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After numerous rounds of testing I’ve finally found the BEST Easy Pound Cake Recipe from scratch. This is a classic sour cream pound cake that’s rich and dense with a moist and tender crumb. It’s going to be the ONLY recipe you want to make from now on.
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Classic Sour Cream Pound Cake
I love a good pound cake, don’t you? A good pound cake recipe doesn’t even need frosting, which is perfect for me because I like cake more than I like frosting. Since I started blogging I’ve made several flavored variations but never a classic vanilla pound cake and so I set out to find my favorite recipe and THIS is it!
Why you’ll love this recipe
If you love a dense yet moist and tender, flavorful vanilla pound cake recipe, then you’re going to want this recipe for classic pound cake. It’s the perfect base for ice cream, whipped cream, or berries.
Ingredients Needed
Originally, pound cakes were made from just four ingredients: a pound each of butter, sugar, eggs and flour. That’s where the cake got it’s name, from all the pounds of ingredients.
- Butter is the backbone of this cake. Without it, it wouldn’t be a pound cake! Use unsalted butter of a good quality.
- Sugar is the sweet in this cake. Granulated sugar is traditional for pound cakes.
- Flour is the body of the cake, and I use all purpose flour. Be sure to measure it correctly.
- Eggs are one of the most important pound cake ingredients. They provide richness and moistness and stability. It’s good if they are room temperature, and make sure to mix them in one at a time.
My recipe has those base ingredients with just a few others to make it rich and delicious without sacrificing the classic taste:
- Sour cream keeps the cake moist and adds a nice flavor. I add the baking powder because of the sour cream.
- Baking Powder: While traditionally, pound cake recipes didn’t call for leavening (the eggs do all the work of rising), I added a half teaspoon baking powder because the sour cream adds weight to the cake so the eggs need a bit of help.
- Cornstarch is in the recipe because several of the recipes I’d tried before called for cake flour. I always forget to buy cake flour (and if you’re just going to make this cake once for a special occasion it’s annoying to have to buy something special). Cake flour is a combination of cornstarch and all-purpose flour, so I added some cornstarch to emulate it.
How to make pound cake from scratch
- Butter and flour your bundt pan very well. This will ensure your cake won’t stick to the pan.
- Cream the butter and sugar on medium speed for a few minutes. The butter and sugar will become light in color and fluffy.
- Make sure your eggs are ROOM TEMPERATURE. Mix in eggs one at a time.
- Add baking powder, salt, vanilla, and cornstarch and mix until smooth.
- Add flour and sour cream and mix on low speed. Don’t overmix the cake, as soon as the batter comes together, stop mixing.
- Bake for 60-70 minutes, then turn out the cake while it’s still warm.
What pan do I use for pound cake?
This cake is best baked in a 9-10″ bundt pan, but you can also bake it in a tube pan (angel food cake pan). You can’t bake angel food cake or cakes that are constructed for a tube pan in a bundt pan but you can bake this one in a tube pan if that’s all you have.
What if I don’t have a tube pan or bundt pan? You can also bake this as two 9×5-inch loaf pans, but baking time will be affected.
How long do you bake a pound cake?
Pound cakes take a long time to bake; this one will take 60-70 minutes.
You know your cake is done when a toothpick or long skewer comes out clean.
Let the cake cool for about 10-15 minutes and then turn the cake out onto your serving plate. It will come out easier when it’s still warm! Don’t cool completely in the pan – it’s important to turn the cake out onto the plate while it’s still warm for easy removal.
Pound Cake FAQ
Pound cake is a dense cake so the key to keeping it soft and moist is to not use too much flour (be sure to measure it correctly) and not over bake it. The sour cream in this cake keeps it nice and moist too.
You don’t have to sift unless your flour is packed or lumpy. Just be sure not to pack your flour in the measuring cup.
I like to do the toothpick test right next to the center of the cake. For best results, use a long skewer instead. The toothpick should have just a few crumbs sticking to it.
This is a common problem with pound cakes. That center ring and all the grooves can cause issues with removing it. Be sure to grease and flour the pan and my trick is to remove it after only 20-30 minutes or so of cooling time, while it’s still a bit warm.
You can frost this however you like. I love dusting it with powdered sugar but you can also make a glaze, vanilla buttercream, cream cheese frosting, or even whipped cream frosting.
Yes easily. Freeze the entire thing wrapped in plastic, or freeze slices!
Easy Pound Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (339g) unsalted butter softened
- 2 ¾ cups (550g) granulated sugar
- 6 large eggs room temperature
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup (184g) sour cream room temperature
- 3 cups (372g) all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons (16g) cornstarch
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 10-inch fluted bundt pan (or spray well with the nonstick cooking spray that has flour in it).
- Place butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Cream the mixture for a few minutes, or until it’s light and fluffy and light in color.
- Mix in the eggs, one at a time, beating just until the egg is mixed in before adding the next one.
- Add baking powder, vanilla extract, and salt and stir, then add the sour cream, cornstarch and flour. Mix just until combined.
- Pour mixture into prepared pan. Bake for about 55-65 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean from close to the middle of the cake.
- Let cool 15 minutes then turn out onto serving plate and cool completely. (The cake will come out easier when it’s warm.)
- Dust cooled cake with powdered sugar for serving. Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
- Do not over bake this cake! Ovens bake differently, which is why I give a range of times, but it’s done when a skewer comes out clean.
- Be sure to scrape your bowl while mixing, especially the bottom if you’re using a stand mixer.
- Be sure to use room temperature ingredients and measure your flour correctly.
- How to serve pound cake: Dust the cake with powdered sugar and serve with berries or whipped cream. Get my whipped cream recipe!
- Want to serve with frosting? Try Cream Cheese Frosting on top – it’s delicious with the cake.
- Store the cake covered at room temperature for up to 3 days. Or you can freeze it for up to a month!
Recipe Nutrition
Favorite Pound Cake Recipes
This is the BEST Pound Cake Recipe! It’s an easy old fashioned sour cream pound cake that’s moist and tender and full of vanilla flavor.
Last Updated on March 28, 2023
Made exactly as directed. It was fabulous! Would not change a thing. Will be making again. Going with strawberries for dessert tonight!
So glad you liked it!
Delicious! This is another recipe that makes it easy to make a pound cake because the alternating liquid with the flour is not necessary. It is dense but it cooked completely without gooey spots. Add some strawberries to a slice, yummy! I will make this one again!
I want to add cinnamon to this so how much and would you say to add it? I want to add something extra too it.
about a teaspoon!
Omg this cake tastes incredible what I did different was I did 2 cups all purpose flour 1 cup cake flour and besides vanilla extract I added 1/8tsp Almond extract everything else the same very delicious
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