Does a Pound Cake Have a Pound of Butter and a Pound of Flour?

Many nostalgic recipes for pound cake do in fact call for a pound of butter, flour, sugar, and eggs. You can absolutely make your cake that way still; it will in fact work. But many cooks and recipe developers, like those in the Southern Living Test Kitchen, have adapted pound cake recipes for better results that still deliver incredible texture and flavor. Even today, however, pound cake tends to have a higher ratio of fat than normal cakes, making it more dense and rich than other cakes.

Homemade Pound Cake Ingredients

A good pound cake recipe calls for minimal ingredients. Our version has just eight, and you may have every single one of them in your fridge and pantry right now.

Unsalted butter: We do call for one pound of butter, or four standard sticks. Use unsalted since you're using so much. You don't want this to be too salty.
Granulated sugar: For sweetness, and it aids in browning.
Eggs and egg yolks: Provides the rich texture and helps the cake rise during baking.
Vanilla extract: Bring rich, warm flavors of vanilla to the cake.
All-purpose flour: This provides the perfect texture and tender crumb for the absolute best pound cake.
Baking powder: Gives the pound cake just enough rise to be tender and fluffy.
Kosher salt: Salt helps balance the sweetness of the cake.

Southern Living Pound Cake ingredients — Victor Protasio, Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey

How To Make Pound Cake

Grab your tube pan. This cake comes together quickly, another reason pound cake is a favorite for potlucks, birthday parties, and more. It's easy!

Step 1. Cream butter and sugar: Mix the butter in an electric mixer until creamy. Then add the sugar and mix until fluffy.
Step 2. Add eggs: To the butter and sugar, add the eggs and egg yolks one at a time. Mix after each addition, then add vanilla. The reason you need to add eggs one at a time is because if you add them all at once you overwhelm the lecithin in the eggs with too much moisture which can create a clotted or split mixture this will also result in lopsided cake or a dense texture.
Step 3. Add dry ingredients: Mix in the flour, baking powder, and salt until the batter is well combined. Scrape down sides to make sure all the flour is incorporated.
Step 4. Bake: Spoon the pound cake batter into a 10-inch tube pan that is coated with butter and flour. Bake 55 to 65 minutes until a wooden pick comes out clean.
Step 5. Cool: Let the cake cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. Use a butter knife or offset spatula to help release the cake from the edges of the pan. Then flip the cake out of the pan. Cool completely.

What Is the Secret to a Good Pound Cake?

The secret to a good pound cake is to use room temperature ingredients so the batter emulsifies easily and doesn’t get overmixed. Also, making sure you cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy will yield the best results.

How To Store Pound Cake

Pound cake can be stored at room temperature, covered, for up to 4 days. You can also freeze pound cake up to 3 months. We like to freeze individual slices, wrapped in plastic wrap, so we can enjoy one any time we want—just let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes to thaw it.

Tips for the Best Pound Cake Ever

With a recipe as simple as a classic pound cake, you need to get the small things right to make the cake the best it can be. The Southern Living Test Kitchen shared these tips to help:

Use the right butter: You want to make sure your butter is room temperature. Don't take any shortcuts and microwave the butter. You will not get the same amount of volume from partially melted butter the way you will from softened butter.
Bring eggs to room temp: If you forgot to pull your eggs out, you can place them in a bowl with hot tap water for 10 minutes to bring them up to room temperature.
Do not overbake. The quickest way to make a dry pound cake is to overbake it. Start checking it right before the baking time ends, then continue baking in five-minute increments so it won't cook too far.

Substitutions for Pound Cake

We have lots of pound cake recipes, so if you want something a little different from this classic kind, we've got you covered. But you can also alter this recipe slightly subtle upgrades.

Add some almond extract with the vanilla for a richer flavor.
Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Macerated strawberries would also be wonderful.

pound cake slices — Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Lydia Pursell

Ingredients

2 cups (1 lb.) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing pan
3 cups granulated sugar
8 large eggs, at room temperature
4 large egg yolks, at room temperature
1 1/2 Tbsp. vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups (about 15 oz.) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting pan
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. kosher salt

Directions

Prepare oven and baking pan:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan with additional butter and flour. Shake out excess flour; set pan aside.

Victor Protasio, Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey
Beat butter:

Beat butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute.

Victor Protasio, Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey
Cream butter and sugar:

Add sugar, and continue beating on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl as needed.

Victor Protasio, Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey
Add eggs:

Reduce mixer speed to low; add eggs and yolks, one at a time, beating just until combined after each addition, about 1 minute, 30 seconds total.

Victor Protasio, Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey
Add vanilla:

Add vanilla, and beat on low speed until fully combined, about 30 seconds.

Victor Protasio, Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey
Add dry ingredients:

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl until no clumps remain. Gradually add flour mixture to sugar mixture in 4 batches until fully incorporated, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl as needed, 2 to 3 minutes.

Victor Protasio, Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey
Spoon batter into pan:

Spoon batter into prepared pan, spreading into an even layer.

Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey
Bake in preheated oven until golden brown and a wooden pick inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs, 55 to 65 minutes.
Remove pan from oven, place on a wire rack; let cool 10 minutes. Run a butter knife around sides of pan to release cake from pan.
Place a wire rack over top of pan, and invert cake onto wire rack. Flip cake right side up. Let cool completely on wire rack, 1 hour, 30 minutes to 2 hours.