Pound Cake Recipe

There’s nothing better than a slice of warm pound cake fresh from the oven.

This easy and delicious  pound cake recipe has long been a southern staple and is one of my personal favorites!! If you're looking for a wonderful go-to pound cake, you've come to the right place!

Whether you are new to baking, or have been baking up sweets for years, you are going to fall in love with this simple, flavorful pound cake.

We have so many delicious variations as well, from Cream Cheese Pound Cake to Strawberry Pound Cake and so many more!

Why is Pound Cake Called a Pound Cake?

Have you ever wondered where Pound Cake gets its name? I’m going to give you some fun trivia. You never know when this information might come in handy ;0)

Pound cake first originated in 18th century Europe. The original classic recipe was a delicious, easy cake recipe that called for a pound of each ingredient: a pound of flour, a pound of butter, a pound of eggs, and a pound of sugar.  

Pound Cake Variations

These days, pound cakes have been modified from the original recipe proportions, often in favor of a lighter more buttery cake. However, they still incorporate all of the same simple ingredients (plus a few extras here and there).

You can find pound cake in just about every flavor, from lemon pound cake to strawberry pound cake, and everything in between.

The simplicity of these classic pound cake recipes (not to mention the amazing flavor) will ensure their popularity for years to come. Everyone loves a good pound cake–and as an added bonus, no frosting or cake decorating skills are required!

The Pound Cake recipe that I am sharing with you today was my grandmother’s recipe, and is our long time go-to recipe for our pound cake cravings.

It is simple, has a nice even crumb, is super moist, and it has so much flavor!

We’ve been making this cake for years for special occasions or for no occasion at all. This easy pound cake recipe is sure to become a favorite- sometimes the simplest recipes are best!

Enjoy your slice of pound cake just as it is, or dressed up with fresh berries and ice cream or a simple glaze. If you like a hint of lemon, I highly recommend adding a little lemon extract. We always do!

How to Make a Pound cake from Scratch

*You can find our full, printable recipe card for this Pound Cake Recipe- but here is a quick rundown of the steps!

• Grease and flour a tube pan or bundt pan.

• Lower the oven rack to the next to lowest position. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

• In a separate bowl whisk the all purpose flour and baking powder to combine, set aside for later.

• Cream the softened unsalted butter in the mixing bowl of a stand mixer (using a paddle attachment). Gradually add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy 3 to 5 minutes. Add the room temperature eggs one at a time blending after each to incorporate.

• Add the vanilla extract and lemon extract to the 1 cup of milk. Add the flour mixture alternately with the milk to the butter, sugar, egg mixture. Begin and end with the dry ingredients. I add the dry 3 times and milk twice.

• Pour the cake batter into prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow the pound cake to cool for about 10 minutes or so before carefully flipping out onto a wire rack.

Easy Vanilla Glaze

After baking our pound cake, we drizzled it with a Simple Vanilla Glaze.

This quick glaze can be whipped up in minutes, and I just love the look!

You can drizzle it by the spoonful, or pipe it through a disposable piping bag with the tip snipped away. (The piping bag will give you a little more control).

Can Pound Cake be Frozen?

Yes! Not only is a slice of buttery pound cake amazing fresh from the oven, these cakes can be wrapped and frozen for weeks or even months at a time!

Perfect for those days when unexpected guests pop in, or when you just need a little something sweet to go with your coffee or tea (or a giant slice for breakfast..I won't tell!)

How to Freeze Pound Cake: *In order to freeze your pound cakes, flip out the cake onto your cake board, wrap in plastic wrap and follow with a tightly wrapped layer of foil. Freeze. (By the way, I like to wrap my cakes while they are still warm.)

When you are ready to thaw the cake, keep the pound cake wrapped and place on the countertop until condensation forms on the foil. Then unwrap and continue to thaw.

This is a really versatile recipe. We've baked this pound cake recipe into sheet cakes & sliced into squares for our Petit Four Video Tutorial.

Other Favorite Pound Cake Recipes!

We love pound cakes, and have many more pound cake recipes for you to put on your must bake list! Don't miss our Bundt Cakes and Pound Cakes section of recipes as well! Here are just some of our favorites:

 Lemon Cream Cheese Pound Cake  

Double Chocolate Pound Cake 

Rainbow Pound Cake 

Cherry Pound Cake

Other Classic Cake Recipes to Try!

In addition to pound cake, there are several more classic cakes that belong on your "must-bake" list! You'll find German Chocolate Cake, Hummingbird Cake, Black Forest Cake, and so many more!

Enjoy the Recipe