Ahhhh…..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!!
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.
Why is Pound Cake Called a Pound Cake?
Have you ever wondered where Pound Cake gets it’s 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 as a delicious, easy, and huge cake recipe that called for a pound of each ingredient: flour, butter, eggs, and sugar. That’s a LOT of pound cake loaves.
Pound Cake Variations
These days, pound cakes have been modified from the original “pound of each ingredient” recipe, often in favor of a lighter more buttery cake. You can find pound cake in just about every flavor, from lemon to chocolate and everything in between.
However, 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 no fuss go-to cake recipe. No frosting or decorating skills required!
The Pound Cake recipe that I am sharing with you today was my grandmother’s recipe, and is our 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!
Enjoy it just as it is, or dressed up with strawberries & 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.
- Lower the oven rack to the next to lowest position. If the pound cake is too high, it will heat Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- In a separate bowl whisk the flour and baking powder to combine, set aside for later.
- Cream the butter with the paddle attachment in your mixer, gradually add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy 3 to 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time blending after each to incorporate.
- Add the vanilla and lemon extract to the l 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.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- This makes approximately 8 cups of batter.
Adding an easy vanilla glaze to the pound cake
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 happen to love pound cakes around here and have a few delicious pound cake recipes in our Recipes section that you just have to try!
In addition to today’s Classic Pound Cake recipe, we hope you’ll put these other favorites on your list of “must-try” recipes too!
First up, we LOVE this Lemon Pound Cake.
If you’re a fan of the flavor combination of Lemon AND Raspberry, you must put our moist & fruity Lemon Raspberry Swirl Pound Cake onto your list of cake recipes to try! The flavor is amazing! You can find it here: Lemon Raspberry Swirl Pound Cake.
This amazing southern Red Velvet Marble Pound Cake is a fantastic choice year-round, but especially at Christmas (with a peppermint glaze)! It is beautiful when sliced and is SO flavorful!
and don’t miss our Double Chocolate Pound Cake recipe –it’s always a crowd pleaser!
Finally, our colorful Rainbow Pound Cake recipe is based on this recipe, only with rainbows on the inside!! This is a fun way to change things up for rainbow-themed parties, St. Patrick’s Day, or just because!
Other Classic Cake Recipes to Try!
In addition to pound cake, there are several more classic cake recipes that belong on your “must-bake” list! Don’t miss these amazing traditional cake recipes that are considered old fashioned favorites for good reason.
Thanks so much for stopping by! If you give this pound cake recipe a try, we would love for you to leave a comment and photo below!
Pound Cake Recipe- A Classic Southern Favorite
This moist pound cake is SO delicious and easy to make! Serve it plain or topped with berries and cream!
Ingredients
- 3 sticks (339 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 3 cups (600 g) sugar
- 5 large eggs
- 3 cups (375 g) all purpose flour, (not self-rising)
- 1/2 teaspoon (2 g) baking powder
- 1 cup (235 g) whole milk
- 2 teaspoons (8 g) vanilla
- 1 teaspoon (4 g) lemon extract (optional)
Instructions
My Cake School Cake Recipes, Cake Tutorials, and More
We have an ever-growing collection of favorite cake and frosting recipes in our Recipes Section! We’d love for you to scroll through.
Also, if you’re interested in cake decorating, we’ve made tons of cake decorating video tutorials since our site started over ten years ago! We have a free tutorials section which includes a Free Cake Videos category.
Or, for access to hundreds more cake decorating video tutorials, you should consider becoming a member of our site! Our members can access every cake video that we’ve ever made- you can find the listing of these tutorials here, and you can find joining information here: Learn Cake Decorating Online with My Cake School!
Thanks for stopping by! Check back again soon for more cake recipes and cake tutorials!
Hello, so I’m making this cake with lots of dried fruits in it next week. Don’t have a Bundt pan, will it work in a 10″ pan that’s about 4″ deep or will it be better for me to bake it in layers?
Hi Fortune, If you do not have a Bundt or tube pan, I am not sure about baking this in 10×4 inch pan. Even with a heating core some bakers have a problem with the outside of the cake becoming too dark because of the long baking time. I have not tried this so I can’t say for sure. This pound cake recipe is rather dense. I have another pound cake recipe that is a bit less dense that you might like to try for cake layers. We used this recipe for a Lemon Raspberry Cake that Melissa will be posting in a few days. Here is a link
Pound Cake…..A less dense recipe
1 cup (116g) (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened ( do not soften in microwave)
2 cups (400g) white sugar
3 cups (300g) cake flour (sift then measure) if you do not have cake flour see note below
4 large eggs, room temperature
3/4 cup (180g) milk
2 teaspoons ( 8g) baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ( 3g) salt
2 1/2 teaspoons (10g) lemon extract
3 Tablespoons (38g) lemon juice
zest of 1 lemon
**If you do not have cake flour, you can make your own using the following method. For each cup of all purpose (plain in the UK) remove 2 Tablespoons of flour and replace with 2 Tablespoons of cornstarch. For this recipe, there is 3 cups of flour so measure out the flour and remove 6 Tablespoons, then replace with 6 Tablespoons cornstarch, whisk to blend.
