Classic Pound Cake Recipe
Pound cake is one of those desserts that is great for any occasion. You can serve it on a busy weeknight, a summer barbecue, or at a fancy party. It is a very versatile dessert that can be prepared in many different ways.
Recipe developer Jessica Morone brings us this classic pound cake recipe with a secret ingredient: sour cream. While Morone notes that it "isn't an ingredient in a traditional pound cake recipe ... it makes this pound cake so moist and tender." She adds that while whipped cream and fruit are the typical accompaniments, "you could serve it with anything you want, such as honey, chocolate sauce, ice cream, or nuts."
It also keeps fairly well. You can wrap any remaining pound cake in plastic wrap to be stored at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the fridge for up to 1 week. It also freezes great, and frozen leftovers could be stored for up to 2 months.
Gather your classic pound cake ingredients
To make this classic pound cake, we will start by gathering our ingredients. For this recipe, we will need unsalted butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, the aforementioned sour cream, and flour.
Cream butter and sugar
To start, preheat the oven to 350 F and grease and flour a 9x5-inch loaf pan. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the room temperature butter. It's key that the butter is room temperature here so that the butter and sugar can incorporate together. Using the paddle attachment, mix until the butter is smooth. Add in the sugar and cream the two together until the mixture is light and fluffy.
Add more wet ingredients
Add in the eggs one at a time. Mix each egg individually to allow them all to fully incorporate. Once the eggs have been added, toss in the vanilla extract and sour cream. Mix on medium speed for about 2 minutes so the mixture becomes slightly airy. This takes the place of incorporating leavening agents like baking powder; pound cake should be dense and fudgy, not light and airy!
Add the dry ingredient (aka the flour)
Now it's time for your dry ingredient; slowly add in the flour. Be careful not to add it too quickly, or the mixer will kick up the flour and make a mess. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula and mix again in order to make sure that all the flour is incorporated.
Bake and cool the pound cake
Now we can bake our pound cake. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan, smoothing out the top. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out clean. Once baked, remove the pan from the oven and let it cool for at least 10 minutes. Then remove the pound cake from the pan and transfer to a cooling rack to completely cool.
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease and flour a 9x5-inch loaf pan, then set it aside.
- Add the butter to the bowl of a stand mixer and use the paddle attachment to cream it until it is smooth.
- Add the sugar and continue to cream the mixture on medium speed for 5 minutes, until it is light and fluffy. Stop once to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
- Lower the mixer to the lowest speed and add the eggs to the bowl, 1 at a time, waiting until each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next.
- Once the eggs are fully incorporated, add the vanilla extract and sour cream. Beat on medium speed for about 2 minutes.
- Lower the mixer to the lowest speed again and slowly add the flour. Mix until the flour is just combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula, then beat the mixture on medium speed for 30 seconds.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan and smooth out the batter on the top. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes, until the center is set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
- Allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack until completely cool. Cut and serve.
| Calories per Serving | 275 |
| Total Fat | 18.4 g |
| Saturated Fat | 11.2 g |
| Trans Fat | 0.6 g |
| Cholesterol | 85.6 mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 25.1 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 0.3 g |
| Total Sugars | 17.1 g |
| Sodium | 22.3 mg |
| Protein | 2.8 g |
