Vanilla Pound Cake: Moist, buttery cake with a delicate vanilla aroma, a perfectly golden crust, and a tender, dense crumb. I will show you how to make it in the comfort of your home!
You Will Love This Vanilla Pound Cake
’ve baked countless cakes, from Red velvet cake, to Jamaican Black Cake, Flourless Chocolate Cake, and much more. while we love all these cake recipes, this classic Vanilla pound cake holds a special place in the heart of my family. It's buttery, moist, and filled with rich vanilla flavor.
This Vanilla Pound Cake recipe is my go-to when I want something classic and delicious. It’s a simple cake, but with the right technique and ingredients, it becomes anything but ordinary.
My grandmother’s recipe inspired this version, and I've added a personal touch by including extra vanilla, making it irresistibly fragrant.
It’s got an incredibly rich flavor and a melt-in-your-mouth texture. Deliciously decadent, and I am not sorry at all. Believe me, it’s a keeper!
While seemingly simple, a truly perfect pound cake has its secrets. But don't you worry! My tried-and-true recipe is here to guide you, ensuring you achieve that ideal balance of richness, moisture, and classic vanilla flavor every single time.
Why This Pound Cake Works
- Simplicity and Balance: This ratio ensures the cake is moist, structured, and not overly sweet or dense.
- Beginner-friendly: Uses basic pantry staples and simple techniques
- Versatile: Serve plain, glazed, or with fruit
- Make-ahead friendly: Stays moist for days and freezes well
- Customizability: It offers a reliable base that can be easily enhanced with flavorings, leavening agents, or add-ins like nuts and fruits.
What Is Pound Cake?
Pound cake got its name from the original recipe: one pound each of butter, sugar, flour, and eggs. Over time, the recipe evolved, but the heart of it remains. A rich, buttery cake that’s dense yet tender and full of flavor.
In this version, I add pure vanilla extract to enhance the flavor and enough milk to keep it moist. It’s the kind of cake you can dress up or enjoy as-is, and it never fails. It’s rich, tender, and full of flavor, and always a hit whether you are serving guests or baking for yourself.
This is a classic cake that can be eaten plain or with a dusting of powdered sugar. Try topping it with fresh berries and Coconut Whipped Cream, whipped cream, or ice cream- so good!
If you are a chocolate lover, you will love this vanilla marble pound cake. A fun twist to this vanilla pound cake. I'm sure you will love it. Click here to see the recipe.
The ingredients and directions of this recipe can be found in the recipe box below. However, I will recommend reading the additional notes for a more detailed explanation. It might be helpful to you. 😊
Ingredients for making Pound Cake
The ingredients for making this pound cake are simple and basic, and the whole loaf comes together in a snap.
- Butter - Unsalted Butter, at room temperature: This is the foundation! Unsalted allows you to control the salt, and room temperature (soft but not melted) is vital for proper creaming and a light crumb.
- Eggs - Large Eggs, at room temperature: Like butter, room temperature eggs emulsify better with the fat, creating a smoother batter and preventing curdling.
- Sugar - Just the regular granulated sugar is required for this recipe. Nothing fancy!
- Salt - If using salted butter, you can skip the addition of salt.
- Flour - I used all-purpose flour. Sifted before measuring for accuracy and a lighter crumb. Avoid self-rising flour, as we're adding our own leavening
- Baking powder - Gives the cake a good height
- Milk - Gives the cake a good texture with soft crumbs. Also adds moisture to the cake.
- Pure Vanilla Extract - Do not skimp on quality here! This is a vanilla pound cake, so a good quality pure extract makes all the difference. You can switch up the flavor by using Almond extract or lemon extract.
How To Make This Simple Vanilla Pound Cake In Four Easy Steps
- Step 1: Cream the Butter and Sugar.
- Step 2: Mix the dry ingredients.
- Step 3: Alternate the addition of flour and milk inside the creamed butter.
- Step 4: Pour into the baking pan and bake.
How do I know if my cake is ready?
The cake requires 60 minutes of bake time. However, I always like to start checking for doneness at about 55 minutes.
To test for doneness simply insert a long skewer into the middle of the cake.
- If it comes out wet, then the cake is not done. Return it to the oven to complete the baking process.
- If the skewer comes out totally dry, then the cake is too done.
- If the skewer comes out fairly clean with some crumbs on it, then the cake is done. Take it out of the oven.
Recipe Notes and Tips
- For best result, be sure to have all the ingredients at room temperature.
- When creaming the eggs, be sure to add one at a time to prevent the batter from curdling.
- Try not to overbeat the butter otherwise, the cake will turn out dense.
Other Loaf Cake Recipes that you might like
- Lemon Yogurt Cake
- Chocolate marble cake (Swirl Pound Cake)
- Easy Moist Carrot Cake From Scratch
- Plantain Cake
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Simple And Easy Vanilla Pound Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 sticks unsalted butter 16 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup milk at room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9 "x5" loaf pan, then line with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, cream the butter with a mixer on medium-high speed until light and creamy for about 1 minute, then add the sugar and whisk until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Reduce the speed of the mixer to medium. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl as needed. Then beat in the vanilla.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl.
- Alternate the addition of flour and milk. Start by folding in half of the flour mixture until just combined (don't overmix). Add the milk and fold until just combined, and finally add the remaining flour and mix until just smooth.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan, place it in the oven, and bake for 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
Nutrition
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Godwin Nwaneri Onyekuru
Tuesday 20th of May 2025
Its a good learning though
Aishat
Saturday 8th of October 2022
Thanks for the recipe. I just want to know , for the two cups of flour, how do I know it while using tin ( which is the africa cup).This always affect my final product; gluey cakes, too butter cake and ..
Chef Lola's Kitchen
Sunday 16th of October 2022
Aishat, sorry about the gluey cakes. The tin is not the direct equivalent of the standard cup measurement. The issue with tin measurement is that there is no standard recognized tin. If you don't have the measuring cup, I will advise you to measure on a scale instead (metric measurement). In this case, 1 cup of granulated sugar is 200 g. Check the recipe card at the bottom and click on the metric measurement to get an alternative. I hope you find this helpful.
Carol
Thursday 8th of September 2022
Just wondering if you can use 2% milk
Lola Osinkolu
Wednesday 21st of September 2022
Yes, you can.
Ogun Oyinkansola
Thursday 15th of July 2021
Thanks ma for all the sweet and delicious recipe,but my question is you said 2cup of flour but if you convert it to metric it says 250g I thought that ought to be 500g.
Lola Osinkolu
Wednesday 15th of September 2021
Yes, it's correct Oyinkansola. 1 cup is 125g so 2 cups will be 250g, not 500g. I hope that helps?
Marylinda
Wednesday 9th of June 2021
Please how can I cream the butter with sugar when no mixer is available?😟