**For best results when using a tube or bundt cake pan, lower the oven rack. I lower mine to the next to lowest position in the oven.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees
Grease and flour an 8 or 10 cup tube or bundt cake pan, I used an 8 cup pan for a taller cake
In a separate bowl, add the cake flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk at least 15 seconds to blend and set aside.
In the bowl of your mixer, cream butter for 2 minutes, gradually add sugar, continue creaming for 4 to 5 minutes until light and fluffy
Add eggs one at a time mixing after each egg until the yellow is blended into batter.
Add flour mixture alternately with the milk, at this time also add the extract,lemon juice and zest. Begin and end with dry ingredients (3 additions of dry, 2 of wet). Blend after each addition just until ingredient is blended in…..Do not over mix as this could dry the cake.
Pour into prepared pan and bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 5 minutes. Time may vary for your oven. If you find the top of the cake is becoming too dark, cover loosely with a piece of aluminum foil.
The cake is done when a toothpick inserted come out clean or with just a few crumbs attached.
Cool in the pan 15 minutes on wire rack. Remove from pan and let the cake continue to cool.
Do you have the baking time if you use the 11×15 pan? Thank you!
Hi GuppyLove, In a 11×15 pan, bake at 325 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes
HELLO MELISSA
CONGRATULATIONS I MADE IT WOO……. IS THE BEST THANKS FOR SHARING THE RECEPI.
LOVE
MARIA
Hi Maria, That’s great!! I glad you made it!! Thanks for posting!
Hi Maria,
So awesome your sheet poundcake came out nicely.Ive been searching for the perfect recipe for a sheet poundcake.Also did you have to double the recipe .How high was your cake please?Thanks for sharing!
Hi I am looking for a cake to make a trifle any suggestions.
Hi Claudia, You could use poundcake cut into small pieces. The White Almond Sour Cream (scratch or doctored mix) White Cake or Yellow Cake recipes. Almost any cake recipe can be used. Even brownies can be used with chocolate pudding and whipped cream, nuts etc. I don’t what kind of trifle you have in mind. For example if you were making a fall themed trifle, you could use a pumpkin cake with other caramel
or butterscotch flavors.
My husband’s grandmother asked for a pound cake for her birthday. I made her this one with a chocolate ganache glaze! She loved it and raved about it being the best pound cake she’d ever had! She has since asked me to make it again and again for her! Thanks for the great recipe!
Hi Kristina, That is wonderful! It makes us happy to read that your grandmother liked the cake. Thanks so much for your post.
Can you make this in mini bundt cake pans? How long would it bake?
Hi Barb, We have not baked this in mini bundt pans but you can. Keep the temperature at 350 degrees. I am not sure what size your mini bundt pan is but the cakes should be lightly brown and a toothpick inserted will come out clean. Also when you lightly press it with a finger the cake will spring back.
Hello,
If I’m using a regular size bundt cake pan will the temperature to bake be the same as the recipe states??
Hi Nikki, First, lower your oven rack to the next to lowest position and set the oven to 325 degrees. Most bundt pans have varying shades of dark finishes and this will cause the cake to bake faster So just check on it a bit sooner with a toothpick or a long skewer. If you find the top to be getting too dark, cover the top loosely with a piece of aluminum foil.
Thanks ??
How could you use this as a base for a spice pound cake with raisins and nuts?
Yes I would like to know what kind of flour do you use? snow or red brand ? I made a pound cake before and it did not come out good! When recipes are put on the web site they should say 2 cups flour (snow flake) . I feel like the name brand used makes a big difference. so do tell what kind of flour did you use on the pound or all the ingredients used? thanks. France
Hi Frances, We used Pillsbury all purpose flour (bleached) for the pound cake recipe. You could also use unbleached all purpose flour. This is the brand we always use for our cakes that use all purpose flour. We most often use cake flour for our layer cakes, Swansdown Cake Flour. Are these brands or something similar available in your area?
I only have a hand mixer I would like to know will that work to make the pound cake?
Hi Elvia, Yes, you can make the pound cake using an electric hand mixer. It will take just a bit longer mixing. When creaming the butter and sugar mix until it has lightened in color and has a fluffy look. Mix in the eggs until the yolk of the yellow disappears. When mixing the batter with the dry and wet ingredients mixing until the additions are blended in but don’t over mix. Hope all goes well.
Hi! Found this jem as I was searching for petit four and ❤ it!!! Would this be ok to bake as cupcakes? Any modifications needed??
Thanks!!
Breezy
Hi Breezy, We have never used the recipe to make cupcakes, but I think you could do so. The cupcakes will have a more dense texture just as a pound cake does. In the instructions I say to lower the oven rack to next to lowest position, no need to do this with cupcakes. Bake at 350 degrees, when a toothpick pulls out clean or with just a few crumbs attached they are done. Check at 18 minutes.
