With only 8 ingredients and a simple prep, this vanilla pound cake is a staple among easy-to-make cakes.
Pair it with your favorite sides like blueberries and maple syrup or ice cream and coffee.
Vanilla Pound Cake
This Vanilla pound cake recipe provides you with an easy-to-make, luscious, buttery treat that will melt in your mouth.
We love this recipe because there’s little effort involved in creating a heavenly treat in a short amount of prep time. Every bite packs a buttery and sweet flavor that can be paired with fresh fruit, ice cream, and a hot drink like coffee or tea.
Try our gingerbread cake and this crazy wacky cake next!
Recipe Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¾ cup unsalted butter - softened to room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ⅔ cup whole milk
- 2 large eggs
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
How To Make Vanilla Pound Cake
Follow the steps below or see the full ingredients and instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this blog post.
PREP: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
DRY INGREDIENTS: In a medium bowl, mix together the dry ingredients: 1 ¾ all purpose flour, 1 tsp baking powder and ¼ tsp salt. Set aside.
BUTTER + SUGAR: In a large bowl, beat the ¾ cup of softened butter with 1 cup granulated sugar with a hand mixer until it's smooth and creamy. This will take about 2-3 minutes.
EGGS + MILK: Add 2 large eggs, ⅔ cup of milk and 1 Tbsp vanilla extract and mix again.
MIX: Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until just combined. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth out the top.
BAKE: Bake for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when poked in the center. Cover with foil in the last 20 minutes or so to prevent the top from browning too much.
COOL: Let cool for 15 minutes in the pan then use a knife or thin spatula to loosen the sides and bottom. Gently transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.
Recipe Tips
- BUTTER THE PAN – Remember to spray with cooking spray or butter the pan because it would be a shame to have it stick.
- CREAMINING – It’s important to cream the ingredients together really well. The air bubbles you’re mixing into the batter are critical for expansion. The air will expand and the cake will rise when in the oven.
- MIX AFTER EACH EGG – After creaming the sugar and butter into a fluffy smooth texture, add one egg at a time mixing in between.
- LET INGREDIENTS WARM UP – Using room temperature ingredients will save time when mixing them together so you can achieve those air bubbles we need for the vanilla pound cake to rise.
- ADD DRY INGREDIENTS SLOWLY – These don’t need to be mixed on high, add the dry ingredients to the wet gradually while mixing at the same time.
- TO SERVE - This cake can be served on its own with a cup of coffee or tea. If you would prefer adding a topping, try it with fresh berries, drizzled honey, whipped cream or vanilla ice cream!
How To Store Leftovers
- To Store - Vanilla pound cake tastes great the next day! Make sure to store in an air-tight container at room temperature or in the fridge and eat within 4-7 days.
- To Freeze - Store in an air-tight container or freezer bag and eat when ready. Thanks to the butter this cake freezes and thaws well.
- To Reheat - We recommend letting the cake thaw on its own but if you can’t wait it can be thawed in the microwave. Also, keep in mind it actually tastes great frozen!
Tools For This Recipe
(Amazon affiliate links) - Check out all of my kitchen essentials here.
- Ultra Power Speed Hand Mixer - I love this hand mixer because it has settings from very low to ultra-high. It's easy to clean and comes in the prettiest teal color. I used it to mix the batter easily.
- NonStick Pro 1 Lb Loaf Pan - I have two of these loaf pans and use them for all my baking and bread recipes! They are non-stick and so durable, I know that they'll last me a lifetime.
- Mixing Bowls With Pour Spout (3 Set) - Great for mixing dry ingredients, wet ingredients and then adding them together.
- Spatula – Gentle enough to scrape along the bottom of the bowl and catch all the batter.
- Measuring Spoons – I love these magnetic ones which stay nice and organized together when storing them! Perfect for measuring all your ingredients.
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Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¾ cup unsalted butter - softened to room temperature
- 1 cup white sugar
- ⅔ cup whole milk
- 2 large eggs
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the dry ingredients: 1 ¾ all purpose flour, 1 tsp baking powder and ¼ tsp salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat the ¾ cup of softened butter with 1 cup granulated sugar with a hand mixer until it's smooth and creamy. This will take about 2-3 minutes.
- Add 2 large eggs, ⅔ cup of milk and 1 Tbsp vanilla extract and mix again.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until just combined. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth out the top.
- Bake for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when poked in the center. Cover with foil in the last 20 minutes or so to prevent the top from browning too much.
- Let cool 15 minutes in the pan then use a knife or thin spatula to loosen the sides and bottom. Gently transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.
Nutrition Info
The nutritional information provided is an estimate and is per serving.
Jen says
Made this tonight on a whim, it is so delicious! This will be on my rotation of simple desserts. Thank you!
marie says
i’m young and love baking! i’ve tried a few pound cake recipes out there and this is by far the best one! my whole family loved it too!