How sweet it is—pound cake from scratch in three simple steps! We've added vanilla to our recipe for an extra hint of flavor!

Vanilla Pound Cake

all-purpose flour

sugar

eggs

vanilla extract

salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 6-cup (8 1/2-by-4 1/2-inch) loaf pan; set aside.

Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition; add vanilla and salt. With mixer on low, gradually add flour, beating just until combined (do not overmix).

Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, about 1 hour (tent with aluminum foil if browning too quickly). Let cool in pan 15 minutes. Invert onto a wire rack, and turn upright to cool completely.

I set my timer for 45 minutes, cooked it in a Bundt pan and added a dash/drop more vanilla flavor to the recipe. I was worried it was going to come out as coffee cake when I read the reviews but the 45 mins was just right. The only complaint (which really isn’t a complaint) because I cooked it in the Bundt pan the ingredients would need to be double. Is a ‘short’ pound cake. You need two pieces stacked on top of each other to equal one normal piece of pound cake. It’s good for portion control.

For a first time baking a cake, it was great and dense. I poured some in a muffin tin and it baked in half an hour. The other batter went in a round glass baking bowl. Again it baked in about 40  mins. So baking times have to be adjusted. I would prefer the cake more moist.

If you follow the directions and the video this cake is awesome!!!!

This looks delicious, do check out this site for a cake recipe made with Best Homemade Vanilla Premix!

Okay, so I’m not really sure how someone could not love this cake. It’s dense, buttery, moist - basically proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.

Recipe omitted baking powder so the cake came out like a lead weight and did not rise.

This recipe was horrible. I'm really sorry, I usually would leave a good review on recipes like this but there was LIQUID COMING OUT OF IT.  When I took it out of the oven and let it cool and tried to eat it, it was hard and gross. please do not try this recipe.

Cake was just OK. But PLEASE- for the young lady in the video: BUY A COMB!. That hair is distracting to the video.

My very 1st time baking anything at all. LITERALLY. I Promise. My cake came out amazing. I’m currently cooking it right now for a second time, I added some coffee to it. I’m so excited to try this.

Works so well! Great recipe! I used it to recreate Starbucks lemon iced pound cake and it was the perfect recipe! You should totally use!

Fool that I am, I ignored all the one-star reviews for this recipe.  Another review stated, "...AND WHEN I FINISHED THERE WAS LIQUID COMING OUT OF IT!!!!"  I did not understand what that could be about.  So I had to try this!  (Fool that I am.)
As it baked, the butter separated from the dough.  At the end of an hour I had a sub-par pound cake, one that had been deep fried in the loaf pan, a kind of pound cake confit.  
If that's not the outcome you desire, move on, move on.  And shame on the folks working for Martha Stewart for publishing this recipe.  IT HAS LIQUID COMING OUT OF IT!

Honestly, the people who said it was bad and/or the worst do not know how to bake. This was my first time baking a pound cake and it came out perfect, and im 16. Super moist and cooked for exactly a hour.

This was the worst cake I have ever made.  Martha Stewart what were you thinking putting such a flop of a recipe up.  My husband called it a windowless building.  Wasted my ingredients.  I will never try another recipe from M.S to much hanging around with snoop dog I think. DONT EVEN WASTE YOUR TIME WITH RECIPE It has made me so angry.🤮🤮🤮

I have been looking for the perfect pound cake recipe and this is it. It's lovely, buttery and dense. Perfect to dunk into a cup of coffee :)

Was very easy.
My cake came out perfect.
Exactly an hour as said.
So soft and yummy.
Wish I could share pictures.

DO NOT MAKE THIS CAKE IT WAS FIZZING WHILE BAKING AND WHEN I FINISHED THERE WAS LIQUID COMING OUT OF IT!!!! 😡🤢🤮

Came out perfect . I just tweaked it with more vanilla and added some lemon extract for my taste ..

This is the absolute worst bean burrito i have ever eaten. DO NOT MAKE!!!!

First time I’ve ever commented on a recipe I’ve found and made before. Without a doubt the worst pound cake I’ve ever eaten. It came out so dense, if I threw it again a car windshield I have no doubt it would penetrate it. Followed the recipe exactly. Try again Martha.

Dry and tasteless. Don’t waste your time!

Took almost 10 extra minutes to bake then recipe originally indicated - used toothpick to verify cake was ready.  Cake was Delicious

Everything worked it was a Perfect Pantry recipe, wanted a no milk cake and this was it light texture and tasted better than commercially made Thanks M.S.

