What is the best way to make pound cake?

This pound cake is the little black dress of desserts, elegant and simple.

Pound cake is the dessert equivalent of the little black dress. It’s basic but beautiful, can be dressed up or down, and looks great anytime, everywhere. My all-time favorite recipe comes from Rose Levy Beranbaum’s The Cake Book. While most traditional pound cake recipes call for equal weights of flour, sugar, eggs, and butter, Rose’s recipe incorporates milk, lots of extra butter, and a little baking powder. As a consequence, you get a thick, fluffy pound cake that melts in your mouth. Rose writes: “This cake not only has a silky-smooth dissolving texture similar to famous Sara Lee pound cake but also the incomparable moist, butter flavor of a home-baked cake. Its superb storage capabilities make it suitable for slicing ahead of time and taking on picnics.”

What you’ll need to make pound cake

Step-by-Step Instructions

A few comments about the process before we get to the step-by-step instructions. Pound cake is a “high-ratio” cake, which means that the weight of the sugar equals or exceeds the weight of the flour.

What is the significance of this? Instead of the more common “creaming” method (where the butter and sugar are beaten together before the eggs, flour, and liquid are added), high-ratio cakes can be made using the “high-ratio” or “quick-mix” method. This entails first combining all of the dry ingredients with the butter and portion of the liquid, followed by the remaining liquid components. Not only is this procedure quicker and simpler than conventional creaming, but it also produces exceptionally soft and fine-textured cakes.

To begin, combine the milk, eggs, and vanilla in a medium bowl. Set aside after whisking with a fork until barely mixed.

Place the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer equipped with the paddle attachment (or in the bowl of a hand mixer).

Stir on low for approximately 30 seconds, or until combined.

Add the butter and half of the egg mixture.

On low speed, combine the dry ingredients until moistened.

Raise the mixer speed to medium (or high if using a hand mixer) and continue to beat for one minute.

Scrape down the bowl’s sides. Add the remaining egg mixture, in 2 separate additions, beating about 30 seconds after each addition to combine.

If you over-mix the mixture, it will include too much air and your pound cake will not dome as neatly.

Smooth the top with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon after scraping the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake the cake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until golden brown and a thin wooden skewer or toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Cool the cake for approximately 10 minutes on a wire rack. Then remove the cake from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack.

Wrap the cooled cake in plastic wrap or store in a large sealable plastic bag. The wrapped pound cake will keep for several days at room temperature, for one week when refrigerated, or it can be frozen for two months. Enjoy!

Perfect Pound Cake

This pound cake is the little black dress of desserts, elegant and simple.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons milk (skim, low fat, or whole)
3 large eggs
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
11.3 cup cake flour, spooned into a measuring cup and smoothed with a straight edge
¾ cup sugar
¾ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
13 tbsp. softened unsalted butter (no need to cut it in pieces)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F and place a rack in the center. Lightly grease an 8-in x 4-in x 2½-inch loaf pan with butter or nonstick cooking spray. Flour the surface and shake off any excess. (Alternatively, use a nonstick cooking spray
including flour, such as Baker’s Joy or Pam Baking Spray with Flour.)
In a medium mixing bowl, blend the milk, eggs, and vanilla extract until barely mixed.
Place the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer equipped with the paddle attachment (or in the bowl of a hand mixer). Stir on low for approximately 30 seconds, or until combined. Add half of the egg mixture and the butter. On low speed, combine the dry ingredients until moistened. Raise the mixer speed to medium (or high if using a hand mixer) and continue to beat for one minute. Scrape down the bowl’s sides. Add the remaining egg mixture in two batches, beating for 30 seconds between each addition to blend. Avoid over-mixing. (If the batter seems somewhat curdled or gritty, that’s OK.)
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Bake the cake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until golden brown and a thin wooden skewer or toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
Cool the cake for approximately 10 minutes on a wire rack. The cake should then be removed from the pan and allowed to cool fully on a wire rack. Wrap the cooled cake in plastic wrap or place it in a big sealable plastic bag to keep it fresh.
The covered pound cake will keep at room temperature for several days and in the refrigerator for one week.
Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The cake may be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. After it is completely cooled, double-wrap it securely with aluminum foil or plastic freezer wrap, or place it in a heavy-duty freezer bag. Thaw on the counter overnight before serving.