Plain Old Pound Cake

No baking powder. No baking soda. No milk. This pound cake gets its rise entirely from creaming a full pound of real butter with sugar and beating in eight eggs. That’s the old way, the way pound cake got its name, and the reason the texture is so different from anything with chemical leavening.

Creaming is everything here. Beat the butter and sugar until genuinely light and fluffy. Then add the eggs two at a time, beating well after each addition. Each pair of eggs adds moisture and air that the creamed butter traps. That trapped air is your only leavening, so don’t rush this step.

The flour goes in on low speed, one cup at a time, to avoid knocking out the air you just built. Butter flavoring alongside vanilla gives this cake an extra-rich, almost caramelized butter taste. Baked low and slow, the result is a tight, velvety crumb that slices cleanly.

Kitchen Tips

• Use real butter, not margarine. The recipe says it and it means it. Margarine has more water and less fat, which changes the crumb entirely.
• Room temperature ingredients. Cold eggs and butter won’t cream properly and the batter can curdle.
• Sift the flour. Unsifted flour adds too much weight and the cake turns dense instead of velvety.
• Test with a toothpick. At 85 minutes, the center should be fully set. If it comes out wet, give it 5 to 10 more minutes.

Variations

• Lemon pound cake: Add the zest of 2 lemons and 2 tablespoons lemon juice. Skip the butter flavoring.
• Cream cheese pound cake: Replace half the butter with softened cream cheese for a tangier, moister cake.
• Chocolate marble: Swirl 3 tablespoons of melted chocolate through the batter before baking for a marbled effect.