect, dense crumb.
Reader Endorsement:
From Jacqueline on Pinterest: Awesome! This cake is the BOOM BAM BOOM! I have branded myself as a baker with this recipe.
Ingredient Notes:
- Kitchen staples: Sugar, Butter, Vanilla Extract, Salt – Check your supply
- Eggs (you’ll need 7!) – Have them at Room temperature for the best incorporation into the batter
- Cake Flour – find this in the baking aisle in a box. PRO-Tip: You can make your own cake flour by substituting 2 tablespoons of each cup of flour with 2 tablespoons of corn starch. This decreases the amount of gluten in the flour making it more suitable for tender cakes.
- Heavy Cream – One of the unique ingredients in this pound cake. It should have 36% butterfat content.
Elvis Presley’s Best Pound Cake Recipe
When Epicurious became my primary recipe resource about 2 decades ago, I discovered Elvis’ Favorite Pound Cake. Cream and cake flour gives it a marvelous crumb.
With all the fabulous seasonal berries, it is a wonderful spring and summer dessert. Try it with a sauce made of frozen raspberries in the winter or with a dusting of powdered sugar and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Make sure to bake up this cake for your next gathering but take note that it’s delicious any time of year. You won’t be disappointed. Plus, it’s got Elvis’ endorsement!
Expert Tips
As with most cakes, there are a few universal tips, like having your eggs and butter at room temperature. But some other pointers are a little different for making a perfect pound cake.
Mixing the Batter
- PRO-Tip: Start with room temperature ingredients. You can set the eggs, butter and cream out on the counter about an hour before mixing. On occasion, I will hurry along the process by putting my eggs into a bowl of warm water.
- Using room temperature ingredients will help increase the volume of the batter.
- PRO-Tip: Use the paddle attachment to beat the butter and sugar. This will ensure a velvety batter without incorporating a lot of air. This assists in giving the pound cake the dense crumb for which it’s known.
- Like with a cheesecake, you only want to beat the eggs until they’re just incorporated. Do not over mix.
- Use cake flour for a finer, more delicate crumb. Sifting three times lightens it up even more.
- PRO-Tip: Also do not over-mix the flour once it is added. Over-mixing will activate the gluten, making for a tougher cake. As long as you’re using the paddle attachment and do not max out the speed, you will be OK.
Baking the Cake
- Grease and flour your tube pan or use a non-stick flour and oil spray like Baker’s Joy.
- PRO-Tip: Do not use a 2-piece angel food cake pan as the batter will spill out of the bottom as it bakes.
- PRO-Tip: This recipe calls for starting the cake in a cold oven. I’m not a chemist, but this may be because it will delay the leaveners from forming carbon dioxide. CO2 is responsible for making air bubbles and therefore creating a lighter, airy cake. This step is unique to some pound cake recipes.
- Most pound cakes take an hour or more in the oven. Be patient. Insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. It should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs when the cake is done.
- Let the pound cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes before gently shaking it from side to side, then flipping it out onto the cooling rack to finish cooling.
Storing Your Cake
- Keep your pound cake covered at room temperature for up to 3-4 days.
- To store any longer than 4 days, cover with plastic wrap, then heavy-duty (or regular) foil, and freeze.
Frequently Asked Questions
You’ll need a tube pan, which looks like a tire from above. The opening in the middle helps the cake to bake evenly instead of having the outside fully baked and the middle raw. But do not use a two-piece angel food cake pan, which has a removable bottom. When the batter is poured in and placed in the oven, there will be leakage out of the seams where the two components meet. This will make a mess in your oven.
Scroll down to see a link to the nonstick tube pan I use. Note that you can also use a Bundt pan to bake this cake or divide the batter between loaf pans, decreasing the baking time.
The culinary term Pound Cake came from the original measurements which called for a pound each of butter, sugar, eggs, and flour.
