Perfect Pound Cake
on Apr 10, 2013, Updated Aug 21, 2024
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The Perfect Pound Cake comes together easily and it feels a bit fancier than a normal cake; perfect for a holiday or special occasion.
Whole Wheat Honey Cake, Lemon Chiffon Cake, Rich and Fudgy Flourless Chocolate Cake Recipe are a few of my solid cake recipes that I know you’ll enjoy.
Perfect Pound Cake
I decided a while ago that I would make a virtual treat for my mom in this post. She’s in Kentucky and I’m in Utah so we rarely get to sit together and enjoy a meal or dessert. She’s enjoys the simple things in life, scrapes the icing off of cupcakes, always gets a vanilla cone at DQ, and Angel Food cake is consistently her Birthday cake request. When looking though the cookbook I knew that the Cold Oven Pound Cake would be a perfect treat for me to “make” for her. This pound cake recipe is slightly different in the fact that you don’t preheat the oven before putting the cake in. The extra time that the cake has to sit in the oven gives it time to develop and rise. The results were a perfectly moist and dense pound cake that wasn’t as sweet as I was expecting. Sweet yes, but not so sweet that a few strawberries and whipped cream weren’t welcome additions.
The cake comes together easily and it just feels a bit fancier than a normal cake; perfect for a holiday dedicated to spoiling your favorite ladies. It was delicious the second day too, so feel free to make it ahead of time.
ATK sent me a copy to give my mom! This is her book all wrapped up and ready for the mail. And yes, I call her Momma Lou 🙂
Tips and Tricks for making Perfect Pound Cake:
- Do NOT preheat the oven. The cake won’t turn out if you do.
- Take care to use room temperature ingredients… it matters.
- This was wonderful with sliced strawberries and fresh whipped cream.
Why is it called pound cake?
Pound Cake is a recipe that originated in the 1700s. Originally the recipe called for one pound each of flour, sugar, butter, and eggs.
How do you cool a pound cake?
Let the cake cool in the pan for ten minutes and then use a small knife and cut around the edge of the cake to make it loose. Flip the cake upside down so that it come out of the pan and let the cake cool on a wire rack for at least 2 hours before serving.
Perfect Pound Cake
Ingredients
- 3 cups cake flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup whole milk, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
- 2 1/2 cups sugar
- 6 large eggs, at room temperature
Instructions
- Grease and flour a 16-cup tube pan (you might think of it as an Angel Food cake pan). In a medium bowl add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine. In a small bowl add the milk and vanilla.
- In a large bowl beat the butter and sugar together on medium speed (electric mixer or stand mixer) until it is very light and fluffy, 3 to 6 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until everything is well combined.
- Turn the mixer speed to low and add 1/3 of the flour, followed by half of the milk, then another third of the flour, the second half of the milk, and then the rest of the flour. Once the last of the flour is added, mix until it is just incorporated.
- Scrape the batter into the pan that you greased and floured. Smooth the top of the batter and wipe up any batter that dripped onto the sides. Tap the pan a few times on the counter to settle the batter. Adjust the oven rack to the lower-middle position and place the cake on the rack. Shut the oven door and then turn on the oven to 325 degrees. Let the cake cook, without opening the oven door, for 70 to 80 minutes until a wooden toothpick inserted into the middle comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for ten minutes and then use a small knife and cut around the edge of the cake to make it loose. Flip the cake upside down so that it come out of the pan and let the cake cool on a wire rack for at least 2 hours before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
If you like this recipe, I think you’ll love these too:
- Healthy Carrot Cake Muffins
- Rich and Fudgy Flourless Chocolate Cake Recipe
- Chocolate Molten Lava Cakes
- Whole Wheat Honey Cake
- Homemade Cake Batter Ice Cream
- Cake Mix Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
- The Best Easy Apple Cake
- Easy Healthy No-Bake Cheesecake
- Watermelon Cake with Whipped Cream
- Pumpkin Sheet Cake with Caramel Frosting
- Pink Lemonade Cupcakes
- Sweet Tooth Fairy’s VaNIElla Squared Cupcake Copycat Recipe
Enjoy the Perfect Pound Cake that comes together easily and it feels a bit fancier than a normal cake; perfect for a holiday or special occasion.
I love this blog, I also would love to win this contest for your book give away America’s Test Kitchen. I am always looking for the latest and greatest in the food world for innovative ideas and amazing recipes. Thanks for the opportunity to enter and win one of your books. ~Beverly
One of these days I’m going to win one of your give aways!
“Do NOT preheat the oven.”
This is new to me for pound cake, but I trust you!
Rafflecopter name: Margot Core
I had never heard of the method before either. The ATK cookbook titled the recipe “cold oven pound cake” and I guess it was popular in the 1970’s. So don’t trust me on this one, trust ATK 🙂
Yum! Looks delicious!
The cake looks good!
I made something the other day that called for cake flour but I used regular flour sifted out. I could for sure tell something was off. SO what is the difference between the two? And as someone who rarely bakes do I actually need cake flour or is there a secret trick I’m missing out on?
So cake flour, all-purpose flour, and bread flour all have different percentages of protein in them. Bread flour having the highest amount and cake flour having the lowest. You want more protein with bread flour because it makes things chewy and more elastic and the gluten develops more. Cake flour is the opposite… it has a “finer crumb” in baked goods. You don’t want chewy and elastic cake, you want a cake that is really tender and kind of falls apart in your mouth. In all my baking experience I’ve found it is best just to use what is called for, especially in something a bit temperamental like a pound cake. It’s a lot of ingredients to use for it to not turn out well. So yes, in this case, I say you need the cake flour for sure. It’s a bit more pricey but this cake is worth it 🙂
Wow, thanks for that very helpful tip!
Your Pound cake looks so moist and Yummy! I know your mom will love her new cook book! I know I would! Thank you for the chance to win!
I don’t know which I would appreciate more, the cake (yummy) or the book (great). May I have both?
What a great idea! Now if I don’t win I know what I want for Mother’s Day 🙂
so glad i caught this giveaway. i was sad i missed your others cuz i haven’t been on that often. (idk if you saw, but I linked your red velvet cheese cake bars on my blog)