Classic Homemade Pound Cake Recipes

CLASSIC POUND CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Generously grease a large (10-inch) Bundt pan with butter and set aside.
• Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter, sugar and vegetable shortening until light and fluffy. In a large liquid measuring cup, combine the milk, vanilla, eggs and almond extract if using. Stir to combine. Add the flour mixture and milk mixture to the butter mixture, alternating between the dry and wet ingredients in three parts, starting and ending with the dry. Fill the prepared pan with the batter.
• Bake for 15 minutes. Increase the oven temperature to 325 degrees F and bake until the cake is warm golden brown and pulls away from the sides of the pan, or a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, an additional 45 minutes. Remove to a rack to cool for 10 minutes. Invert the cake onto a rack to cool completely, at least 20 minutes.

CLASSIC POUND CAKE RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease an 8x4 loaf pan.
• Cream butter, vanilla and sugar until very light and fluffy, about 7-8 minutes. Add eggs one at a time and beat to combine.
• Combine flour and salt. Add flour mixture a little bit at a time, beating just until combined.
• Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
• Cool completely.

HOMEMADE POUND CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and flour a 12-cup fluted tube pan (such as Bundt®).
• Place sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl. Cream together using an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or a hand mixer, on medium speed, until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating for 45 seconds after each addition. Add vanilla extract and beat for 30 seconds.
• Combine flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Add 1/2 of the dry ingredients to the butter and egg mixture, mixing on low speed, until just blended. Add 1/2 cup milk and beat on low speed until just blended. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula between each addition. Repeat with remaining dry ingredients and milk.
• Pour batter into the prepared baking pan, filling no more than 2/3 full. Smooth the top with a spoon or a spatula.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the cake is just starting to pull away from the sides of the pan, about 1 hour and 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 15 minutes before inverting onto a plate. Allow to cool completely before serving.

CLASSIC POUND CAKE

Steps:

• Place a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour the pan of your choice.
• Sift the flour and salt into a medium bowl and set aside. Whisk the whole eggs, yolks, milk, and the vanilla together in a 4-cup measuring cup or bowl, and set aside. In a heavy duty mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter at a medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Gradually pour in the sugar, 1/4 cup at a time, to cream and lighten the butter. (This should take about 3 minutes.) Once all the sugar is added, turn the machine off and scrape down the sides of the bowl and paddle with a rubber spatula. Continue to beat the butter mixture until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the lemon zest and beat for 30 seconds more.
• Turn the machine off and scrape the sides of the bowl again to assure even incorporation of the ingredients. Turn the mixer to its lowest setting. Gradually pour in the flour, 1/4 cup at a time, and beat the batter for 30 seconds. Gradually add the egg mixture. (It should take about a minute to pour all of it into the batter.) Remove the bowl from the mixer, scrape any batter off the paddle, and finish stirring the egg mixture into the batter with a rubber spatula. Take care not to over mix the batter, but make sure that you scrape the bottom of the bowl to evenly incorporate all of the ingredients.
• Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and smooth over the top with a spatula. Put the cake in the oven and reduce the temperature to 325 degrees F. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, and the top springs back when lightly pressed, about 1 hour and 30 minutes, for the tube or Bundt pans; and 50 minutes to 1 hour for loaf pans.
• Cool the cake, in the pan, on a rack, for 10 to 15 minutes. Invert the cake onto a flat plate or cardboard. Re-invert the cake and set it right side up on the rack to cool completely. If not serving the same day, wrap in plastic wrap and store at room temperature, for 4 to 5 days or freeze for 1 month.

CLASSIC POUND CAKE

Steps:

• Set oven rack to center position and preheat to 325 degrees f.
• Grease a standard 9x5x3 metal loaf pan with crisco or softened butter-- dust with flour.
• Sift flour and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.
• Place butter in your mixing bowl and beat until smooth, creamy and light colored-- 30 seconds on a stand mixer, 60 seconds by hand.
• Gradually add sugar and beat until butter is very white and fluffy.
• About 3 minutes on your stand mixer, 5 mins by hand.
• It's critical that everything is at room temperature at this point, feel the outside of the mixing bowl-- if it's too cool then allow it to sit until it reaches room temperature.
• Add the whole eggs, one at a time and beat for 20 seconds after each addition.
• The mixture should be dull and smooth at this point.
• If it appears grainy and/or curdled then the temperature is probably too cold for the eggs to combine properly with the butter.
• Allow it to warm then rebeat for a few seconds.
• This is critical for this cake as there is no chemical levener and having the eggs and butter properly mixed is the only thing that will give this cake structure and allow it to rise.
• DO NOT OVERBEAT, It will make the cake tough.
• Add vanilla extract and beat for a few more seconds.
• Sift the flour in three equal parts into the butter/sugar/egg mixture, folding gently into the after each addition until all the flour has been incorporated and the batter is well mixed.
• Be sure to scrape up from the bottom of the bowl frequently.
• Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 70 minutes, rotating 180 degrees halfway thru the baking process.
• In 70 minutes test the cake with a wooden toothpick.
• If it's not done continue to bake and check every 5 minutes.
• Cool on rack for 5 minutes before removing from pan.