Traditional Pound Cake

A traditional pound cake is a dense, buttery loaf with a tender crumb and a fine golden crust. The name comes from the original recipe: one pound each of butter, sugar, eggs, and flour. This cake works because room-temperature butter and eggs cream together into a stable base that traps air, and the high butter content keeps every bite moist.

Ingredients for Traditional Pound Cake

Butter forms the foundation and keeps the cake rich. Granulated sugar creams with the butter to create volume and sweetness. Eggs at room temperature emulsify with the butter and add structure. All-purpose flour (measured by spooning and leveling, not scooping) gives the crumb its tender texture without toughening it. Vanilla extract adds depth. Salt brightens the flavor, and baking powder gives a gentle lift without making the cake rise too much and collapse.

Why This Traditional Pound Cake Works

Creaming cold butter with sugar for a full 3 to 4 minutes incorporates tiny air bubbles throughout the batter. When you add eggs one at a time and beat well after each one, they emulsify with the butter and keep those air bubbles stable. The high ratio of butter to flour means the cake stays moist even with a tight crumb.

Flour mixed gently by hand prevents overdevelopment, which would make the cake tough and dense in a bad way. The baking powder gives just enough rise to make the cake light without causing it to dome and crack. A moderate oven temperature and a long bake allow the cake to rise slowly and cook through evenly from edge to center without browning too fast on top.

Mistakes To Avoid

Cold butter and eggs won’t cream together into a fluffy mixture. They stay grainy and separate, and the batter never traps enough air, so the cake comes out dense and heavy instead of tender.

Scooping flour directly into the measuring cup packs it down and adds too much to the batter. The cake turns out tough and tight, almost gummy, with no tender crumb.

Overmixing the batter after you add the flour develops gluten and makes the cake tough and rubbery. Once the flour is combined, the batter should look smooth but not glossy or worked.

Pulling the cake out too early leaves the center underbaked and gummy. A skewer inserted in the thickest part should come out with no wet batter, though a few moist crumbs are fine.

As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

Ingredients

• 1 pound (454 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 pound (400 grams) granulated sugar
• 8 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 cups (280 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Step-by-step Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 325°F (163°C). Grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together with an electric mixer on medium speed for 3 to 4 minutes until pale and fluffy, scraping the bowl halfway through.
3. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition for about 1 minute, until the mixture is light and homogeneous before adding the next egg.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder.
5. Add the vanilla extract to the butter mixture and stir by hand with a wooden spoon.
6. Fold the flour mixture into the batter by hand in three additions, stirring just until the flour disappears after each one, then stop.
7. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula.
8. Bake on the middle oven rack for 55 to 65 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the thickest part comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs and the internal temperature reads 205°F (96°C).
9. Let the cake cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack to cool completely, at least 2 hours, before slicing.
10. Store the cake covered at room temperature for up to 3 days, or wrap it tightly and freeze for up to 3 months.