← Back to the recipe

Print: Classic Vanilla Butter Pound Cake

Press Ctrl+P (⌘P on a Mac) to print.

Prints on one page of US Letter or A4, with a QR code back to the recipe.

Pound Cake · Classic Vanilla Loaf

Classic Vanilla Butter Pound Cake

A golden, buttery loaf with a tight, velvety crumb and a cracked top. It is easy to make and keeps for days. Serve plain, toasted with berries, or with whipped cream.

Scan for the recipe
Prep
20 min
Cook
1 hr 5 min
Total
2 hr 45 min
Serves
10 · 1 loaf (about 10 slices)
Level
Easy

Ingredients

  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened (227 g)
  • 1 cup granulated sugar, 200 g
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • 4 large eggs, room temperature
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled (220 g)
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • 2 tbsp milk, room temperature

Steps

  1. Heat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan and line it with a parchment sling.
  2. In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar and salt on medium-high until very light and fluffy. This long beating gives the cake its lift.
  3. Beat in the eggs one at a time, beating 30 seconds after each and scraping the bowl. Beat in the vanilla.
  4. Whisk the flour and baking powder in a separate bowl.
  5. Add half the flour mixture and mix on low just until it disappears. Mix in the milk, then the rest of the flour.
  6. Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top.
  7. Bake until golden with a crack down the middle and a toothpick in the center comes out clean.
  8. Cool in the pan on a rack.
  9. Lift the cake out and let it cool completely before slicing.

Tip: If the batter looks curdled after the eggs, keep beating. It will smooth out once the flour goes in.

Tip: Slices toast wonderfully in a buttered skillet.

Storage: Wrapped at room temperature up to 5 days.

Make ahead: Wrap the cooled cake well and freeze up to 3 months.

Estimated nutrition per serving: 350 calories · protein 5 g · carbohydrates 37 g · fiber <1 g · sugars 20 g · fat 21 g (saturated 12 g) · sodium 140 mg. Estimate from USDA FoodData Central; not medical or dietary advice. Based on 8 of 8 ingredients.