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.
- Also do not over-mix the flour once it is added. Over mixing will activate the gluten, making for a tougher cake.
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
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
- 1/2 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 paddle attachment if using a stand mixer. Beat on medium high for 5 minutes.
- Scrape down sides of bowl. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla, then mix in the salt.
- With mixer on low, mix in half the flour, then all the cream, and then the rest of the flour. Scrape down bowl, and beat on medium high for 5 more minutes. 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 lower third of a cold oven. Set oven to 350º and bake 60-75 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean or with just a couple crumbs.
- Cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Remove from pan onto serving plate 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
83 Comments on “Best Pound Cake”
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!