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Not sure why people are carrying on about no milk etc. Pound cakes should be a pound of each ingredient. There is no chemical leavening so the butter and sugar should be creamed at high speed and the eggs incorporated too until good volume. Simply reading ingredients, throwing things into a bowl and then complaining about the cake annoys me. Use your brain. To the people that said they would throw the cake in the bin should be ashamed of yourselves. There is nothing wrong with this recipe. If you can’t follow the most basic recipe don’t blame the author. Clearly in this throw away society people can put in minimal effort then complain about it.

I used this recipe to make a rum pound cake, and it was probably the most delicious cake I’ve ever eaten. After reading reviews, I decided to add two teaspoons of baking powder ( one reviewer added four). It rose beautifully and soaked up the rum syrup overnight. I found the rum syrup recipe on another recipe. Delicious!

I made this cake more than once I love it!

We made this recipe to the letter and thoroughly enjoyed the cake. It wasn't overly sweet, but had the classic pound cake flavor. Loved it!

I followed the recipe exactly and this cake turned out SO dry. Far drier than a pound cake should be. I have now compared it to other pound cake recipes and this one doesn't have nearly the liquid amount it should have for a true pound cake recipe.

I’ve made this recipe three times, and every one was great...family loved it.

This was definitely no pound cake I have ever eaten before it was terrible it tasted like dough I followed the instructions I done everything it said but it was still horrible I made a glaze that helped the cake taste better I will not use this again

Great basic recipe that can be added to for a moist, delicious cake.
Changes: I added 4 tbsp baking powder, zest from 2 lemons, 1 tsp almond and 1 tsp lemon extract, I used 2 tsps vanilla. It was so moist, crispy on the crust and perfect sweetness. I baked it on one rack lower than the middle for an hour and tented it for the last 10 minutes.

Quite a nice cake. I made HALF of this recipe as I am using the pound cake as a base for a fruit tart. I halved all the ingredients and baked the cake in the same size pan as recommended in recipe at 350 but for 45 minutes only. It gave me a cake about an inch and a half in height. I’ve never baked a pound cake before and although it wouldn’t be my first choice in cake I thought this one turned out nicely.

I followed the recipe, watched the video, and followed and directions. It was a disaster! Too dense, with an egg-y flavor. I’m deleting this recipe!

It was easy to make but it was not very good at all. I will never use this recipe again. Waste of products.

My first time baking pound cake. No baking powder, spared more time in mixing butter and sugar. Also added 3 tablespoon of evaporated milk.
Turned out surprisingly good and tasty. Not dry yet tasty. Love it! Such a simple and basic cake, it's definitely my favourite.

You should really change the recipe to reflect what is said in the video. The recipe says that all items should be room temperature, I didn't do that with my eggs. It also says to cream the butter first then gradually add sugar. The recipe doesn't state to do this separately. I didn't realize that I had to watch the video first to make sure I was making this correctly...had I known that was a requirement maybe my pound cake would have turned out better. I'm a new baker so the abbreviated instructions really let me down.

Very easy, tastes great and not real heavy.. Thanks!

I think some readers are confused. This is a pound cake....the title referring to a pound of sugar, flour and butter....other cakes use milk or buttermilk but a true pound cake is really this simple and rich. I always add more vanilla but going to try the orange zest and essence next time. And then you have the sour creme pound cake recipes but the beating is the key!

Making a second time, first one fell while cooking. Looked at how people added more ingredients so will see what happens

If you want the cake to bake faster, put it in for about 40 minutes at 400°F.

Also, some cakes you can use buttermilk in the recipe but not usually regular milk. Read up on your cake recipes. Pound cake is such an easy cake to make and you can dress it up or down how you like it.

if you want a little more flavor add vanilla extract or almond extract.

Southern Living has a million dollar pound cake which uses Milk.  The Betty Crocker website's pound cake uses milk.  Just saying....

Just tasted a piece of this that I made a little earlier this evening and it is good, but not great.  It is very light on flavor, to me.  I had an amazing pound cake recipe some years ago and have misplaced it and can never seem to find a comparable alternative.  Maybe it would be better with another quarter cup of sugar and some zest, lemon or orange, to enhance the flavor.  I used vanilla and vanilla bean paste and still not enough flavor for me.  It is good and the texture is spot on, but it needs a little extra flavor for me.

Clarification....I don't put milk in my homemade cakes

Just made this pound cake and it is delicious and very moist. Regarding the comment about milk....cakes don't have milk as one of the ingredients.

Thanks Martha for never letting me down.  From Mile High Lemon Pie to this delicious buttery pound cake.  You always come through...

I believe an ingredient is missing from above recipe - NO milk ~ not in the list of ingredients or in the directions.  It's too late for me as it's already in the oven and I will have to throw it away.

Hi!!!  I'd just like to ask how many pound cakes does this recipe makes?? 
Thanks.

