My Simple Best Homemade Pound Cake

 

This homemade pound cake comes together in a few minutes and tastes superior to any grocery store frozen product. It is by and far one of the simplest cakes to make. Yet, it is my most craved dessert! Why? Because it's that simple taste of home. 

Here are a few things to know about ingredients and procedures to ensure your cake turns out awesome. 

It is made with nine simple ingredients:

• Unsalted Butter: Higher quality butter is the key to a tender pound cake.
• Granulated Sugar: Sugar will keep your pound cake sweet and contributes to a moist crumb. We prefer to use granulated sugar. A lower-sugar pound cake can be made using half sugar and half granulated stevia or erythritol.
• Eggs: Most height and structure come from beating the eggs into the batter. They are seamlessly incorporated into the batter by ensuring the eggs are at room temperature.
• Vanilla Bean Paste: This vanilla extract incorporates the inner specs of the vanilla bean and bourbon into the extract. The flavor is pronounced and very clean.
• Sour Cream: Sour cream adds a slight tanginess to the loaf, perfectly complementing the sweetness. One can substitute low-fat plain yogurt for the sour cream if desired.
• Milk: The milk will lighten the pound cake so it’s not too dense.
• All-Purpose Flour: Panhandle Milling All-purpose flour will give your pound cake a soft, tender crumb. We prefer to weigh this ingredient to ensure it is appropriately measured.
• Baking Powder: We use a half teaspoon of baking powder in the cake. It will give your cake the perfect rise without creating too many air bubbles.
• Salt: We use salt to offset the sweetness and enhance the flavor of this pound.

Steps are important

Familiarizing yourself with the steps for making the cake is helpful. Pound cake is a very simple recipe, but we’ll break it down step by step to take out any guesswork for you! You can make this pound cake with a hand mixer or stand mixer or by hand with a whisk if you’re up for an arm workout!

Step 1: Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.

Step 2: Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes.

Step 3: Scrape down the bowl and add half of the dry ingredients to the mixture. Fold together until just mixed.

Step 4: Mix the sour cream and milk until just combined.

Step 5: Add the rest of the dry ingredients and fold until combined and no flour streaks remain. It’s important not to overmix the pound cake batter once you’ve added the flour. Once the flour has been added, gluten bonds will start forming, and if you mix the batter too much, your cake will become tough and dense!

Step 6: Bake until golden brown and a knife inserted into the center comes out mostly clean!

Simple Best Homemade Pound Cake

1 cup (227g) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/3 cups (267g) granulated sugar

4 large eggs, at room temperature

1 ½ tsp. Vanilla bean paste

2 cups (250g) All-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 cup (58g) sour cream or plain yogurt

1/4 cup (59ml) milk

Directions: 

• Preheat the oven to 350°F and generously butter a standard-size loaf pan on all sides.
• Combine the softened butter and granulated sugar in a stand mixer with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
• Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition. Add the vanilla and almond extract and mix well.
• In a separate mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt and stir to combine.
• Add about half of the flour mixture to the bowl of the mixer and mix until just combined. Add the sour cream and milk and mix until just combined. Add the remaining flour and mix until just combined and no streaks of flour remain. Refrain from over-mixing.
• Transfer the batter to your prepared pan and spread it into an even layer using a silicone spatula.
• Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the middle comes back primarily clean and the loaf is golden brown.

Variation:

Add 1 Tbsp. lime zest and 1 tsp. coconut extract to the cake for a delicious coconut lime pound cake.

There you go, darlings! Make some awesome pound cake.

Always My Very Best,

Your Friend Chef Tess