Pound cake freezes very well. Just wrap your cake so that it’s airtight and freeze up to 3 months. I wrap first with plastic wrap, then aluminum foil. This gives a double dose of protection from freezer burn. Make sure to mark the date on the outside of the packaging so you can use it while it’s at its prime.
You May Also Like
- Million Dollar Pound Cake from Melissa’s Southern Style Kitchen
- Sour Cream Pound Cake
- Strawberry Pound Cake
- Streusel Pound Cake
- Lemon Pound Cake
- More of my Best Cake Recipes
- More of my Best Dessert Recipes
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Best Pound Cake Recipe
Elvis' favorite pound cake recipe. Adapted from Gourmet Magazine.
Ingredients
- 2 sticks (1 cup) butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing the pan
- 3 cups sugar
- 7 eggs, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 cups cake flour, sifted twice
- 1 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Butter and flour (or use a flour and oil cooking spray like Baker's Joy) a 10-inch tube or Bundt pan (do not use a 2-piece angel food cake pan).
- Cream butter and sugar, using a paddle attachment if using a stand mixer. Beat on medium-high for 5 minutes.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla, then mix in the salt.
- With the mixer on low, mix in half the flour, then all the cream, and then the rest of the flour. Scrape down the bowl, and beat on medium-high for 5 more minutes. The batter will be satiny.
- Pour the batter into your prepared pan. Drop the pan onto the counter once or twice to remove air bubbles. Place in the lower third of a cold oven.
- Set oven to 350º and bake for 60-75 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with just a couple of crumbs.
- Cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Remove from the pan onto a serving plate or cooling rack and cool completely.
Notes
I have also baked half a batch using 3½ eggs (estimating the volume of a half of a large egg), and baked in a loaf pan for 45 minutes.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1 sliceAmount Per Serving: Calories: 564Total Fat: 26gSaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 171mgSodium: 257mgCarbohydrates: 78gFiber: 1gSugar: 51gProtein: 7g
89 Comments on “Best Pound Cake”
Hi, you have advised to not overmix after adding the flour, but then you suggest to mix it for 5 mins after adding the remaining flour. Does that not amount to over mixing? Please clarify. Thank you.
Yes, this is confusing! As long as you have a paddle attachment, you can beat for the 5 minutes. If you only have a whisk attachment, you need to be more careful since you want a dense cake and whipping with the whisk attachment for too long can incorporate excess air. I will rewrite to clarify. Hope you enjoy this cake!
Hi , I love definitely your recipe , I had made it twice and is delicious , I was going to make it again but I realised it says not to Isra an angel food pan , why is that ? Thank you !
Hi, Pauline! Many angel food pans are made of two pieces that fit together. There is the chance that the batter will leak out of the bottom and make a mess in your oven if you use one. If your pan is one piece, it will work fine or you can wrap your 2 piece pan in foil to minimize any batter escaping from the pan. I hope that helps and am glad you enjoy this recipe 🙂
A must try
Holiday season cakes plus plus
Yes, it’s a tasty, versatile recipe to have in your repertoire, Drucilla! Thank you!!!
Checking on the sugar/flour ratio. I always used 3 cups sugar to 4 cups flour for my pound cakes. Do you think if I decreased it to 2.5 it would mess up the crumb?
Hi, Carolyn, Great question and I wish I had a definitive answer for you. I wouldn’t think that the relatively small percentage decrease would make a huge difference. FYI the King Arthur Flour website does mention that with a 25% reduction of sugar, their tests with pound cake came out drier, but the cake was still sweet enough and no mention that the crumb was altered. So you’ll have to let me know if you give it a try—fingers crossed for you!
My Grandmother baked delicious pound cakes, I never could master these until I tried this recipe! It is a melt in your mouth taste of scrumptious butter and vanilla pound cake. This will forever be my “go-to” when I want pound cake! The tips were wonderful and I followed the recipe exactly. This is the bomb!
I’m so, so glad to hear this, Julia!! Thank you for the kind words!!
