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Written ByDorothy Kern
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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.
Table of Contents
- Classic Sour Cream Pound Cake
- Ingredients Needed
- How to Make an Easy Pound Cake
- Best Pan to Use
- Pound Cake Tips
- Easy Pound Cake Recipe Recipe
- Pound Cake vs Bundt Cake
Classic Sour Cream Pound Cake
I love a good pound cake, don’t you? A good easy 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!
If you love a dense yet moist and tender, flavorful vanilla pound cake recipe with the perfect texture, 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.
Be sure to see the recipe card below for full ingredients & instructions!
How to Make an Easy Pound Cake
- 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 with a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment 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.
Best Pan to Use
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 two pound cakes in two 9 x 5-inch loaf pans, but baking time will be affected.
Pound Cake Tips
- Do not over bake this cake! Ovens bake differently, which is why I give a range of times, but pound cakes are done when a wooden skewer comes out clean.
- Be sure to scrape your bowl while mixing, especially the bottom if you’re using a stand mixer.
- Let the cake cool for about 10-15 minutes and then turn the cake out onto your serving plate or a wire rack. 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.
- How to serve pound cake: Dust the cake with powdered sugar and serve with fresh berries or whipped cream, caramel, or chocolate sauce. Or 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 well wrapped or in a freezer bag.
FAQs
How to keep pound cake moist?
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.
Should flour be sifted for pound cake?
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.
How do you tell if pound cake is done baking?
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.
Why did my pound cake stick in the pan? How to keep pound cake from sticking?
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.
What frosting is best for pound cake?
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.
Can you freeze pound cake?
Yes easily. Freeze the entire thing wrapped in plastic, or freeze slices!
Easy Pound Cake Recipe
5 from 50 votes
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. If you want to make a classic pound cake recipe, this is the one to try.
Prep Time 25 minutes minutes
Cook Time 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes
Total Time 1 hour hour 35 minutes minutes
Yield 12 servings
Serving Size 1 serving
Save RecipeRate RecipePrint 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
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 560kcal | Carbohydrates: 72g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Cholesterol: 150mg | Sodium: 241mg | Potassium: 108mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 46g | Vitamin A: 917IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 47mg | Iron: 2mg
Nutritional information not guaranteed to be accurate
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Author Dorothy Kern
Did you try this recipe? Click the stars to rate the recipe below
Pound Cake vs Bundt Cake
There is always confusion about pound cakes and bundt cakes and how they relate to each other. Believe me, I was often wrong at first when using the terms too.
A Pound Cake is dense and heavy; it’s not a light and fluffy cake (like a traditional Yellow Cake). It’s tender but thick!
A bundt cake is simple one made in a bundt pan, which is where I think the confusion stems from.
Pound cakes are often baked in bundt pans (or loaf or tube pans) often called a bundt cake, but not all bundt cakes are pound cakes. For example, my Lemon Butter Cake is a bundt cake but it is NOT a pound cake, and you can tell by the crumb and taste.
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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 February 8, 2024
Dorothy Kern
Welcome to Crazy for Crust, where I share recipes that are sometimes crazy, often with a crust, and always served with a slice of life.
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32 Comments
Very moist, excellent pound cake. I will make this again.
ReplyI have not tried this yet, but was wondering if I could add some chocolate chips into the mix. My mom is addicted to a chocolate chip pudding cake our local grocery store makes and I’d like to try and make something like it. Love your recipes and have made quite of few!
ReplyYes you can – toss them in a tablespoon of flour to try to avoid them from sinking.
ReplyHi – Can I omit the cornstarch and just use cake flour? I have cake flour on hand. How much cake flour? Thank you!
ReplyI believe so yes, but I haven’t tried it.
ReplyI don’t have a Bundt or tube pan. If I cook the pound cake in 2 loaf pans, how long should they cook?
ReplyIt will probably be about 40-50 minutes. Check after 30 and keep an eye on them after that.
ReplyI have made many pound cakes but this one really is the best!! Extremely delicate and moist. Our whole family loves it. I will be making it regularly and no other. Just delicious 😃. Thank you for posting it.
ReplySo glad you enjoyed it!
ReplyDelicious! Moist! I added some fresh lemon zest and juice and made a lemony butter glaze. Yum yum!!
ReplyMade exactly as directed. It was fabulous! Would not change a thing. Will be making again. Going with strawberries for dessert tonight!
ReplySo glad you liked it!
ReplyDelicious! 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!
ReplyI want to add cinnamon to this so how much and would you say to add it? I want to add something extra too it.
Replyabout a teaspoon!
ReplyOmg 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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