Never Fail Pound Cake

A proper pound cake is six ingredients deep and almost impossible to mess up if you respect the technique. This version uses three sticks of butter, eight eggs, sugar, sifted flour, vanilla, and cream of tartar for stability, all baked at low heat in a tube pan for nearly two hours. The result is a dense, golden crumb that slices clean and tastes like buttered Sunday afternoon.

The long beat is non-optional. The full 10 minutes of mixing dissolves the sugar into the butter and incorporates enough air to lift the heavy batter without leavening.

Chef Tips

• Bring the butter and eggs to true room temperature. Cold butter won’t cream properly and you’ll end up with a grainy, sunken cake.
• The 10-minute beat is the recipe. Cream of tartar stabilizes the eggs but the air whipped in is what makes the cake rise; cut the beat short and the cake stays squat.
• Sift the flour before measuring. Packed flour gives you a heavy, doughy cake instead of a tender pound cake.
• Low and slow is the only way. High heat sets the crust before the inside cooks through, leaving a raw streak in the middle.
• Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then turn out. Straight from the oven the cake is too tender to hold its shape.

Variations

• Add 2 teaspoons of lemon zest with the vanilla for a brighter, citrus-tinged crumb.
• Swap a quarter of the flour for almond meal and add 1 teaspoon almond extract for a richer, nuttier pound cake.
• Glaze cooled slices with a thin lemon icing or serve with macerated berries and whipped cream.