Perfect Pound Cake is buttery and sweet, with a hint of vanilla. This cake is rich, with the flavor of shortbread cookies, but still light as a feather. Serve with fresh whipped cream and berries as a fancy dessert or brunch dish – can also be made ahead and frozen.
This delicious , moist Perfect Pound Cake is like a “little black dress” because it goes with everything and is perfect for just about any occasion. You can make it fancy with a dollop of whipped cream and a strawberry, use two slices to make strawberry shortcake, dip chunks into fondue or cut it up and use it in a trifle. Just like the “little black dress”, the possibilities are endless.
Pound cake is one of our favorite desserts. And when strawberries are in season – I’ll make my tasty homemade strawberry sauce to ladle over the top! So much goodness…so simple to make!
Many (and I do mean MANY) years ago I worked as a librarian. I know…it’s hard to believe that a woman who does not know the meaning of the word “Quiet” could ever work in a library! Anyway, the library was always giving away overstock books and I got my grubby little hands on an old copy of Campbell’s Great American Cookbook. It sounds silly but this cookbook completely inspired me, and this recipe is adapted from it.
All this time later, I still have it and even though some of the pages are unbound or stuck together (banana bread mishap) it is still my go-to reference for the kitchen. Do you have a cookbook like this, one favorite that you use all the time?
HOW TO MAKE A PERFECT POUND CAKE
Here are the cast of characters in this Pound Cake drama. The milk and nutmeg are missing! They probably hate to have their picture taken. That is exactly why I don’t like group photos!
INGREDIENTS:
- 3 and 1/4 cups sugar
- 3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter (softened to room temperature)
- 6 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup milk (I use 1% milk)
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Egg Sizes and Substitutions
Since this pound cake recipe was first posted, there have been questions about different sized eggs being substituted. Here are the basic weight of each common chicken egg size so you can see how to substitute recipe eggs based on the weight of the eggs. For this recipe, substitute up to the next whole egg, it’s not necessary to divide the egg.
EXAMPLE – a recipe calls for 6 extra-large eggs, or about 13.5 ounces of eggs. (6 x 2.25 ounces = 13.5). So to substitute large eggs for the extra-large ones, you would need 7 eggs, which would be about 14.00 ounces. (7 x 2.00 ounces = 14 ounces).
- Jumbo – 2.5 ounces per egg on average
- Extra Large – 2.25 ounces per egg on average
- Large – 2.0 ounces per egg on average
- Medium – 1.75 ounces per egg on average
- Small – 1.5 ounces per egg on average
?Just FYI – Eggs are classed by the USDA based on the minimum weight per dozen eggs, not on an individual egg’s size.
DIRECTIONS:
Get things rolling by preheating your oven to 325 F. Then, in your large mixing bowl add the butter and sugar. (Wait…Don’t lick the butter wrappers yet because you will use them in a minute to grease up your baking pan.)
Set up your stand mixer with the paddle attachment. I love my powerful KitchenAid Professional 5 Plus Mixer from Amazon, but a hand mixer will work too!
On medium speed, cream the butter and sugar for about 5 minutes. It will become light and fluffy and sing like an angel..not really, but it will be light and fluffy.
While you are waiting what seems like forever (5 minutes)for the mixer, measure out the flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg into a bowl. Set this aside.
I love to use this handled measuring bowl from Amazon to mix up the dry ingredients. The handle makes it so much easier to add things into that tiny space between the edge of the bowl and the stand mixer beaters!
After the 5 minutes of creaming are up…it is time to add the eggs to the batter. Now, since we never make a mistake in the kitchen…EVER (really?)…crack the eggs one at a time into a cup (to make sure the egg is not bad) and then add them one at a time into the mixer, set to medium speed.
Let the mixer do it’s thing for about 45 seconds each time before adding the next egg. If you are using medium or large eggs, you can add in a 7th egg to make up the difference if you like. Add in the vanilla and beat an additional 30 seconds.
Let me tell you, when I first started baking, I thought I would be super efficient by cracking all of the eggs into a cup first, then plopping them one at a time into the mixer bowl. (Like I saw it done on TV). Well, I had cracked three eggs into my cup and of course number 4 was bad and you guessed it…all four eggs had to be thrown out. The only thing hurt that day was my pride, but it’s one of those lessons you don’t forget!
After the eggs are beaten in, the dry ingredients get added. First, add 1/2 of the dry ingredients into the bowl and beat on low speed just until mixed in (to not overwork the flour), then add 1/2 the milk and with the mixer still on low, beat the milk in until just blended.
Scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula between mixing in the dry ingredients and the milk. Repeat with the other half of the dry ingredients and the milk.
