Everyone needs the perfect pound cake recipe in their back pocket and this one is it! Perfectly moist, slightly dense, tender, buttery, and with the right amount of sweetness!
Prep Time: 10 minutesminutes
Cook Time: 50 minutesminutes
Cool Time: 30 minutesminutes
Total Time: 1 hourhour30 minutesminutes
Servings: 10
Ingredients
2cups (240 grams)all-purpose flour
½teaspoonbaking powder
½teaspoonfine sea salt
1cupunsalted butter, at room temperature
1cup (200 grams)granulated sugar
3largeeggs, at room temperature
1Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2teaspoonsvanilla bean paste
½cup (165 milliliters)milk
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9x5-inch loaf pan with floured cooking spray, or butter and flour the pan.
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar on medium-high 3 minutes, or until pale and creamy. Turn the mixer to medium-low and add 1 egg at a time until combined. Mix in vanilla and vanilla bean paste.
Turn the mixer to low. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Mix in 1/2 of the milk. Repeat, alternating the remaining flour and milk until just combined and the batter is smooth, being careful to not overmix.
Spoon the batter evenly into the loaf pan. Smooth the top with a rubber spatula.
Bake 40 minutes. Loosely tent the pan with aluminum foil to prevent browning. Bake 10 to 12 minutes more, or until the cake is domed and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
On a wire rack, let cool in pan at least 30 minutes before turning out onto the rack to cool completely.
Notes
Storage: The loaf will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Storing it in the fridge may dry it out. Thawing the frozen cake in the microwave or oven may dry it out, so let it sit at room temperature until defrosted.Variations: This cake is easily adaptable. Try swapping the vanilla extract with almond extract or adding lemon, orange, or lime juice and zest. Room temperature: This cake really benefits from the room temperature ingredients, so don't skip this step. If, however, you forgot you can bring eggs to room temperature quickly by covering them with warm water for 5 minutes and grate the butter using a cheese grater into the mixer.