Classic Vanilla Pound Cake

A deliciously rich and buttery classic vanilla pound cake. Dress it up with a dusting of powdered sugar or a simple vanilla glaze for a simply perfect dessert.

I’m not really a resolution kinda girl. Too much pressure not to fail and then more pressure to start all over again. A friend of mine recently told me that she calls resolutions “casual promises to herself that she’s under no obligation to fulfill”. That sounds like my kind of resolution. At the start of each year, I do like to set what I like to call “intentions”, if you will. More like things to strive for, goals to keep top of mind for the foreseeable 365 days and beyond. Bet your dying to know what my 2020 intentions entail.
Ok, maybe not, but I’m going to tell you anyway. My first intention is to BE ON TIME. There. It’s out there in the universe. Guessing I can’t take it back now. I’m notorious for being fashionably late for just about everything. Not like hours late, but a good solid 5-10 minutes behind schedule, generally speaking. I’m a major multi-tasker and I’m always trying to squeeze just onneeeee more thing in before I dash out the door in a frenzy. But not this year. This year I am going to be the early bird that gets the worm. First to the starting gate. Better three hours too soon than a minute too late. Ok, that’s a little excessive, but you get the idea.

Never mind that four days into the new year my daughter missed her flight because we arrived late to the airport. In my defense, it wasn’t entirely our fault {airports, man}. But still…late. Not to worry. I’m back on track now and I’m 110% confident that by December 31st, “punctual” will be my middle name.

Speaking of being on time. After all the rich desserts and triple chocolate everything I indulged in over the holidays, I’ve been craving some simpler, less fussy desserts lately. Lord knows my sweet tooth isn’t going anywhere and I don’t dare resolve to eat less sugar. Or butter. But January is as good a time as any to play around with some classic recipes. The ones that come together easily with simple ingredients that you always have on hand. Like this classic vanilla pound cake. It’s a cinch to make, it’s perfect for any season, and it never disappoints.

I’m betting that you have all the ingredients you need to make this easy peasy cake stashed away in your pantry. The beauty of a classic vanilla pound cake is that it requires the simplest ingredients….butter, flour, sugar, eggs. A dash of vanilla, a pinch of salt, and a drizzle of milk round out the ingredient list. And while a typical pound cake doesn’t include any leavener, I’ve added just a smidge of baking powder for a slightly fluffier pound cake. The result is a perfectly moist, not overly dense cake with a rich, melt in your mouth, buttery flavor.

This classic vanilla pound cake is truly delicious all on it’s own. Dress it up if you wish with a dusting of powdered sugar or a simple vanilla bean glaze for even more irresistible vanilla flavor. You can also add citrus flavors to the cake or top it with fresh fruit and whipped cream for a delicious seasonal dessert. The possibilities are endless which is just one of the reasons I adore this cake. And believe it or not, this pound cake tastes even better the day after it’s baked. Yep. As the cakes sits, the internal moisture develops the flavors even more and you’re left with a richer, deeper, buttery taste. It definitely pays to make your pound cake a day before you plan to slice it.

HOW TO MAKE THE BEST POUND CAKE

Use good quality butter. Butter is the base of pound cake so yes, now is the time to use the good stuff. I use high quality European style butter for this pound cake recipe. It’s higher in fat which translates to better flavor.
Mix all purpose flour and cake flour. Cake flour is lighter and contains less gluten than all purpose flour and makes for a lighter, slightly fluffier pound cake. Don’t have cake flour? No problem. Simply measure one cup of all purpose flour into a small bowl. Remove 2 tablespoons of the flour and then add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch. Sift to combine and tah-dah…cake flour!
Use room temperature ingredients. This is critical. To avoid your pound cake falling flat, be sure to use only room temperature butter, eggs and milk. Even your flour and sugar should be room temperature so if you store those in the refrigerator be sure to set your ingredients out in advance.
Work some air into the batter. In order to keep our pound cake light and fluffy instead of rock hard and super dense, we’ll need to work some air into the batter. Be sure to follow the directions carefully for mixing times and avoid over mixing the batter once you’ve added the flour. Although not typical in most pound cake recipes, I’ve added a small amount of baking powder to the recipe to help create a light crumb.
Do not over bake. Pound cake can be very dry if over baked so be sure to keep an eye on the oven. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with few crumbs remaining.

I hope you love this classic vanilla pound cake just as much as I do. I promise you it’s 110% worth breaking your January resolutions for. See for yourself and give it a go or bookmark this recipe for another day. Happy baking!
 
If you like this Classic Vanilla Pound Cake, you make also like:
Glazed Tangerine Cake
Lemon Cake with Raspberry Glaze & Fresh Cherries
Meyer Lemon Bar Tart
Brown Sugar Bundt Cake