This is a good time to grease and flour your baking pan. Take those butter wrappers and wipe down your pan really well. Then add a tablespoon or two of flour and work the pan around until the flour has coated all of the butter. Tap out any excess flour and you are good to go!
Pour the batter into the baking pan (a 12 cup cake pan will hold all of the batter) and fill no more than 2/3 full. Smooth the top with a spoon or spatula. If you have extra batter, just bake it in another pan or muffin tin. Watch the baking time carefully because it will bake in a lot less time than a big cake.
Place the pan in the 325 F oven and bake for about 85 minutes (1 hour and 25 minutes), depending on your oven and the size of the pan you use. Start checking your cake at 75 minutes. The cake is done when a toothpick stuck in the cake comes out clean and the cake is just starting to pull away from the sides of the pan.
Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool about 15 minutes before inverting and removing the cake from the pan. It may not pop right out so just let the pan sit upside down on the plate for a few and it should release.
This cake smells so good when finally released from the pan. The butter in the cake crust smells like toasted coconut. It is worth making this pound cake just for that heavenly aroma! And if you love shortbread cookies you will love this cake, it tastes just like them!
Later, I will need to hide this cake and forget where I put it…for my own good!
More Cake Recipe Ideas for You:
- Southern Butter Pecan Pound Cake
- Glazed Lemon Pound Cake
- Classic Carrot Cake
- Flourless Chocolate Cake
- Banana Bread Cream Cheese Bundt Cake
Perfect Pound Cake
Ingredients
- 3-1/4 cups sugar
- 3/4 pound unsalted butter room temperature
- 6 extra large eggs or 8 large, room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup milk
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325° F. Grease and flour a 12 cup bundt cake pan.
- In a large mixing bowl add the butter and sugar. On medium speed using a paddle attachment or hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar for about 5 minutes until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time into the mixer, set to medium speed. Beat for 45 seconds after each egg. Add the vanilla to the mixture and beat an additional 30 seconds.
- .In a medium bowl, measure out the flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. At low speed, add 1/2 of the dry ingredients to the butter and egg mixture, and beat until just blended. Then add 1/2 the milk and with the mixer still on low, beat the milk in until just blended. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula between mixing in the dry ingredients and the milk. Repeat the process with the remaining half of the dry ingredients and the milk.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and fill no more than 2/3 full. Smooth the top with a spoon or spatula. Place the pan into the 325° F preheated oven and bake for 85 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean and the cake is just starting to pull away from the sides.
- Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool about 15 minutes before inverting and removing the cake from the pan. Allow to cool before serving.
Chef Tips
Equipment Used
Nutrition Facts
© Copyright Christine Mello for Must Love Home. We would love for you to share a link to this recipe but please do not copy/paste the recipe instructions to websites or social media. We are happy for you to share a photo with a link back to this website instead.
Post Updated September 2020
Hi Andrew, try filling the pan less full, maybe halfway. Lots of things can effect rise of your cake…true size of the eggs, elevation, etc. Simplest is to put less batter in the pan. Hope that helps:)
I have made this recipe numerous time in the past with great success and my family loves it when I make it. I attempted the recipe today and the first attempt the cake overflowed the top of the pan and made a huge mess. I set out a second batch of ingredients to bring to room temp and baked a second attempt. Thankfully I put a pan under my bunt pan. This attempt also flowed over the top and I left out a third of the batter. Has this ever happened to you before? Any help would be much appreciated as I love this recipe but it’s failed me twice today and I feel quite defeated.
Hi Pearl, so glad you liked it! I make this pound cake several times a year and it’s always so delicious! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you!
Made pound cake today, touch of nutmeg was amazing…..best light and moist pc ever! Definitely will make again. Took a picture!
Hi Patty, this dense cake is intended to be baked in a bundt pan or 2 loaf pans. Is that how you made it? Also it’s possible that the butter was too cold when creamed or the baking powder did not activate. Let me know how it goes.
This is the best pound cake ever.
That being said, the last two times I made it, it sank in the middle! Any thoughts on what I’m doing wrong? I have people asking me to bake this cake for them it is so good! Help!
Thank you. This is a long-time reader favorite…hope you love it ?!
I’m making this pound cake Sunday for our Church luncheon after church. Can’t wait to taste it.
Hi Daniel. I haven’t made a half recipe of this cake (we freeze any leftovers), but if I did, I would make it in an 8 or 9 inch loaf pan. Baking temperature at 325 and I would start testing for done at about an hour…until a toothpick or knife comes out of the center clean. Hope that helps!
This looks like a good recipe, but I am only a one person household. If I cut the recipe in half can you recommend a loaf pan size and baking temp and time? Thank you.
Hi Sheila, thank you very much for the comment and rating! “Lessons learned” makes the best cooks – Bravo to you for wanting to try this recipe again??.