This is one of the best pound cakes I've ever made.  My 4 yr old loves pound cake and we made it for his birthday yesterday. It was not dry, nor was it crumbly. The texture was perfect. 

I had made this recipe a few months back and it was dry, but tried it again because I was out of milk (and promised my son a pound cake yesterday for his bday). I think for those people who said it was dry, they should watch the video and make sure they cream the sugar and butter for exactly 8 minutes. This gives the correct base for the cake resulting in a light fluffy texture. Real pound cake does not have baking soda or milk in the recipe...thats just a dense cake. Anyway, I also used room temperature brown eggs and cake flour. I was out of vanilla and did not increase the sugar. I added 2/3 cup of sour cream (after the eggs) for added flavor and sifted in the flour, adding it to the mix by 1/2 cup because s[filtered]fuls took too long. I also used my hand mixer and not a stand mixer. Hope this helps!

Dear Martha,
I have always have liked your programs and the many wonderful things you do and make. Thank you for sharing.

The classic pound cake, nothing but butter, sugar, eggs, flour and a little vanilla. i like that it's one loaf instead of two. Real pound cake does not have baking powder or milk-this is the real deal folks and it's fantastic.

I bake cakes all the time and I was just curious to how it was going to turn out without milk, so I tried it and if anyone liked this cake they apparently haven't had a good pound cake before. I saw a review about it being compared to cornbread, I wish I would have made a w[filtered] cake and just froze half.  This was a total waste, you will not be able to eat this alone, too dry.

So good , i made it once and it was great ! But tonight i added some apricot yogurt and apricot jam (homemade) some moscato cause girls night gets wild ;) and a bit of almond powder , some sugar in the mold and baamm a great apricot pound cake with apricot glaze over it !

Made this the other day, came out a lot better than some of these comments say. I was worried itd be bland and dry but it was sweet and quite filling. Going to ship some to a friend this evening :) so worth the time and effort.

I loved this recipe. It was super easy to make and I used a hand mixer. I folded in the flower with a spatula.

Great recipe! Take the time to read the instructions and watch the video before preparing. Make sure eggs are room temperature, spoon the flour,  and beat the butter/sugar for a sufficient amount of time. As explained in the video, air is the leavening agent here, which is trapped during the whipping process. I went with 8 minutes as someone suggested in one of the comments. My only alteration was that I didn't add salt because I was using salted butter.

I made this tonight and everyone loved it ! It's a keeper in our house ! If you want a simple and easy strawberry topping I found this ...1 pint of strawberries cut up, 1/3 cup of sugar and 1 tsp of vanilla extract ...mix together on medium heat and mash the strawberries into a thick sauce , I used a potato masher and then mixed with a spatula til thick  . Left over can be refrigerated for later use. This was my first time and the pound cake recipe was simple and easy :)

This pound cake is absolutely horrible.....dry, flat, and flavorless. I inadvertently made this recipe because I was rushing and I thought this was a previous pound cake recipe that I used that resulted in a perfect pound cake, this on the other hand I wouldn't feed to a dog. Why on the earth does it not require milk or baking powder??? This receipe needs to be removed or altered immediately, as it does nothing but result in people having to waste food. Jiffy cornbread taste better than this.

Made this recipe without modifications and it was wonderful! I agree with posted comments to watch for color changes as you go along when you beat butter, sugar, and eggs.  I used a stand mixer and made sure not to overbeat.  No need for milk or baking powder, just patience.  Very good recipe and highly recommend with fresh strawberries and whipped cream.

This was my first attempt at a pound cake, and I wanted an authentic one, not one made with shortening or chemical leavening.. The commenter who said you have to beat the sugar and butter for 9 minutes was right- maybe not exactly that long, but you have to wait until the color changes two times.  I also used farm fresh eggs, and suspect that helped!  I checked for doneness at 45 min, it was done at 55 . It rose perfectly, was moist and sliced beautifully and is just what pound cake should be!

I made this yesterday and tweaked it by adding grated orange peel &amp; real orange essence. It turned out delicious, tasty and moist, yet firm enough to slice thinly.
(I served it with a home made blood orange compote that made it even better!)

You forgot the milk and the baking powder.

Made some small tweaks; this was delicious!

After reading comments I was worried to attempt this, but I really wanted a basic pound cake recipe...not a cake recipe which it sounds like some of the more negative reviews were maybe in search of. 

I was mostly worried about it being too dry and flavorless, my tweaks were: adding 2/3 cup of sour cream, doubling the vanilla and increasing the sugar by an additional 1/2 cup (I usually cut sugar from recipes as they are too sweet, but this was nice).

