Easy Homemade Pound Cake Recipe

This easy homemade pound cake recipe makes an incredibly moist and buttery loaf. Learn how to make this easy pound cake from scratch and then top with your favorite seasonal fruit and homemade whipped cream!

Why is a pound cake called a pound cake?

Originally,  pound cake is a recipe that dates back to the 1700s. It gets the name of pound cake because of how it’s made.The original recipe called for one pound each of flour, sugar, butter, and eggs.

Yes, that is a LOT of fat and calories and I encourage you to NOT skimp on quality!  The best pound cake recipe will have real butter, plenty of eggs, and loads of sugar.  

Like this Easy Homemade Pound Cake Recipe? Try These Cake Recipes, too!

• Easy Vanilla Cake Recipe with Yogurt and Cranberries
• Lemon and Rosemary Olive Oil Cake 
• Molten Chocolate Cake Recipe 

When I think back on my childhood, one of my favorite ‘classic’ summer desserts was fresh fruit served over pound cake and topped with whipped cream. Of course, my mom bought a pound cake from the store and our whipped cream came in a tub but it was still pretty darned tasty.

With my quest to make things a bit more naturally than mom did,  I decided to try making a homemade pound cake, which I have never actually attempted before! This buttery pound cake was the perfect ending to a hot and hectic summer day. 

How long should you let a pound cake cool in the pan?

Once your homemade pound cake comes out of the oven, you must be patient just a LITTLE while longer. If you try to remove it from the pan too soon, it will crumble and fall apart. After removing your pound cake from the oven, place it (still in the pan) on a wire rack.

Let it cool for 10 minutes. This allows the cake to become firm enough to remove from the pan without breaking apart.  I use a stoneware loaf pan so it retails a lot of heat and will take a bit longer to cool off. 

Once it has cooled slightly, slide a knife around the edge and turn out onto a wire cooling rack, placing it bottom side down to finish cooling.  Letting it cool in the pan too long will leave it a bit moist and sticky so don’t delay too long.

Slicing it while it is still slightly warm is fine, just not too hot. This easy homemade pound cake recipe is fairly flexible and hard to really mess up!

How do you eat pound cake?

So, what is the best way to serve homemade pound cake?  Honestly, my favorite dessert recipe is homemade pound cake served with fresh strawberry topping.  Add on a huge pile of homemade whipped cream and I am one happy girl.  

Homemade pound cake can look fancy even if you serve it simple. Just take a slice of pound cake and top it with fresh whipped cream.  Then add piles of  fresh berries and maybe a few mint leaves for garnish. Want to really make it stand out?  Sprinkle a bit of powdered sugar over it!

How do you reheat a pound cake?

Pound cake from scratch is delicious when it is warm out of the oven.  But, obviously, you aren’t going to eat the thing in one day, right?  Well, you could.  Your mouth would be happy… but your belly probably not!  So, how do you reheat a pound cake the next time you want to serve it? 

For oven reheating, place the cake on a foil-lined baking sheet. Place the sheet in a cold oven and turn the oven to 250 degrees. Bake just until the cake is moist and warm but not hot. 

This will only be about 10 minutes.  I don’t really recommend microwave reheating since it can get too hot so quickly.  But, if you do want to reheat pound cake in the microwave, place a slice on a microwave safe dish.  Microwave for 15 second intervals, watching it carefully. This easy homemade pound cake recipe will serve about 12 people.

 

 Easy Homemade Pound Cake Recipe

Just a few simple ingredients (and all of them common pantry staples) are all you need for this rich classic pound cake recipe.  If you are looking for a moist pound cake recipe, this is it!  Check out the Joy of Baking if you want a video of how to make pound cake!

Yield: 12

Easy Homemade Pound Cake Recipe

Print

This easy homemade pound cake recipe makes an incredibly moist and buttery loaf. Learn how to make this easy pound cake from scratch and then top with your favorite seasonal fruit and homemade whipped cream!

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 3 cups unbleached flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 1/2 cups Turbinado sugar
• pinch salt
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 5 eggs
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup milk

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer or large glass bowl combine butter and sugar. Beat 1 minute on medium speed.
3. Gradually add in one egg at a time, beating well after each addition.
4. Add vanilla and almond extract. Beat mixture 2 to 3 minutes more until light and fluffy.
5. Reduce speed to medium and mix in milk alternating with flour mixture just until combined.
6. Pour mixture into 2 greased loaf pans (8 1/2 by 4 inches) and bake approximately 1 hour at 350 degrees or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean.
7. Let cool 10 minutes on wire rack and remove from pan.
8. Let cool 2 hours before slicing and serving

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

10

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 552Total Fat: 22gSaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 144mgSodium: 259mgCarbohydrates: 81gFiber: 1gSugar: 50gProtein: 8g

Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.