My Vanilla Pound Cake is a classic moist pound cake recipe with three layers of intense vanilla flavor to excite the most serious vanilla fans.
You could make plain pound cake, but why would you when you can make triple vanilla pound cake??? Flavor pretty much rules around here, and if you interested in food history you know there’s been a growing trend for bold extreme flavors in everything from breakfast cereal to cocktails. And I get it, there’s something exhilarating about food that gets right up in your face and bites back. But bold flavor comes in many forms, and this vanilla pound cake proves it. Chocolate has its charms, but in terms of pure aromatic complexity, ‘plain’ vanilla is hands down the champ. If you love and appreciate vanilla, my vanilla pound cake loaf is a must make!
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what exactly is a pound cake?
The name “pound cake” refers to the traditional recipes that date back to the 17th century using more or less equal weights of flour, butter, sugar, and eggs. The cake is known for its dense, fine crumb texture and even though it’s been around for centuries, it still makes the best breakfast or coffee break treat ever.
This vanilla pound cake is baked in a loaf pan, which is perfect when you don’t need or want a lot of cake. But pound cakes can also be baked in tube or bundt pans, like my Classic Buttermilk Pound Cake, and you could certainly double this recipe for a pretty bundt presentation.
what exactly is vanilla?
Vanilla is made from the seed pods of a tropical orchid. It contains a mind boggling array of flavor compounds, and like coffee or fine wine, vanilla will vary depending on where it comes from (it might be Tahiti, Madagascar, or Mexico.) Madagascar vanilla is considered the king of vanilla for its rich, creamy flavor with complex notes, especially Bourbon Vanilla.
If you’re wondering why you have to pay so much for that lonely bean in the jar, it’s because those orchids are rare, only bloom once a year, and have to be pollinated by hand. From bean to bottle it takes over a year and a half…you can read about it here if you’re interested.
3 layers of vanilla in vanilla pound cake
To triple down on that lovely vanilla flavor I’ve layered it into this pound cake recipe:
vanilla layer #1: vanilla sugar
- Vanilla sugar is sugar that has been infused with vanilla. To make it, simply put some sugar in a container that has a lid, I use a large wide mouthed mason jar, but you can use a canister if you like. Add a whole vanilla bean that has been split down the middle and bury it into the sugar. (You can even re-use vanilla beans from past recipes.) Give the container a good shake and store in the cupboard. Give the jar another shake before measuring out your sugar. You can keep a container of vanilla sugar going indefinitely: every time you use the sugar just add more to the jar, and replace the vanilla beans from time to time.
related: How to Make Lemon Sugar
vanilla layer #2: vanilla bean paste
- I flavor the batter with vanilla bean paste, which is a thick vanilla product made from ground beans. You get an intense flavor AND those wonderful specks without having to deal with expensive whole beans. Vanilla bean paste can sometimes be hard to find in regular supermarkets, but you can always buy it online, here. The brand I like is Nielsen-Massey.
Vanilla bean paste is expensive, but a little goes a long way, and the flavor is truly special.
vanilla layer #3: vanilla glaze
- The glaze is the icing on this vanilla pound cake ~ pun intended! One bite and all your vanilla sense memories come flooding back…The cake has lots of vanilla presence all by itself, but for me the best part is the vanilla bean glaze on top. I try to get as much on there as possible because I want to get some in every bite.
If you love vanilla I know you’ll enjoy this cake, it’s a classic pound cake recipe taken up a few notches. The complex vanilla flavor really comes through, and the fine crumb texture is lovely. Serve it for breakfast, coffee break, or dessert ~ it’s a winner!
related: Chocolate Pound Cake
baking tips for vanilla pound cake
Room temperature ingredients help this batter come together properly. See instructions here for how to get cold ingredients to room temperature quickly.
Cream your butter and sugar thoroughly, for at least 3-4 minutes, scraping down the bowl as necessary. Electric mixers or a stand mixer are highly recommended. This important step incorporates air into the batter and helps this vanilla pound cake rise and have that perfect crumb.
Vanilla pound cake glaze: there’s an art to getting a glaze to stick onto a cake. First, don’t rush it, you need to let the cake cool. I like to err on the thick side with my glazes. It should be JUST pourable, but still have substance. I lay a thick layer across the top of the cake and then nudge it gently with a spreader. I want it to lazily fall off the edges, not flow like a waterfall or sink into my cake.
Don’t slice your pound cake until ready to serve or it will start to dry out.
Any leftover slices can be wrapped in plastic wrap, just like our favorite coffee shop does. They’ll stay fresh for a couple of days.
Featured comment:
“I made the cake this afternoon and it turned out perfectly. My husband and neighbors are happy taste testers for Thanksgiving brunch.
Thanks again!” ~ Patty
Vanilla Pound Cake
Equipment
- 9×5 loaf pan
- parchment paper (optional)
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups cake flour, see instructions for making your own in the notes, below*
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups vanilla sugar, directions in the notes below**
- 1 Tbsp vanilla paste, or 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 cup buttermilk, room temperature
glaze
- 1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
- 1 Tbsp vanilla bean paste
- 1 Tbsp milk, or more as needed, you can also use half and half, or cream.
Instructions
- Set oven to 325°F.
