How to Make Pound Cake by Joanne (The Pioneer Woman)

I remember the first time I read about pound cake in a book called Ratio by Michael Ruhlman. I couldn’t believe its simplicity. Equal pounds butter, sugar, eggs, and flour? That was it? It seemed magical.

With all the super elaborate cake creations these days, pound cake can feel like one of those less cool old-school cakes from the past. But I have always loved a good pound cake. And I feel like everyone actually loves pound cake, it’s just that sometimes people forget about it. I brought a few loaves of this cake to a baby shower a month ago and everyone kept going back for more slices, especially the momma-to-be!

Pound cake feels like a cross between a cake and a quick bread, and has a satisfying, dense bite to it. Beyond the standard butter, sugar, eggs, and flour in this cake, I add a little bit of salt, vanilla bean paste, and orange zest. Because pound cake is so simple, I think it’s important to use a good-quality butter with a distinct sweet cream flavor, and also to include vanilla and some sort of citrus zest. Orange is my favorite, but you could also do lemon or even lime. It adds a nice aroma and flavor to the cake without distracting from the delicate flavor.

To start, place a pound of room-temperature butter in a stand mixer and whip the butter around the bowl to spread.

With the mixer running, pour in a pound of sugar.

Cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy and combined.

Add 8 eggs one by one to the butter and sugar.

And yes, 8 large eggs is exactly one pound!

Once the eggs are incorporated (and it’s okay if the mixture looks a little curdled), add vanilla extract or paste, and the zest of one orange.

With the mixer running, slowly add one pound of flour to the mix.

Once the flour is incorporated, the pound cake batter should look thick.

Divide the pound cake batter between two buttered and floured loaf pans, and spread evenly with an offset spatula.

Bake the pound cakes for one hour, until golden and caramelized on the edges, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Let the pound cake cool completely before serving, and you can store the cakes at room temperature for up to 3 days. Otherwise, you can keep the pound cakes in the freezer for up to two months. Enjoy!