This is a very delicious pound cake.My first time ever to make one and I didn’t follow directions about how much batter to put in pan and needless to say it went over the top.Lesson learned!! Fill to 2/3 full! Will definitely try again!
Hi Julie, an extra large egg weighs about 2.25 ounces:)
Hi, May I know what is the weight of the extra large eggs you used?
Thanks!
Hi Mary, you could simply omit the nutmeg or substitute Mace (comes from the nutmeg seed). Hope that helps ?.
I’m making the “perfect Pound cake” and ran of of nutmeg, what can I do ?
Hi Janet – thank you! I made two of these the other day to freeze…we never get tired of this delicious cake. I’m so glad you love it too!?
Just made this beautiful and delicious cake this afternoon, again! It is to die for.
Hi Colleen, thank you for the rating! It’s much appreciated?! And you are welcome. How right you are…this pound cake is amazing with added nuts, berries or a little booze (our favorite is spiced rum walnuts, for the holidays!) ?
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. I have been searching for the perfect light and moist pound cake and my search is over. I followed your directions and I swear I did hear angels sing!!!. Easy to flavor to individual taste. Keep your great recipes coming!!! Happy 4th!!!!??
Hi Robbyn, that’s a great question. I wouldn’t totally substitute the whisky for the milk, which may break down the structure of the cake…making it very dense and also reduce the fat content. You could experiment by substituting 1/4 cup whisky and 3/4 cup milk for the cup of milk. OR you could add a few tablespoons of the whisky and leave the amount of milk unchanged. Some of the alcohol will evaporate, and may take away some of the original flavor of the cake. You would need to experiment with the amount of whisky added depending on how “boozy” you want the cake to be. You could also bake the cake as is, then make a whisky glaze from butter, sugar, water and whisky, poke holes in the cooling cake and let the glaze soak into the cake. Hope that helps?
I have some pecan praline whisky that I would like to incorporate into this cake. Would it substitute well for the milk in the recipe?
Hi Pamela, I don’t really sift the flour for this cake. I usually stir the flour in the canister first to make sure it’s not packed down, then use a spoon to transfer the amount I need to a measuring cup. Hope that helps?.
DO I SIFT THE FLOUR AND HOW MANY TIMES
Hi Darcy. Your berry compote idea sounds yummy! What a great summer dessert idea…so please let me know how it turned out. Thanks for the comment and the rating, I really appreciate it?.
I love this pound cake !! It’s awesome with fruit. Ice cream, cool whip and just plain. It is my daughters favorite infact our entire family loves it. I’ve made it so many times. Today I had some mixed berry compote I made so I drained it and filled the pan 1/2 full then put rest of the batter on . It’s in the oven now . So wish me luck .
Hi Mega, yes…adding pecans should be fine. This recipe is very similar to my Southern Butter Pecan Pound Cake, which has a full 2 cups of pecans added to it!?
Can i add pecans to the batter?
Hi Jannie, thank you! I totally get the added vanilla… I love a “heavy” pour of it myself??!
Omg, my family love it, they said it is the best cake or pound cake ever. I only added one thing, 1/2 teaspoon more of van extract.
It was wonderful and i used my staple butter cream icing.
Thank you so much this will be my go to from not on.
Hi Betty, you will use 3 and 1/4 cups of sugar ?.
Hello HELP!!! ’m in the process to make the Perfect Pound Cake and began to think and confuse myself about the amount of sugar. Should I use 3cups of sugar plus 1/4cup of sugar or do I use 1/4 cup of sugar 3times. smh
Thank you so much. Betty S
We love this Pound Cake recipe. Made it three times and great each time! Used 2 more eggs because we only buy medium.
This is really good pound cake. Thanks for sharing the recipe. I like that you explained each step of how to make it.
Hi Nancy, I love when readers play with the ingredients. I’ve never tried it with the gluten free flour so I’m curious to know how turned out?. Good luck!
In the oven now… starting a sugar fast on Monday and using up stuff I need out of the house for a bit. Just realized I think my flour may be gluten free so we’ll see. I also totally forgot to flour the pan ??♀️??♀️ I also added a 1/2 tsp almond extract. My eggs are large and I stuck with the 6. My milk on hand is 1/2 n 1/2 and oat haha. We shall see just how forgiving the recipe is I guess ?? sure smells good…. another 30 in the oven and 15 to cool… I’ll get back to you…
Hi Kaniz! If I understand correctly, you’re asking if you should flour the pan before adding the mixture. Yes, you definitely should grease and flour the pan before adding in the batter. There is a photo of how the pan should look in the recipe post. I use butter to liberally grease the pan, then add in a few tablespoons of flour and rotate the pan around until the flour sticks to the butter all the way around the sides and bottom of the pan, as well as on the center post of the bundt pan. I hope that helps! Shoot me a photo of how your cake turns out!??.