- Lightly spray a standard 9×5 loaf pan and line it with a sheet of parchment paper or foil so you can easily lift the cake out for glazing.
- Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer, cream the butter, sugar, and vanilla together until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Let the mixer go for at least 3-4 minutes. Note: the long mixing is important for this classic pound cake, the air that is incorporated through mixing is what helps it rise.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time.
- Blend in the buttermilk. Then slowly add the flour. Make sure everything is well mixed. Do the last bit by hand.
- Turn the batter into the loaf pan and spread out evenly. Bake on the middle rack for 60-70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out without wet batter clinging to it. Cool on a rack.
- Make the glaze by whisking the sugar and vanilla together with enough milk or cream to create a thick spreadable glaze. Beat it until there are no lumps. You can add more liquid to thin it down, or more sifted sugar to thicken it up.
- When the cake is almost completely cool, spread a thick layer of glaze over the top and let it drip down the sides. The idea is to have the glaze thick enough that it doesn’t completely slide off the cake. If that happens, gather it up and re-glaze the cake.
- Let the glaze set up before serving your pound cake. The cake can be kept at room temperature for up to 3 days, wrapped in plastic.
I must have a bad brand or batch of vanilla bean paste. My cake isn’t white its tan and same with my glaze. Is tablespoon the correct amount? I tasted the paste and it seems to taste very alcohol heavy. Silver Cloud is the brand. Any ideas?
Hi Sue, I was wondering how well the Vanilla Paste stores. This will determine if I buy the more economical 8oz or 32oz over the 4oz bottle.
Teri
I find it lasts well, but honestly I usually buy the smaller bottle.
Can it be made with gluten free flour?
I haven’t tried this with a gf baking mix, but it’s definitely worth a try.
Hi. Is this 1 1/2 or 11/2?
1 and 1/2
Hi Sue. I love all things vanilla bean, and this looks absolutely amazing! Is there really only 1/8 tsp of baking soda in the recipe? That seems like a really small amount to me and I’m worried my cake wouldn’t rise. I can’t wait to make this, thank you for the recipe!
This cake doesn’t rise a whole lot, it’s got a classic dense pound cake texture, Lee, but you can see from the photo that it does rise and form that characteristic center crack along the top. You could add a touch more baking soda if you like. The rise in this cake mostly comes from the long beating of the butter and sugar, so don’t skimp on that.
hi there, I made this today, I took pictures but I don’t see an upload link. Anyway, the cake didn’t really rise, was only alittle shy under 2″ tall and the top had alot of little bubbles. I bake on a regular basis, not sure what I did wrong. Please advise so I can fix this! Thanks so much!
Hey Sandy ~ that’s too bad, i’m not sure what happened. the cake is not super tall, but it does rise, with a crack in the center like a classic pound cake. My first questions might be pan size, or not beating the butter and sugar enough to incorporate air into them, or maybe even over beating the batter after adding the flour. But if you are an experienced baker you probably took care of all that. I’m stumped, sorry, but I hope you give it another shot.
thanks Sue for getting back to me – I will certainly try again!
Hi Sue,
Every recipe of yours that I’ve made always results in rave reviews. You’ve definitely made me a better cook. I do have a couple of questions for you. I ordered the loaf pan and vanilla paste that you recommended. Is the vanilla paste supposed to be runny or more like an actual paste? The paste I received is rather runny. The loaf pan instructions say to not use cooking spray, should I just spray the parchment? I also bought what was described as “pumpkin purée” for your pumpkin cupcakes. When the pumpkin arrived it says organic pumpkin, nowhere on the label does it say “purée”, is there a difference? Sorry to bombard you with so many questions. Keep the great recipes coming!
Many thanks,
Patty
Hi Patty! The vanilla past is runny, so yours is perfect. And I usually just spray the pan to keep the parchment paper in place, if that makes sense, so feel free to skip that step. If you find your paper slides around too much you can use a dab of butter to adhere it to the pan. No need to spray the paper, though. As for the pumpkin, you’ve got the right stuff. The important thing is that you get plain pumpkin, NOT pumpkin pie filling, which has all sorts of other stuff in it. Thanks for your support ~ and keep those questions coming!!
Thanks for answering so timely. I made the cake this afternoon and it turned out perfectly. My husband and neighbors are happy taste testers for Thanksgiving brunch. Next up is the pumpkin cupcakes with candied pecans.
Thanks again!
The View from great island:
Triple Vanilla Poundcake
So excited to make this for my sons birthday this week. He loves vanilla on vanilla.
I have a question…. can you use a bundt pan instead of a loaf pan ???
I don’t think there is enough batter for a bundt pan, Donna, you might need to double the recipe.
Donna was reading my mind! My son too love vanilla and I’m planning on making this for his birthday as well. I’d like to make this in a bundt as well. – Sue, if I double the recipe, any changes I’d need to make in temp or time?
Also Sue, how long does the infused vanilla sugar take to get that intense flavor?
Thanks a bunch and LOVE the recipes!!
No, because the vanilla paste is moist and it won’t work. I would just skip the infusing, and use the paste in the batter, it will still be delicious!
Can I infuse the sugar with vanilla bean paste instead? I don’t have the vanilla beans