Vanilla Pound Cake
A classic vanilla pound cake with layers of vanilla flavor baked right in!
Servings: 10 servings
Equipment
- 9x5 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 9x5 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.
Notes
*To make your own cake flour: for every 1 cup of flour, remove 2 tablespoons of the flour and replace with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch. Sift to mix the two really well. Cake flour results in a lighter texture and more tender crumb.
**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 also 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, add more to the jar, and replace the vanilla beans from time to time.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 slice · Calories: 355 kcal · Carbohydrates: 59 g · Protein: 4 g · Fat: 11 g · Saturated Fat: 7 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 3 g · Trans Fat: 0.4 g · Cholesterol: 75 mg · Sodium: 91 mg · Potassium: 59 mg · Fiber: 0.5 g · Sugar: 45 g · Vitamin A: 378 IU · Calcium: 29 mg · Iron: 0.4 mg
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although The View from Great Island attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
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