Thanks so much!! I was asked to do 250+ cupcakes for a charity event!! I loved the texture and crumb in sheet cake form, so I was hoping it would convert well! I will post back how it goes ?
I want to bake this cake in a standard loaf pan. How should I adjust this recipe?
Hi Pam, This recipes makes 8 cups of batter, you may have leftover batter if using a 8×4 inch loaf pan, fill 1/2 to 3/4 ‘s full. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes. If baking in glass or a dark colored pan, reduce the temperature by 25 degrees and increase the baking time. Test for doneness with a toothpick inserted in the center.
Hi there. I made the Classic Pound Cake and ABSOLUTELY loved it! Thanks so much for the recipe, it is truly gorgeous! My family loved it so much that I would like to make it a chocolate pound cake by adding some cocoa (don’t wish to make the Double Chocolate Pound Cake this time). If so, how much cocoa would you recommend adding, would 60g suffice? Many thanks, Emma
Hi Emma, Thank you for you nice post, I am so happy your family enjoyed the cake. To make this a chocolate pound cake we add 1/4 cup (20g) unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch Processed). Measure then sift the cocoa powder. Whisk it into the flour and baking powder mixture.
Thanks for another awesome recipe! For a sheetcake, how long would you suggest to it bake for?
Hi Katherine, Below is a link to a cake batter amounts and baking times chart. I think you will find them helpful.
http://fromkarenskitchen.com/tips/party_cake_batter_amounts_baking_times_2inch_pan.php
This pound cake bakes up with a crusty top, you can level it off with a long knife or flip over. This recipe makes 8 cups batter
Thanks!!
Hi Bebe, can you please let me know the size of this tube pan.
Thanks in advance
Hi Bebe,
I just baked the pound cake, thank you so so much for a perfect recipe it came out perfect, there’s just one thing I want to ask, can I reduce the sugar, the cake turned out too sweet.
Also why is my cake brown on the outside and yours all beautiful and yellow
Hi Urooj, The size of the tube pan that I used is 9 1/2 diameter and 4 inches deep. Your cake looks good. If you baked in a pan with a dark interior, it absorbs heat faster causing the outside of the cake to bake more quickly and become darker. Reducing the baking temperature by 25 degrees will help with this. Also, check for doneness about 5 minutes early. As for reducing the amount of sugar in the recipe, I have not tried doing so. Sugar adds moisture and tenderness and helps to keep the cake from drying out. You could experiment with maybe reducing the sugar by 1/4 cup the next time you use the recipe. Let me know what you think, if you give it a try.
Is it okay if I use salted butter?
Hi Doris, Yes you can.
I love this pound cake I did it for my hubby’s baby it came out excellent
Hi Tangy, Wonderful!! I am so happy you enjoyed the cake. Thank you for posting.
Can I use self rising or cake flour?
Hi Dot, Do not use self- rising flour for the recipe because baking soda is one of the ingredients. If you want to use cake flour, add 2 additional Tablespoons of cake flour for each cup of all purpose flour called for.
Just ran across this recipe. Would like to know if I can use 2% milk instead of whole milk for this cake?
Hi Ann, Yes, you can use 2% milk. Hope you will enjoy the cake.
Could you use buttermilk instead of plain milk?
Hi Ashle, Using buttermilk instead of plain milk, add 1/4 teaspoon baking soda. I hope you will enjoy the cake.
Thank you so much!! I was just curious to see if there was any benefit to using butter milk v.s. whole milk.
Thank you for your time
Omg this cake was absoulety delicious. Next time I will reduce the sugar by a half cup to 2 1/2. I made a lemon glaze, with lemon zest, lemon juice and heavy cream.
Hin Yanique, Thank you so much for your nice comment about the cake. I ‘m happy you enjoyed it.
Hi you forgot to say how much baking soda. ?
Hi Anna, There is no baking soda in the recipe, only baking powder.
Would using salted butter make it too salty?
Hi Vera, It will be fine to use salted butter.
This is the best Pound Cake I have ever made. But, I used 1 1/2 cups sugar, thought 3 would be too much – Perfect!
Hi Dean, I am happy you liked the cake. Thanks for posting your thoughts.
Hi can I use two sticks of butter and one stick ofCrisco butter stead of 3 sticks butter. And can I make this cake into a five flavor pond cake
Hi N, Yes, you can.
Hi! I am about to make a pound cake in an 8×5 Wonder Mold ( with conducting rod). Should I use your less dense recipe?
I should have also asked – If the less dense recipe is used, can vanilla be substituted for the lemon extract? Thank you, Diana
Hi Diana, It will be fine to use either recipe and you can substitute vanilla extract for lemon. If you are planning to do a lot of carving, you might want to consider using the dense recipe.
Hi! LOL how much is a pound of eggs?!?! (just wondering, NO I am not planing on making the original recipe;) )