This vanilla pound cake is classic in all the best ways. It has a buttery, soft crumb and a decadent glaze, an it's just begging for some fresh berries and whipped cream on top.

Photography Credit: Sally Vargas

Pound cake is the best friend of the dessert world. It’s not fussy. It can be dressed up with whipped cream and berries, slathered with butter and placed on a grill, or simply sliced and enjoyed alongside a steaming cup of coffee. It’s happy to be loved exactly as it is.

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THE HISTORY OF POUND CAKE

Perhaps pound cake feels so lived-in because it’s an old recipe with simple ingredients that’s been passed verbally from one cook to the next.

The cake actually predates its American arrival in Amelia Simmons’ 1796 cookbook, American Cookery, which is recognized as the first American cookbook. This revolutionary book was the first on record to incorporate locally available foods such as turkey, cranberries, and corn.

It also included a very simple recipe for pound cake, which acquired its name because the baker needed 1 pound each of eggs, flour, sugar, and butter to make it. Simmons’ recipe also calls for a “gill,” or 4 ounces, of rosewater (which was more widely available and less expensive than vanilla) and spices as you wish.

MAKING MY OWN POUND CAKE

For this recipe, I wanted a classic pound cake with simple vanilla flavor. I replaced the rosewater in that original American recipe with vanilla extract and opted not add any additional spices. I aimed for a pound cake with a buttery, yellow, soft crumb, and with a crisp and golden outer edge. It’s lightly sweet and sturdy.

You can bake this cake it in a loaf pan, bundt cake, mini loaves or even cupcake tins, but for this recipe, I chose to use a loaf pan because I think loaves provide the greatest flexibility when it comes to serving pound cake. It’s much easier to toast or grill a slice of cake than a wedge of cake. (Keep in mind that this is a dense cake and even in a loaf pan it will take more than an hour to bake.)

For an extra touch of sweetness, I created a vanilla glaze to pour over the finished cake.

NO NEED FOR MILK IN THIS POUND CAKE!

Many recipes for pound cake add milk, sour cream, or some other form of dairy to help keep the cake moist, but in my tests, I found it wasn’t necessary.

I made a version with plain yogurt, another with milk added to the basic batter, and a third without any dairy. The loaf made without either dairy was tender and moist, and also had a better crust and a higher rise than those made with it.

EGGS GIVE THE CAKE ITS LIFT

People often do a double take when they see a cake recipe lacking baking powder or soda, but you are correct to leave them out with this recipe.

Traditional pound cake predates modern leavening agents. Instead, it gets its rise from the eggs and the air beaten into the batter. Eggs provide leavening in two ways:

First, eggs are loaded with water and as the flour absorbs water it begins to form the structure of the cake. That liquid transforms into steam during baking and helps the cake rise.

and as the flour absorbs water it begins to form the structure of the cake. That liquid transforms into steam during baking and helps the cake rise. Second, cakes get a lift from the protein in the eggs. When eggs are beaten, air is incorporated into them, forming bubbles. The bubbles expand in the heat of the oven to give the cake additional leavening.

The real secret to pound cake without leavening agents? Add the eggs one at time until fully incorporated and scrape down the bowl between each addition.

WAYS TO SERVE YOUR POUND CAKE

The greatest power of pound cake is its versatility. You can serve it so many ways, below are a few of my favorites:

Slather with butter, toast in a skillet (like grilled cheese), then dust with powdered sugar and top with macerated warm berries. Serve warm.

Slather with butter, toast in a skillet, and top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, drizzle with chocolate or warmed Nutella

Top with whipped cream, lemon curd and berries

Dress it up with a lemon glaze and strawberry slices

Use it for ice cream sandwiches

Grill slices of pound cake and top with summer fruit

Pound cake topped with bananas and honey

You get the idea. The variations are endless.

HOW TO STORE, FREEZE, AND THAW POUND CAKE

Wrap the baked and cooled pound cake in plastic wrap and it will keep on the counter for four or five days (don’t store in the fridge; it will dry it out).

You can also freeze the cake. Wrap the whole loaf tightly in plastic wrap and place it in a large zip-top bag. Freeze for up to 3 months.

When you are ready to serve it, unwrap and transfer it to a plate. Loosely cover it with plastic wrap and let it thaw. How fast a cake thaws depends on the temperature of your kitchen, but in general two hours should do the trick. Don’t be tempted to thaw it in the microwave or a warm oven; the cake will dry out.

Should your thawed cake seem a little dry, make a simple syrup with equal parts water and sugar and brush it on individual slices of the cake. No one will ever know you made the cake three months ago or that it’s been hanging out in your deep freeze.

WAYS TO ADAPT THIS RECIPE

Pound cake is also a very adaptable recipe and takes well to a wide variety of simple tweaks. Try any of these:

Add the juice and/or zest from lemons or oranges

Add rum

Soak with a flavored simple syrup

Replace vanilla extract with almond extract

Fold in dried fruit

Top with nuts

Fold in blueberries

To make the pound cake as cupcakes you just need to reduce the cooking time. Start checking at 20 minutes. They are finished when a skewer poked into the center of the cupcake comes out without crumbs.

To make the pound cake in a bundt pan, make sure the pan is well greased and floured. Depending on the size of your bundt pan may need to double the recipe to fill it. That being said, don’t fill it to the top because the cake will rise.

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