Recipe Details
Community Pick: Classic Vanilla Pound Cake
Photograph by lizzy
| Total Time (Ready To Serve) | Servings | Core Ingredients |
|------------------------------|----------|------------------|
| 2 hours | 16 | 7 |
Ingredients
2 cups granulated sugar
1 ½ cups unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
6 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup buttermilk
Baking Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
Combine sugar, softened butter, eggs, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl.
Start beating on low speed to fully incorporate all ingredients, then increase to high speed and beat for 5 full minutes.
Return the mixer to low speed, and add the flour-baking powder mix and buttermilk in alternating batches. Mix thoroughly after each addition, and end with your dry ingredients to get the right consistency.
Spoon the finished batter into a greased, floured 10-inch tube pan.
Bake for 65–75 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then invert it onto a serving plate to finish cooling.
Community Q&A
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Community Reviews
Top Community Tested Notes
I swapped in 4 eggs total and used light eggnog instead of buttermilk, plus added loads of nutmeg and cinnamon, and this is now our annual Christmas favorite! Pro tip: if you use a dark bundt pan, stick to 65 minutes at 350°F. Thanks for such an easy recipe!
P.S. Obviously I had too much rum in my system when I wrote my first review and misspelled "wonderful" – this cake really is wonderful, not "wonderfl"! I also recommend swapping sour cream for the buttermilk, it turns out divine. And don’t skip sifting your flour before mixing – it makes all the difference in texture.
I’m not even much of a sweet tooth, and I thought the batter was finger-licking good! I got four lovely small 2-cup loaves from this recipe. When I tried slicing one right after cooling, the top crumbled badly, so I wrapped all loaves in plastic. The next morning, it sliced perfectly once the crust moistened up. Keep that tip in mind if you make mini loaves!
This is such a great base recipe! I made it to serve with chocolate fondue: I baked it in a 9x13 pan, cut it into fingers, and toasted them until golden in the oven. It has a lovely texture and isn’t too sweet. I only gave 4 stars instead of 5 because I’ll add an extra teaspoon of vanilla next time, but it’s still fantastic. Thanks for sharing!
I used this recipe for a 6-cup cake mold with really intricate details. I noticed it has a lot more liquid than most pound cake recipes, so I was crossing my fingers it would pour into all the nooks – and it did perfectly! As a bonus, the dairy helped the cake brown quickly and evenly, which made it release from the fancy mold so easily. The finished cake is dense but not overly heavy, and still has a rich buttery taste even though it has half the butter of similar recipes. This is a real winner – thank you!
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Reader Favorite Modifications
Home cooks have shared these popular twists on the original recipe:
Add warm baking spices and top with homemade strawberry icing for a cozy seasonal twist. One cook loved this recipe so much they made two batches in a single day!
For a bright, summery version: swap vanilla for lemon extract, brush the warm cake with a lemon-sugar wash, and top with a simple powdered sugar glaze.
Turned into a holiday eggnog sheet cake: use 2 sticks butter + ½ stick butter-flavored Crisco, add a dash of nutmeg to the flour (and sprinkle extra on top of both the raw batter and cooled finished cake), and make homemade buttermilk for the liquid component.
Swap all-purpose flour for whole wheat flour, replace eggs with yogurt, and add tutti-frutti and dried fruit for a perfect everyday tea cake.
Veganize the base, add Irish cream flavor, and top with a sweet glaze for a boozy, diet-friendly treat.
View 1 additional community modification
Recipe Submitted By
After my husband and I left our family farm and moved to the city, I don’t cook nearly as much as I used to, and I do even less canning. But I still love browsing Zaar for new recipes every now and then – I’m still cooking Zaar recipes all the time! I love connecting with family and friends on Facebook, and most of my Zaar friends are there too, which is such a great way to stay in touch. We travel a lot more these days, and we’re currently planning a European trip for spring. I’ve been obsessed with London since I was 10 years old – I swear I lived there in a past life, so I’m really excited to finally go!