Vanilla Bean Pound Cake
We love pound cake because it’s so darn versatile! Whip up this buttery vanilla bean pound cake recipe to eat alone, or incorporate it into strawberry shortcake, trifle or any other dessert recipe you can dream up.
Pound cake get its name from the original recipe, which called for one pound of butter, one pound of sugar, one pound of eggs and one pound of flour. Since we prefer not to go to the gym every day, we made a few modifications!
Pound cake makes great host and holiday gifts, bake sale contributions, after dinner dessert or accompaniment at an afternoon tea. The vanilla beans (and paste) can be costly; so don’t hesitate to substitute the beans for the same amount of vanilla extract instead. The only difference is that the resulting taste will be a little less vanilla-y.
Want to make this pound cake recipe then save it for later? It will keep in the freezer for one month from the day you bake it. Simply wrap the loaf in a generous amount of plastic wrap, then double wrap it with aluminum foil.
Tell us how your recipe turns out on Twitter using #Everyday_Dishes. Enjoy!
Vanilla Bean Pound Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups cake flour
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 cup granulated sugar, plus 2 Tbsp
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 5 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 Tbsp vanilla bean, split and scraped or 1 Tbsp vanilla bean paste
- berries, optional
- whipped cream, optional, dairy or dairy-free
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and place a rack in the center of the oven. Grease a 8½" x 5" x 3" loaf pan with one of the butter wrappers that you are getting ready to discard. Dust the inside of the loaf pan with a little bit of flour and knock out the excess.
- Sift the flour, salt and baking powder onto a sheet of parchment or waxed paper and set aside. In a mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until it becomes pale and fluffy.
- Begin adding the eggs, one at a time, beating until each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next. Be sure to scrape the sides of the bowl frequently to ensure everything is evenly mixed. Once all of the eggs are incorporated and the mixture is smooth, add the seeds of one vanilla bean or 1 tbsp of vanilla bean paste and mix until incorporated.
- Using the parchment or waxed paper, funnel the dry ingredients into the bowl on top of the wet ingredients and mix just until combined. Do not over-mix, but make sure no lumps remain.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 50−60 minutes. You will know the cake is done when it is golden brown and a cake tester comes out clean. Remove the pound cake from the oven and cool it on a rack for 5 minutes before carefully removing it from the pan. Cover the loaf with a lint-free towel and cool completely.
- Serve slices of this cake alone or with any number of accompaniments. We like fresh berries and whipped cream!
Notes
