Pound cake is a classic in any baker’s recipe repertoire. It’s perfect for most occasions—picnics, parties, and brunch— and it can be enjoyed any time of year. As a bonus, it keeps well so you can easily make it ahead of time, then slice and serve when you’re ready. And this recipe is so easy: One bowl and five ingredients are all you need!
## Why It’s Called ‘Pound Cake’
Pound cake is an “equal-ratio” cake. In fact, that’s where the name “pound cake” comes from! The original pound cake recipe required exactly one pound each of granulated sugar, flour, unsalted butter, and eggs. While you won’t need a full pound of each for this recipe, the ingredients for this recipe for traditional pound cake haven’t been altered too much; just enough to make a nicely balanced cake that fits nicely in a loaf pan. Many pound cake recipes call for cake flour, but all-purpose flour works just fine here. Baking powder is also used to work its leavening magic in the baking process.
## Pound Cake Variations
Pound cake is wonderful on its own, but you can jazz up your dessert plate by topping it with berries and whipped cream or diced apples, depending on the season. Ice cream also makes an excellent sidekick. Or you can frost your cake, dust it with powdered sugar, or lightly drizzle it with a glaze before serving to make it your own.
If you regularly make pound cake, it’s sometimes fun to mix it up and try something new. While this is a basic pound cake recipe, you can customize it with the following variations to add different dimensions of flavor.
_[Lemon Pound Cake](https://www.yummly.com/recipe/Lemon-Pound-Cake-2057694):_ This one uses 3 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice and includes a lemon glaze.
_[Almond Pound Cake](https://www.yummly.com/recipe/Almond-Pound-Cake-1819902):_ This recipe includes 8 oz. of almond paste. It also calls for vanilla extract, but you can substitute it with almond extract.
_[Cream Cheese Pound Cake](https://www.yummly.com/recipe/Cream-Cheese-Pound-Cake-2271952):_ This one calls for 8 oz. of cream cheese in place of some of the butter.
_[Sour Cream Pound Cake](https://www.yummly.com/recipe/Sour-Cream-Pound-Cake-1465534):_ This recipe uses a little more than a cup of sour cream in place of some of the butter.
## To serve and serve again
To prevent it from drying out, store leftover pound cake in an airtight container. Make sure the cake is completely cool before placing it into the container. Stored pound cake will keep for several days at room temperature, up to one week when refrigerated, or up to two months when frozen.
Satisfy your sweet tooth with this easy-to-make recipe for 5-Ingredient Pound Cake.
1. Info for 5-Ingredient Pound Cake
- Cook Time: 1 hr 32 min
- Total Time: 1 hr 32 min
- Servings: 12
- Calories: 292.27 kcal
2. Ingredients for 5-Ingredient Pound Cake
- nonstick cooking spray
- 1 cup (230 g) salted butter, softened
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 3/4 cups (215 g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp.baking powder
3. Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Spray a 9×5-inch loaf pan liberally with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
- Place the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Using a hand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the ingredients together on medium speed for 3-4 minutes, or until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 15-20 seconds between each and scraping inside of bowl occasionally, until the mixture is smooth and combined.
- Sift the flour and baking powder into the bowl. Beat the mixture on low until it becomes a smooth, thick batter.
- Use a rubber spatula to transfer the batter into the loaf pan.
- Transfer the pan to the middle rack of the preheated oven.
- Bake the cake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour.
- Check for doneness. Remove from oven or add time as needed.
- Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 15-20 minutes.
- To release the cake, run a butter knife between the edge of the cake and the pan. Turn the cake onto a cooling rack.
- Let the cake cool for 1 1/2 -2 hours before slicing and serving.
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