Here is my best recipe for pound cake: there is no cake that is more classic than this one! And it is so easy to prepare with a small amount of just everyday ingredients…
Well this cake sounds to me like the perfect last minute dessert then, doesn’t it?
This recipe for pound cake is probably the most easiest cake recipe in the world.
Even an inexperienced baker like I can make this cake basically with my eyes closed. And for some reason this recipe has always worked in the past!
This pound cake always comes out of the hot oven in an impeccable shape and with a lovely golden color.
A Classic
And nope, before you ask.
I am not using a store bought ready to use cake mix for pound cake here. Flour, butter sugar and eggs.
That is all you need to make this classic cake from scratch at home!
But before we head over to the recipe.
Do you actually know what the name pound cake really stands for?
Flour, Butter, Eggs & Sugar
And by that I mean the origin of its name?
Well pound cake traditionally consists of 4 classic ingredients. I have pointed them out already: eggs, sugar, flour and butter. And in a classic pound cake each of these ingredients weighs about a pound (450 g) more or less.
Well almost then because that would be a huge cake right there!
So because of that pound cakes are smaller but with the same ratio between those four classic ingredients.
Have you made a pound cake before?
Baking
I could ask for your recipe for pound cake.
But in this case (or should I say, in this cake) right here there is not a lot of space for experiments. If you start tweaking and adapting the recipe, you will most probably end up with another delicious cake.
However since the ingredients might be slightly different, it is is highly possible that your cake is not strictly a pound cake anymore.
Best Recipe For Pound Cake (Quatre-Quarts)
You might have heard or even read about a ’quatre-quarts’ cake in French cuisine.
Why?
Because quatre-quarts (literally meaning ‘four quarters’) cake is exactly the same as our classic pound cake below. But then the French version usually contains a bit of vanilla extract for an extra flavor kick. All the other four classic ingredients are exactly the same.
I don’t know about you but I kind of like the thought of adding a little touch of vanilla though. Vanilla works very well in simple fluffy tea cakes.
Tea Cake
How often do you make pound cake at home?
Here I make it very often actually. I love this cake just because it consists of 4 ingredients that I always have at home in my pantry and fridge. And I’m sure you do too.
Not surprisingly then that this recipe for pound cake is one of the easiest last-minute desserts that you can make! It is indeed the perfect dessert plan B for when your initial dessert idea doesn’t come out the way you want it.
I bake this cake very often also when I can’t come up with a more creative dessert idea.
Classic Chocolate Cake
So, are you in for a bit of cake baking today?
Or are you more looking for a classic chocolate cake instead?
Then you should also check out the best chocolate cake ever that I have ever made! It is rich, sweet, chocolaty and fluffy and light at the same time as well. You could probably call it a recipe for pound cake as well because it is just as light as a pound cake.
But then one with chocolate in it.
You can thank me later.
Enjoy!
Best Recipe for Pound Cake (Quatre-Quarts)
My homemade recipe for pound cake: the classic amongst classics!
- 4 oz unsalted butter (115 g)
- 4 oz caster sugar (115 g)
- 2 medium eggs
- 4 oz self-raising flour (115 g)
- salt
Add the butter to a small saucepan and place it over medium heat until melted. Then transfer it to a large mixing bowl and it cool for 5 minutes (because the eggs will scramble if the butter is too hot). Then add the eggs.
Whisk well for a minute until you get a creamy mixture. Then add the caster sugar.
Stir well again. Then add the self-raising flour and a pinch of salt.
Mix well until you get a firm and sticky cake batter. Butter a cake tin and sprinkle it lightly with flour. Then add the cake batter.
Flatten the top with a spatula. Then bake the pound cake in a preheated oven at 356°F (180°C) for 30 minutes. Remove the pound cake from the oven and let it cool fully in its tin.
Then slice the pound cake up and serve.
