Perfect Pound Cake

Melissa Clark

Perfect Pound Cake

This is hands down the best recipe for pound cake I have ever used, and I've made SOOO many!

This recipe is from Melissa Clark, writer for the NYT and beyond. We made a pound cake every day in my bakery in Dallas and I loved my recipe–I think I adapted it from Southern Living. But this one has the texture I strive for. She provided a few variations and adaptions, which I have paraphrased here. Please try this, you won't be sorry!

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Prep Time 15

Cook Time 1 20

cooling time 15

Servings: 12 servings

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

butter for coating pan
¼ cup demerara sugar + ¼ cup very fine unsweetened coconut or just use sugar if you don't want a coco-nutty crust–why wouldn't you?
3 sticks unsalted butter room temp
3 cups granulated sugar
6 large eggs room temp
1 cup heavy cream, sour cream, Greek yogurt or buttermilk if you'd like a coconut flavor sub 1 cup full fat coconut milk or coconut cream
3 cups all purpose flour 385 grams
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract or other flavoring

Equipment

10-12 cup Bundt, tube, angel food or two 8-9" loaf pans make sure you measure your pan to confirm they hold 10-12 cups
mixer

Method

Preheat oven to 325º.  Prepare your pan-10-12 cup Bundt, tube, angel food or two 8-9 inch loaf pans.

In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, combine butter and sugar and beat on high speed until very creamy, 4-6 minutes.  Beat in eggs, one at a time until smooth.  Add cream (or what you are using) and mix until incorporated.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
Add dry ingredients to the mixer and mix on low until just incorporated.  Mix in extract.  Scrape sides and bottom of the bowl and mix on medium speed 2-3 minutes more.  Batter will be very smooth, light and fluffy.  Transfer to prepared pans.
Bake until golden brown and top springs back when lightly pressed, 1 hour to 1 hour and 20 minutes.
Let cool in pan(s) on a wire rack for 15 minutes.  Use a small offset spatula to loosen the cake from pan and unmold onto the wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

Notes:

Variations:

For Citrus Poppy Seed: at the end, fold in 3 tablespoons finely grated zest- 3-5 lemons or 2 oranges and ¼ cup poppy seeds. Keep the vanilla or leave it out for a purer citrus flavor. Lemon or orange extract not recommended.

Adding 8 ounces softened cream cheese in with the butter and omitting the cup of cream makes a denser cake with a velvety crumb that is a bit chewy, in a good way.

Stores well in refrigerator for up to a week and freezes beautifully. Toasting and buttering slices is a great way to enjoy it.