It looks delicious. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Looks amazing! My grandmother used to make a pound cake and decorate it with jello and strawberries, it was my favorite cake growing up.
Amalia
xo
You read my mind, Liz. I’m working on a menu for a dear friend’s birthday and thought that an individual trifle version of strawberry shortcake would be fun. Guess what I was missing? Just the right recipe for pound cake and now this! Thank you so much – it looks perfect and your recipes are always spot on.
I wouldn’t say a pound cake is my favourite (It’s a bit too simple to my liking.), but this looks and sounds wonderful – such beautiful texture! I actually love a slice of toasted or even grilled pound cake, with some fruit (like grilled pinapple) – this really elevates it to a totally new level!
I wouldn’t say a pound cake is my favourite type of cake (It’s a bit too simple to my liking.), but this looks and sounds wonderful – such beautiful texture! I actually love a slice of toasted or even grilled pound cake, with some fruit (like grilled pinapple) – this really elevates it to a totally new level!
If I could choose only one cake, it would be pound cake! I have no doubt your title is 100% accurate Liz, wish I had a piece right now:@)
That’s perfectly perfect pound cake! The crumb looks the BEST!
Do you use salted butter or unsalted butter
I use salted butter, Debbie. I’ve decreased the salt in the recipe to accommodate for the salt in the butter.
I’ve found that the color is more golden and the texture is lighter when baked on 300 degrees.
It also looks great in the large fluted Nordic pan.
It’s a great recipe.
Thanks, Kevin! I haven’t tried changing the baking temperature, but next time I’ll give it a whirl! So glad you are a fan, too.
Frank and I love Pound Cake and your recipe is a winner Liz! Thank you for posting and what a great photo to entice!
I just made my very first pound cake ever, using your recipe. My boyfriend was saying It is his favorite cake and since I love to bake I searched pinterest and your recipe looked so good. The aroma in my home right now is heavenly ! I dont have a stand mixer or bundt pan so I used a hand mixer with the 2 beaters and 2 loaf pans as you had suggested. I will definately be making this again! Thank you so much!
Wonderful, Judy!! It’s a cake you’ll make again and again. Hope you both enjoy!!!
This has become my “go-to” pound cake. The outside crunches like a cookie, while the inside is like eating a cloud! I’ve received so many compliments on this cake! For me, a light dusting of confectioner’s sugar is all it needs. It’s great alone, or with fresh berries, a dollop of whip cream, or both. Thank you so much for sharing this!!! About to make another one now!!!????
Oh, I’m so glad to hear this! It’s a winner and happy you are a fan, too.
Can self rising flour be used? I’ve just seen that I am down to only TWO cups of all purpose flour!
Hi, Jennie,
Since the self rising flour has baking powder in addition to the flour, I’m concerned the extra leavening could mess up the dense texture of the pound cake by making it rise more than it should. You could make half a batch with AP flout and bake it in a loaf pan. If you end up trying it, let me know how it goes!
Greetings from Johannesburg, South Africa. When I searched for a pound cake recipe, I chose yours because of the very full details you gave. The very first attempt was a success, as were the many subsequent bakes (2-3 times a month). I thought I should send some gratitude your way. I’ve also tried it with just 2 cups sugar and it suits my family’s taste just fine!
Hi, Zimbili, Thanks so much for your kind note. I’m so happy this recipe has become a regular for you! And I appreciate you taking the time to let me know. Happy baking!! xo
Greetings from Johannesburg, South Africa. Having made it a few times this year I thought I should send some gratitude your way. I’ve also tried it with just 2 cups sugar and it comes out just fine!
Can this be turned into a lemon pound cake by adding lemon juice & zest?
I haven’t tested with this recipe, but I think it should work. I’d add 3-4 tablespoons of lemon zest and 4 teaspoons of lemon juice. I have a lemon loaf pound cake and doubled the amounts used in that recipe. Let me know how it goes if you give it a try!
