Vanilla Bean Pound Cake

This pound cake is wonderfully rich and buttery. It has a gorgeous golden brown crust and a nostalgic aroma of vanilla.Pound cake might not sound like the most exciting dessert for some people, but what I love about pound cake is its simplicity. It’s a cake that is delicious without being fancy.

Pound cake dates back to the early 1700s and was originally made with a pound each of butter, sugar, eggs and flour – hence the name. However, as with everything, there have been many adaptations of this classic cake over the years.

Now, I like to keep things simple and stick to the basics. Though I don’t need a four-pound cake for my size of family. So, I went with Martha Stewart’s basic vanilla pound cake recipe. It was exactly what I was looking for: a one-loaf basic pound cake. The only thing I changed was that I substituted the vanilla extract for a vanilla bean. With such a simple cake, I wanted the flavoring that I was adding to be at its best, and nothing is better than real vanilla.

Since there are no leavening agents in this recipe, it’s really important to beat and cream the butter, sugar and eggs very well to incorporate as much air as possible in the batter because that’s what will cause your cake to rise in the oven.

This cake is moist and flavorful. It’s sturdy and dense, just the way a pound cake should be, yet tender at the same time. The natural vanilla fragrance complements the rich buttery taste of this cake perfectly.

It is lovely on its own or served with a dollop of whipped cream and fresh fruit. You can also serve it with a little bit of yogurt and fresh fruit as I did in the photo above for a healthier choice. Pound cake is also great toasted for breakfast with a cup of coffee. That’s one of my favorite ways to start the day.

Vanilla Bean Pound Cake

★★★★★

5 from 4 reviews

This pound cake is wonderfully rich and buttery. It has a gorgeous golden brown crust and a nostalgic aroma of vanilla.

• Author: Little Sweet Baker
• Prep Time: 15 min
• Cook Time: 60 min
• Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
• Yield: one loaf
• Category: dessert
• Method: bake
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

• 1 cup (227g) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for greasing pan
• 1 cup (200g) sugar
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 vanilla bean (or 2 tsp vanilla extract)
• 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting pan

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Butter and flour an 8×4″ or 9×5″ loaf pan.
2. Using an electric mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat the butter for about 1 minute until creamy.
3. Slowly add in the sugar, and beat until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes)
4. Add in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well in between. Scrape the bowl as needed. Then add in the vanilla bean seeds, mix well again.
5. On low speed, add in the flour and mix until just combined.
6. Bake for about 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Check at 45 minutes and loosely cover the cake with foil if browning too quickly.

Notes

Don’t throw out your empty vanilla bean pod. You can be use it to infuse milk or cream with subtle vanilla flavor, or you can stick it in a jar of sugar to make vanilla-scent sugar.
Leftover pound cake can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to one week. You can also tightly wrap it and store it in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Keywords: pound cake recipe, easy pound cake, old-fashioned pound cake, vanilla pound cake