The Best Pound Cake Recipes

BEST POUND CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter two 9-by-5-inch loaf pans; dust with flour, tapping out excess. In a bowl, whisk together flour and salt. (If making the lighter version, add baking powder at same time as salt.)
• With an electric mixer on high speed, beat butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, about 8 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl. Reduce speed to medium; beat in vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time, beating thoroughly after each and scraping down sides of bowl. Reduce speed to low; add flour mixture in 2 batches (alternating with sour cream if making the lighter version), beating until just incorporated.
• Divide batter evenly between prepared pans. Tap pans on counter; smooth tops with an offset spatula. Bake until a cake tester inserted into center of each cake comes out clean, about 70-75 minutes. Transfer pans to a wire rack to cool 30 minutes. Turn out cakes onto rack to cool completely.

THE BEST POUND CAKE (COOK'S ILLUSTRATED)

Steps:

• Adjust oven rack to center position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 9-by-5-by-3 1/2-inch loaf pan (7 1/2-inch capacity) with vegetable shortening or spray. Line the bottom and sides of pan with parchment paper.
• Beat butter in bowl of electric mixer set at medium-high speed until smooth and shiny, about 15 seconds. With machine still on, take about 30 seconds to sprinkle in sugar. Beat mixture until light, fluffy and almost white, 4 to 5 minutes, stopping mixer once or twice to scrape down sides of bowl.
• Mix eggs, yolks, vanilla and water in a 2 cup glass measure with a pour spout, set in a pan of tepid water until mixture is about 70 degrees. With mixer set at medium-high speed, take 3 to 5 minutes to add egg mixture to butter/sugar mixture in a very slow, thin stream. Finally, beat in salt.
• Remove bowl from mixer stand. Turn 1/2 cup flour into sieve or shaker; sprinkle it over batter. Fold gently with rubber spatula, scraping up from bottom of the bowl, until flour is incorporated. Repeat twice more, adding flour in 1/2-cup increments.
• Scrape batter into prepared pan, smoothing top with a spatula or wooden spoon. Bake until cake needle or tester inserted into crack running along top comes out clean, 70 to 80 minutes. Let cake rest in pan for 5 minutes, then invert onto wire rack. Place second wire rack on cake bottom, then turn cake top side up. Cool to room temperature, remove and discard parchment, wrap cake in plastic, then in foil. Store cake at room temperature.

GREAT-GRANDMA ELECTRA'S POUND CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Spray a fluted tube pan (such as Bundt®) with cooking spray. Place oven rack on the lowest level.
• Beat sugar, butter, and cream cheese together until creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating until smooth.
• Sift flour, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl and stir into the batter. Stir in vanilla extract. Pour into the prepared pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour and 30 minutes.

BEST EVER BUTTER POUND CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350.
• Cream butter and sugar.
• Add eggs one at a time.
• Add sifted flour a cup at a time.
• Add milk and flavoring.
• Pour into a greased bundt cake pan.
• Bake about 1 hour.