For your reference:
Hi I’m using salted butter should I omit the salt?
Nope, you’ll be fine. I always use salted butter and reduce the salt if I’m adapting someone else’s recipe. Hope you enjoy this cake, Jo!
When do you add the salt. Did not see it in the instructions.
Thanks.
Hi, Nancy! Add salt right after the vanilla. Thanks for catching that omission. I’ll edit the post. 🙂
Nothing more lovely than the simplicity of pound cake.
So simple, but such a great cake!
This is the most perfect pound cake ever!
The crumb on this pound cake is a dream. Perfect in every way!
Perfection! I want a big slice!
We are big fans of your pillowy and sweet pound cake. So good.
I can’t believe this is made from scratch, it looks SO perfect. Wowza!
This looks like the best pound cake ever!! ♥
If I’m using a 9×13 pan how long would the baking time be. I’m using this pan so that when I cut the cake into cubes for my trifle it will look somewhat even.
Thank you!
If I bake this in a 9X13 pan how long should I bake it for. I am making a trifle dessert using pound cake and would like the cake to cut fairly evenly for looks!
Thank you.
Hi, Wendy,
I’d bake it for 45-60 minutes. Just make sure to check the center with a toothpick (which should come out clean) and tap the center with your finger to make sure it pops back up to see if it’s bake through to the middle. Also when you start smelling a yummy aroma, go ahead and check it at that time in case it bakes faster than you expect. I have not made it in a 9 x 13, but it should work. Your pan will be pretty full, so feel free not to use all the batter (3/4 full would be a good amount) so it doesn’t overflow. Good luck! Please let me know how it goes and I can make a note in the recipe 🙂
I just made this cake – made it in 2 loaf pans and it turned out beautiful. Delicious to eat and beautiful to look at.
And it was quite easy to make. I broiled it at the end to brown the top. And it was picture perfect.
Thank you for sharing the recipe.
This will now be my ‘go to’ pound cake recipe.
I’m so glad you love this recipe, too, Fatima. It’s my absolute favorite pound cake!
Question for ya ,
Your two sticks of butter are those 1/2 cup sticks each ( so 1 cup total)
And if you do the smaller loaf pan version with less eggs is it less butter too or any less of other ingredients? Thanks !
Hi, Kaitlin,
Yes, you’re exactly right! 2 sticks of butter equals 1 cup.
And to make this recipe in a loaf pan, I cut all the ingredients in half. I just mentioned that I divided one egg in half (by whisking it and measuring out half as best I could) as baking requires more precise measurements than cooking—-so it’s better to use a half egg vs. 3 or 4. Hope this helps!
This is the 1st time I’ve seen a cake recipe that bakes with cold oven. What is the rationale behind this?
Lola, I’ll need to google to figure that out! I’ve been making this recipe for years as the original recipe stated—-so never wanted to mess with a good thing! Hope you’ll give it a try.
Liz, you’ve done it again! Another delicious dessert recipe. This is such a lovely cake and perfect for topping with pieces of fresh fruit.
I love pound cake, definitely need to try this!
This is the absolute BEST pound cake recipe. Full and dense (in a great way!) I’ve tried others but were not up to par at all. Even though there’s three cups of sugar in this cake, it’s surprisingly not teeth-achingly sweet. Definitely my go to recipe now, thank you for sharing 🙂
I’m so glad, Cristin!! Happy Holidays!!!
Christmas is not Christmas without a pound cake this one looks easy. I made it tonight. Can’t wait to cut it so I can see what it looks like inside. The cake looks really good on the outside with no cracks. Can’t cut it until it’s cool. Let you know how it look and taste when I do cut it.
I hope you LOVE it, Audery! Merry Christmas!!
can I substituent low carb flours instead of cake flour?
