The Best Pound Cake
A classic dessert with a rich, buttery texture that's perfect for any occasion.
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
- 3 tbsp milk (full fat, at room temperature)
- 3 large eggs (at room temperature)
- 1.5 tsp vanilla extract
Dry Ingredients
- 1 cup cake flour (sifted)
- 3/4 cup caster sugar (superfine sugar)
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 13 tbsp (185 grams) unsalted butter, softened
Instructions
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F and prepare the loaf pan.
- Grease a loaf pan with unsalted butter and dust it with flour.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, and vanilla lightly. Set aside.
- In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Mix on low speed for about 30 seconds.
Mixing
- Add softened butter and half of the egg mixture to the dry ingredients. Mix until combined, about 30-40 seconds.
- Increase the speed and beat for an additional minute.
- Scrape down the bowl, add half of the remaining egg mixture, mix for 20 seconds, then add the rest of the egg mixture and mix for another 20 seconds.
Baking
- Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan, smoothing the top.
- Bake for 30 minutes until the top slightly splits.
- Lightly cut along the split to help it open up nicely.
- Bake for another 20-25 minutes until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cover with foil if the cake gets too dark.
- Cool the cake in the pan for about 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Serving
- Serve thick slices with whipped cream, fruit, butter, or other toppings of your choice.
Notes
For better mixing, use room temperature ingredients. Sift the flour for a lighter cake. Do not overmix the batter to maintain the cake's tender crumb. Customize with lemon zest, almond extract, chocolate chips, or nuts.