This recipe was easy enough that my 11 and 9 year olds made it by themselves.  It was a little over cooked and probably ready at 45 minutes, but drenching it in some strawberry glaze took care of that.  Quite delicious and we'd make it again.

Okay, so the recipe itself is great. The instructions not so much. You NEED to whip the sugar and butter for 8 minutes. Not 7, not 9, not 2. 8. When you get to the flour, don't fold it in, and don't over mix. I made two cakes, one folded one blended. The folded one fell and didn't rise and was very dense. The mixed one was perfect. Put in one cup, blend on low for 30 seconds, same with cup 2. Don't blend more than that. It is delicious and moist.

I followed the recipe, but substituted unsweetened applesauce for half the butter. It turned out very ... blah. It had a very eggy taste, more like a crepe than pound cake. Not awful, but not at all like the cake I was craving. Would not make again.

I was not at all impressed with this recipe. I think there is an ingredient missing??? Baking powder?? The loaf was hard &amp; dry &amp; too dense. I would not recommend or revisit this recipe.

Made this just as is! Lovely old fashioned pound cake! Will make this often.

Disappointing.  Heavy and dense. Is the recipe missing baking powder?

I wished I had read the other review on here before trying this - I was looking for a basic simple recipe for pound cake, but unfortunately this one came out too dense and dry.  This is nothing like the store bought variety. The fact that there is no liquid in the batter should have been the first warning sign, but I was also concerned when spooning it into the baking pan since it was so thick - more like a bread dough.

I used a large 6-count muffin pan and they were done in about 30-40 minutes. They looked perfect and the texture was good. The taste was kind of bland on it's own, so I made a lemon glaze and poked holes in three of the cakes and let it soak and drizzled chocolate on the top of the other three. This was my first time making pound cake from scratch and it was okay, but I'll look for another recipe when I attempt pound cake #2.

How many cups of mixture does this make?  I would love to know to plan the quantity I will need to make to fill a shaped cake tin.  TIA.

Hey don't we have to use baking powder? how would it turn out without baking powder?

Made this yesterday, decided to add blueberries, chopped walnuts and dried cranberries because I had them, turned out great, hubby loved it.  Wasn't dry, not sure if that was because of the blueberries and their moisture.  Very easy to make, will try again.

I made this recipe with Natalia, my niece, and we loved it ! Would do it again

This was delicious! The only thing I did differently was to bake it in a bundt pan because my loaf pan is too small for this recipe. I would definitely make this again, everyone loved it!!!

I started reading all the reviews after my cake was in the oven, and there are a lot of negative ones.  I got very nervous, but it was very good, instead of ordinary vanilla extract I used a vanilla paste instead.

i just put  it in the oven ..didn't read the review before i made it..but i added baking powder and some milk ..i hope it turns out good

This recipe is terrible!!!  When it came out of the oven it looks beautiful but when you cut into it its very very very dense and has little to no taste.  WIll never make again!!

Great recipe , followed the quantity of ingredients but added a 1/4 cup of rum and baked it for 1 hour and 30 minutes. I was worried after reading the reviews but the cake came out perfect ,it was rich and moist. Will definitely make  it again

Both the flavor and texture were disappointing. It  seems as though the favorable reviews of this recipe were the result of changes to the temperature and/or ingredients. I will not try this again.

I made this but I doubled the recipe . I beat the eggs first till mixed, added sugar beat for two minutes on high then lowered the speed till  I was ready to turn low, added melted butterand vanilla , folded in flour  baked at 275 for an hour this was delicious..

on two occasions  have attempted to use a   Martha Stewart recipe and it turned out horrible, a waste of ingredients. I no longer use her recipes, don't trust them anymore.

A complete waste of ingredients! I wish I had read the review from nnorah33 before I baked this. 
The cake was dry and did not require the suggested baking time, we tried adding strawberries to eat with the cake and it still tastes terrible.   This was a disappointment!

I made this recipe today and at the end of baking was left with a heavy, butter-soaked loaf, with a dense glutinous crust and a cooked but butter-dripping middle. Absolutely a waste of ingredients. A quick online search shows perhaps it is a faulty oven thermostat or over mixing of ingredients. Who knows. It had to be thrown out as it was inedible. And I am out 1/2 pound of butter (very expensive) and 4 eggs (also very expensive). Thanks, Martha!

I think this recipe will really benefit by adding 200 grams of sour cream, 6 eggs and not 4 and 1 tea spoon of baking soda.

Dense, buttery, and loaded with flavor, Sarah Carey makes a Vanilla Pound Cake with fresh berries layered on top. Your family will love this classic cake. 

vanilla pound cake

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Total: 1 hours, 15 minutes

Author : Martha Stewart

Ingredients

Instructions

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