When I was growing up we often had homemade pound cake. I didn’t even realize that you could buy it premade until I was a teenager and saw it at the grocery store. I surprised my mom and brought home the store-bought cake and served us a slice. It was quite different from my mother’s cake! It was then that I realized my mother’s pound cakes were something special!
This pound cake recipe is simple, easy to make, and very tender. The tenderness comes from cake flour, which is a very fine flour with lower protein content than all-purpose flour. The picture below shows the cake flour I used in this recipe, but there are several other brands available. Unfortunately, cake flour is not always available outside the U.S.
If you don’t have access to cake flour you can use all-purpose flour or make your own cake flour.
How to Make Your Own Cake Flour
If you can’t buy cake flour, follow these steps to make your own:
- Measure 1 cup of all-purpose flour.
- Remove 2 tablespoons of flour from the measured 1 cup.
- Add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch (also called cornflour or maize starch) to the all-purpose flour.
- Do this for every cup of flour called for in the recipe.
- Sift the flour and cornstarch mixture. As shown in the above photo, I use a strainer and stir the flour with a whisk to sift it.
I also sift the boxed cake flour before using it in the recipe. This aerates the flour so you can measure it more accurately. I fill a measuring cup with flour and then level it with a knife so that extra flour is not added to the recipe.
Another tip for pound cake success is to let the butter, milk, and eggs come to room temperature before starting. Your cake will be fluffier and have a finer texture by following this tip.
Also, to avoid overbeating the butter and sugar mixture, keep the mixer on medium speed rather than high speed. Then, when adding the flour, slow the mixer a little more. If overbeaten, the flour’s gluten can be overdeveloped which can cause the cake to rise well in the oven and then collapse just enough to create gluey streaks in your cake.
| Prep Time | 20 minutes |
| Cook Time | 1 hour |
| Servings |
|
- 3 cups cake flour, sifted
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 pinch salt
- 1/2 pound (or 2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 cups sugar
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup milk, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Ingredients
|
Rate this recipe!
|
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Prepare a Bundt or pound cake pan by greasing and sprinkling with flour to coat.
- In a medium-sized bowl, sift flour with baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, use medium speed to cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Do not overbeat. Add unbeaten eggs one at a time and mix after each addition.
- Add a little of the flour mixture and then alternate with a little of the milk, beating on medium-low speed to incorporate. Continue alternating the flour and milk until all are added, beating after each addition. Add the vanilla and mix until incorporated into the batter.
- Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 1 hour or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean or with fine crumbs. If over-browning on top, place a sheet of aluminum foil for the last 10-15 minutes of cooking. (See note below about cooking times)
This cake was made in a dark Bundt pan.ย If cooking in a light-colored pan, the cooking time may take longer.ย Always do the toothpick test on a cake before the end of the baking time in case it is cooking faster than expected due to varying oven temperatures and pan colors.