Hi, Marjorie,
I have no experience using low-carb flours so I’d hate to give you any advice. From what little I know, I don’t think I’d risk it since often the liquids need to be adjusted. Sorry I can’t be of more help!
hello Liz what kind of pan you use cause an regular angle food pan look like that cake will run out I have the kind where the center come out will that do
Hi, Robin,
I use a one piece non-stick tube pan like this one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009EYIUK?ie=UTF8 (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009EYIUK?ie=UTF8) You’re right, the batter would run out of a regular angel food cake pan. If you have any sort of large Bundt pan that could work, too. Or a couple loaf pans. Hope you enjoy!!
My cake cracked do you know if there is a reason this could have happened?
Hi, Jackie,
Though I haven’t had that problem, apparently it’s not unusual for pound cakes to crack. But some suggestions to prevent cracks include having all your ingredients at room temperature, not overmixing, and making sure your oven isn’t too hot (invest in an oven thermometer if you don’t have one). Hope this helps!
Thank you. Could I make the pound cake in a bread pan as well?
Hi, Jackie! Yes, I have made this in 2 loaf pans. Just adjust baking time to approximately 45 minutes (exact time will depend on your oven, so just check it with a toothpick at about 40 minutes and bake longer if needed). I’ve also made just half a batch—but you will only need 3 1/2 eggs. For the half egg, I whisk one egg and try to approximate half the volume. Or just make two and freeze one for later. Hope this helps!
My daughter is a real foody and thought this cake was great. Wants me to make it in a loaf pan so she can have more crust surface. Very easy to make too. 5 stars for me.
I’ve made it in loaf pans, too! So glad you enjoyed and reported back. Thank you, Patricia!!!
Do you think a 9.5 pan would be too small abd overflow? Also, would this freeze well? Thank you!!
Hi, Alexandra,
Just to be safe, why don’t you hold back some of the batter. You can always put it in one of two ramekins or a muffin tin for some cupcakes. And, yes, it would freeze nicely! Hope you enjoy!
Thank you so much for the reply!
Hello this pound cake looks beautiful! My question is can we use less sugar in pound cake recipe? would that effect the cake?
I’ve never tried less sugar, but I think you could use a bit less. Drastically reducing the amount would most likely mess up the baking chemistry. It’s called a pound cake as the formula used to be a pound of sugar, flour, butter and eggs. Let me know how it works if you do end up making it with less sugar 🙂
I know Liz,you are right about the pound ratio but I just dont like that much sugar..And I love pound cakes 😀 Thank you very much!
this looks amazing!!!!!!! trying this today !!
This really does look amazing- Need to whip it up!
Mmmmm. I love pound cake. This looks sooo good (and dense). Thanks for sharing.
This amazes me on how perfect the cake looks inside you are the queen when it comes to baking love this. Mine seems to never come out so smooth …beautiful!
sir what about baking powder or baking soda? u didnt add them?plz reply.
This recipe doesn’t call for either leavening agent. The eggs will suffice. Hope you try it!
Wow, this pound cake looks amazing, thanks for sharing;-)
Citra, so nice to see you here…thanks for your kind words!
Hai Lizzy… I agree.. it’s a best pound cake! looks great ! I should try it sometimes ^_^
Thx for stopping by to my page
~citra~
Gosh, it’s only 4 days till you and Mary Beth have the big birthday! Cocoa brownies are a good choice…especially with some premium vanilla ice cream. Early happy birthday, Ann! Miss you, too!!!
Wow Liz, I have never seen such a perfect looking pound cake~!! Yum~!!!
Loves to Miss Lambeau~!
This looks so good and came out perfect. My DH loves pound cake with a glass of milk, he could eat that all day. I’m going to try and make this for him maybe this weekend…….I need him to do some things so this will butter him up.
Lambeau must have got cold with the A/C on, thats what my dogs would do, venture outside to get some sun after the freezing cold A/C in the house. Thanks for sharing your recipe and great pics Liz.
MMMmmmmmmmm Lizzie this looks wonderful. I will give this recipe a try once it cools off enough for me to use my oven!