Hi Christine!
I wanna make this cake Fr thanksgiving dinner…do I sprinkle some flour to the pan before filling the pan w the mixture to have a better hold crust?
Hi Cathy, this pound cake has a delicious outer crust, but it’s not especially thick. The pictures show really well how thick the golden crust actually is, so I’ll let you decide ?.
Does this pound cake have the thick yummy outer crust ? That’s what I’m looking for 🙂
Hi Bev, that’s a great question. Yes, you can substitute cake flour, but you’ll want to use a little more than the AP flour the recipe calls for. Cake flour is lighter in weight at the same measure of AP flour, so for every cup of AP flour the recipe calls for, use 1 cup + 2 TBSP of cake flour. Thanks for the comment and hope it helps.?!
Bev can cake flour work, because I used cake flour. And it can put great.
Hi Debbie, that’s a great question. Yes, technically you can sub in salted butter, but because each stick (1/4 pound) of salted butter contains about 1/4 teaspoon of salt (varies by manufacturer), I would not add any additional salt to this recipe. Salt also acts like a preservative allowing salted butter to stay on store shelves longer than unsalted, so make sure any butter you use is very fresh. I hope that helps, and thanks for the comment?.
Can you use butter with salt, and do 1/4 teaspoon of salt. I have never used unsalted butter.
Hi Janet, thanks so much for the nice comment! I’ve been working on delicious flavor variations for this recipe that should be posted soon. I hope you’ll try them too and give me your feedback. Thanks again?.
This pound cake was the best and very nice explanation easy to fallow thank you so much .sofar i tried it three times for our church and every body liked it thank you again
Hi Karen, the recipe calls for 3/4 pounds of butter, not 3/4 cup. Each 1/2 cup stick of butter weights 1/4 pound, so you would need 3 sticks to make 3/4 pound. I wrote the “(3 sticks)” next to the 3/4 pounds on the ingredient list to make the amount needed clear because everyone doesn’t buy butter by the same measure. Thanks for asking the question.?
I am asking how 3/4 butter equals 3 sticks. My butter is 1/2 c per stick so if the amount used 3/4 c that would be 1 1\2 sticks of butter. Please explain. Thank you.
Hi Rosemary and thanks for the question. In baking, milk is used to add moisture and a tender crumb to the cake. Substituting heavy cream for the same amount of milk may make the cake dense and not as tender because of the high fat content in the cream. This recipe already contains a substantial amount of fat because of the butter, so I would be careful adding more. If you don’t have milk in the house, you can dilute the cream with water (I would use 1/2 cup cream and 1/2 cup water). I hope that helps!?
HI CHRISTNE, CAN WHIP CREAM BE USED INSTEAD OF MILK?
Thank you Shirley! I’m loving that you liked it enough to make it a second time?
Great cake. I’ve made it twice.
Thank you!?
Maria, thank you so much! I really appreciate the comment and rating.?
The best pound cake ever
The best pound cake.
Hi Pat, thanks for the question. For the 6 extra large eggs, you can substitute 8 large eggs instead. That should give you to correct amount of “egg” liquid for the recipe. Have a wonderful day!?
I swear extra large eggs don’t exist in my area. How many “large eggs should I use. Recipe looks good and doesn’t have almond in it.
I am glad you liked it! I love to make this pound cake on a cold day with the windows shut…it makes the house smell amazing! Thank you for your comment and rating, I so appreciate it!
Ms Christine I Made This Pound Cake 2/10/19. Follow Your Recipe To The Tee. The Cake Came Out Perfect. Sooo Delicious.
I am so glad! Thank you for letting me know!
I made your receipe tonight and it was perfect! Thank you!
Thank you!
Thanks for the marvelous posting! I seriously enjoyed reading it, you are a great author.
I will ensure that I bookmark your blog and may come back later on. I want to
encourage you to ultimately continue your great work, have a nice afternoon!
Well I have made pound cake before, and it certainly was not perfect. 🙂 Love this post, and love your writing. your first group photo cracked me up. Pinning this for later so I can have Perfect pound cake the next time I give it a try.
Hi Tanisha, to answer your question, I used all purpose flour. This is the PERFECT pound cake for strawberry shortcake. I used to make it in loaf pans (this recipe makes 2 loaves) and then cut thin slices to make layers of strawberries and cake…with whipped cream and chocolate sauce (my version of strawberry shortcake:) Please let me know how your cake turns out! Hugs- Christine
Did you use self-rising flour or all-purpose flour? The cake looks delicious. I’m planning on using the cake to make strawberry shortcake.