Vanilla Pound Cake
Only 7 simple ingredients are needed to make this moist vanilla pound cake laced with vanilla bean and topped with a rich glaze.
All about this Vanilla Pound cake-
I searched high and low to perfect a vanilla pound cake. I own a vanilla company for Pete’s sake, so it has to be perfect. I already have my vanilla sheet cake, but I wanted a loaf cake similar in texture to a pound cake. I tried every recipe under the sun and found one that I really love, tweaked it just a bit and here it is- simple, vanilla goodness, a cake to share or to enjoy. With only 7 ingredients, following the instructions is very important to having your cake turn out perfect. I know it’s tempting to scroll right to the recipe card, but read through my notes before proceeding with your bake.
Ingredients in Vanilla Pound Cake:
- all purpose flour
- kosher salt
- baking powder- test that it is fresh
- sugar
- unsalted butter- room temp is key
- eggs- room temp is key
- vanilla bean paste- Buy my favorite HERE
Glaze ingredients:
- confectioner’s sugar
- milk or heavy cream
- vanilla bean paste
Special equipment needed for this recipe-
- Stand mixer with a paddle attachment
- Digital scale- buy one here
- off-set spatula- the one I use is here
- 8 x 4 loaf pan- buy my favorite by Nordicware here
Pro-tips for a great bake:
- Use room-temperature butter. Let the butter sit out at room temperature (70°F) for an hour or two prior to baking. If you don’t have time to wait that long, microwave butter in the paper wrappers for about 4 seconds per side. The butter should feel slightly cool to the touch but soft enough to leave an indentation when pressed with your finger.
- Bring the eggs to room temperature. If the eggs are cold when added to the butter and sugar, they’ll cool down the butter, causing the batter to break and split. I leave my eggs out for 3-4 hours before starting this recipe.
- Mix the dry ingredients. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl.
- Buy the best vanilla. Pine and Palm Kitchen brand, of course. Purchase HERE.
A few tricks-
The batter may look grainy or curdled- that is normal (see above). Do not over-mix the batter- this will cause it to be dense heavy and dry. Make certain your flour and baking soda are fresh. Did you know flour can go rancid?
Scrape down the bowl during mixing at least three times using a silicone scraper to blend all the ingredients into the bowl. This helps to incorporate the ingredients without over-mixing. A great way to add fantastic buttery flavor is to add thin pieces of butter along a slit in the batter before baking. The butter creates a gorgeous seam and adds a bit of moisture, (see my photo a few slides below).
Other vanilla recipes to try:
Common Questions:
Yes- it freezes beautifully. Cool completely and wrap (unglazed) in plastic and store in a zip top bag up to three months in a freezer. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
Yes- use King Arthur gluten-free flour, but be certain to measure with a digital scale.
Wheat flour is too dense and will provide a grainy heavy texture. I’d avoid using it in this recipe.
I almost never just measure flour by volume anymore, but rather by weight. Humidity, altitude, and so many factors can affect how much goes into your measuring cup. I find weighing provides more consistent results.
Add more milk to loosen it up. Just a teaspoon or so at a time.
Variations to this recipe:
- Lemon or orange- Add lemon or orange zest and 1 TBSP of fresh lemon or orange juice to the batter and 1 teaspoon of juice to the glaze to make a citrus version.
- Chocolate – add in 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips to the batter.
- Mocha- add in 1 tsp of brewed coffee to the glaze for a coffee version.
Giving credit where credit is due:
I tested 6 recipes last year developing this pound cake: America’s Test Kitchen, Sally’s Baking Blog, James Beard- Beard on Food, Tracey Smith (NYTimes Cooking), the Kitchn, and Rebecca Eisenberg. I loved Rebecca’s fantastic instructions and step-by-step guide for creaming and creating a perfect texture. Her glaze was also my favorite. My recipes varies a bit- I add in more vanilla and changed the amount of flour (probably my altitude- I’m at 3600 feet).
Vanilla Pound Cake
Equipment
- 1 8 x 4 inch loaf pan
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 226 grams 1 cup unsalted butter (softened to room temp- about 65 degrees)
- 200 grams 1 cup sugar
- 225 grams 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
For the Vanilla Bean Glaze
- 65 grams confectioner’s suagr 10X sugar, sifted
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 1 tsp milk or heavy cream add more milk if needed
Instructions
For the Cake
- Butter and flour the baking pan and line with a parchment paper sling to help lift the cake while cooling. If desired, Hold the parchment paper in place with metals binder clips.
- Preheat oven to 325°F.
- Cream butter and sugar. Cut the butter into large chunks and place in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed to soften, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add sugar. Beat the sugar and butter on medium-low speed until the sugar is fully combined with the butter. Increase speed to medium and continue creaming for 5-7 minutes, stopping to scrape down the bowl and the paddle 2-3 times. The butter and sugar will be fluffy and have a light texture.
- Add eggs and vanilla. Add in the eggs ONE AT A TIME and beat for at least 60 seconds before adding the next egg. Finally, add vanilla paste. If the batter is looking curdled- no worries- this is normal.
- Add flour and dry ingredients. Turn the stand mixture to low and add half the dry ingredients. Mix just until fully combined, then stop and scrape the bowl down. Use a silicone or rubber scraper to mix in any final bits of dry ingredients from the sides of the bowl or beater. Do not over mix! You will have a dry and dense cake.
- Bake. Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Smooth with an offset spatula. Pro tip: Cut a stick of butter into a long, thin slice and place it down the center of the cake before baking. Bake on the middle rack in a 325°F oven for 65-75 minutes until a cake tester or bamboo skewer (do not test with a toothpick- it is too short) inserted in the center comes out nearly clean.
- Cool. Set the cake pan on a wire rack to cool 15-20 minutes, then use the parchment sling to lift the cake out of the pan to finish cooling. Let cool completely before adding icing.
For the Vanilla Bean Glaze
- Sift confectioner’s sugar into a bowl. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla paste and 1 teaspoon of milk or cream and whisk together until smooth. You may need to add more powdered sugar or milk to reach the slightly thick consistency. Do not skip sifting the sugar- once lumps are in the confectioner's sugar, they are impossible to remove even with a whisk.
- Use an offset spatula or silicone spatula to gently spread the glaze over the top of the loaf cake. Let the cake and glaze rest to form a crust, or serve it immediately.
Notes
-
The number one tip I’d offer is to buy a digital scale to weigh your dry ingredients. I almost never just measure flour by volume anymore, but rather by weight. Humidity, altitude, and so many factors can affect how much goes into your measuring cup. I find weighing provides more consistent results. Whenever I get a “ bad” review for a recipe and I ask how they measured the flour, I always get the same answer-
“I just scooped and dumped.” This is a sure-fire way to ruin a cake. The other tip I have is to scrape down your mixing bowl and paddle attachment or whisks often. This keeps your cake light and fluffy and prevents over-mixing, which can lead to a dry cake with a dense texture.
