How to Bake an Easy Pound Cake

Pound cake is delicious with fresh fruit and a dollop of whipped cream.

Pound cake is a basic, fairly dense white cake. Its name derives from the proportions of the original recipe, which called for one pound each of flour, butter, eggs and sugar. While most recipes create a much smaller quantity of batter and modern variations may even alter the proportions, pound cake remains a favorite. It is easy to bake and delicious on its own, but it also provides beginning bakers a forgiving context in which to experiment by adding nuts, fruit or flavorings to the batter.

Things You'll Need

• 3 sticks butter
• 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
• 2 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups cake flour
• 5 eggs
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla or lemon extract

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a Bundt pan.

2. Cream butter and shortening together, then mix in sugar. Combine baking powder, salt and flour in a medium bowl.

3. Add eggs to butter mixture one at a time, beating each one into the mixture before adding the next. Stir in vanilla or lemon extract.

4. Mix half of the dry ingredients into the butter mixture. Stir in milk, then add the other half of the dry ingredients and mix.

5. Pour the batter into Bundt pan and bake 60 to 80 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool on rack for 15 to 20 minutes before turning cake out of pan.

Tips & Warnings

• Soften margarine by leaving out of the refrigerator for about an hour to make mixing easier.

• Serve the pound cake with ice cream for a more elaborate dessert.

• If sharing this recipe with a child, make sure an adult is present to take the pan in and out of the oven.

References

• "Joy of Cooking"; Irma S. Rombauer; 2006
• Food Network: Mama's Pound Cake