Vanilla Pound Cake

This vanilla bread cake requires only a handful of simple ingredients to make and you probably already have them in your pantry and fridge.  Here’s what you’ll need.

Vanilla Pound Cake

• Dry Ingredients: Gather all purpose flour, baking powder and salt.
• Wet Ingredients: Gather granulated sugar, butter, eggs, milk or sour cream and vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste.

Vanilla Glaze

Gather powdered sugar, vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste and milk or heavy cream.

This vanilla loaf cake pound cake is as easy to make as it is delicious. Here are my recommended ingredient substitutions if you need them.

• All purpose flour: To make this vanilla bean cake gluten free, use a good 1-1 gluten free flour. I recommend using the one from Bob’s Red Mill. Measure by weight (210 g) versus cup for cup. Replace the all purpose flour with cake flour for a lighter crumb. 
• Baking Powder: This acts as leavener in this vanilla pound cake recipe. Substitute with ¼ teaspoon baking soda.  
• Granulated Sugar: This blueberry cake recipe calls for granulated sugar, but maple sugar would also work well to make this refined sugar free. 
• Unsalted Butter: Feel free to use an equal amount of salted butter in place of the unsalted butter. Just make sure to omit the added salt. Vegan butter or plant based can also be used in place of regular unsalted butter.
• Eggs: This recipe has not been tested without eggs. 
• Sour Cream or Milk: A thick and creamy greek yogurt works well as a replacement in this pound cake recipe. 
• Vanilla Extract or Vanilla Bean Paste: This is an essential flavor for the vanilla pound cake. I suggest using vanilla bean paste if you have it to get the most vanilla flavor.

Variation

Vanilla Bundt Cake Pound Cake: Prepare the recipe as written. Pour the pound cake vanilla cake batter into a well greased 6 cup bundt pan. Bake at 350 F (177 C) for 45 - 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. To make the old fashioned pound cake in a traditional 10- inch (12 cup) bundt pan, follow this recipe for Buttermilk Pound Cake, but swap the buttermilk for 1 cup (240 g) room temperature sour cream.

Learn how to make vanilla pound cake in a few easy steps.

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F (170 C). Line a 8.5 x 4.5 or 9 x 5 loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving a bit of overhang on two sides. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together until well combined. 
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. This takes about 2 - 3 minutes at medium speed. Mix in the eggs and vanilla extract or vanilla paste one at a time, waiting until the previous ingredient is just combined before adding the next. Mix until well combined. By hand or on the lowest mixing speed, mix the dry ingredients into the wet alternating with the milk or sour cream until the batter is just combined.

3. Evenly scoop the vanilla cake batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake the pound loaf cake for 55 - 65 minutes (depending on the pan size) or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the vanilla cake comes out with a few moist crumbs. Cool the cake in the loaf pan for 10 minutes. Use the parchment sling to lift the loaf cake out of the pan. Cool completely before topping with the vanilla icing. 
4. In a mixing bowl, whisk the powdered sugar with vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste and milk until well combined. Pour the glaze over the cooled pound cake. Allow 30 - 45 minutes for the glaze to set, slice and enjoy.

M’s Expert Tips

• Bring cold ingredients to room temperature. This allows the ingredients to mix together more evenly which requires less mixing, resulting in moist and perfectly mixed vanilla bean pound cake.
• Don’t overmix the cake batter. Always use the lowest speed on your electric mixer or mix in the dry ingredients by hand. Make sure to mix the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined.
• A few tips for a lighter pound cake. For a lighter, less dense pound cake use cake flour in place of the all purpose flour, use sour cream in place of the milk, use room temperature butter, mix the dry ingredients on the lowest speed and until just incorporated. 
• Top the pound cake with vanilla glaze. This vanilla loaf pound cake is the perfect cake for topping with your favorite glaze or to serve alongside your favorite fruit. The vanilla bean glaze is a wonderful simple topping. You can also serve this old fashioned pound cake with a dusting of powdered sugar, whipped cream and fresh fruit or strawberry glaze.