This pound cake is pretty special. Not only does it call for two full sticks of butter and three cups of sugar (yowza!), but it’s kept extra moist from both buttermilk and sour cream - and then lightened of its weight with fluffy egg whites that are gently folded into the batter.
Add to this a glaze akin to the coating on an old-fashioned donut, and you can call this cake a win!
As one favorite taste tester noted:
This is the most perfect cake. The perfect texture. The perfect icing. The perfect amount of icing!"
Perfect!
_ _ _ _ _
Guess what?!? This was the most popular recipe of 2023! Woo-hoo!
Check out Bake it Write's other favorites:
- Most Popular Recipe of 2022: Grandma Valita's Rhubarb Bars
- Most Popular Recipe of 2021: Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins for the Young at Heart
Vanilla-Glazed Pound Cake
- Prep Time: 30
- Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
- Yield: Serves 8-12 1x
- Category: Cake
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Scale
For the Cake:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (360 g)
- 1 tsp fine-grain salt (like table or sea salt)
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- 3 cups granulated sugar (600 g)
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature (1 cup, 8 oz)
- 6 eggs, separated
- ½ cup buttermilk
- ½ cup sour cream (120 g)
- 1 TB pure vanilla extract
For the Glaze:
- 3 TB unsalted butter
- 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted (120 g)
- 3 TB milk
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Instructions
For the Cake:
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Generously butter and flour a tube pan.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, sour cream and vanilla until smooth. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, until fully incorporated, periodically scraping down the sides of the bowl. With the mixer on low speed, add ⅓ of the flour mixture, then ½ of the buttermilk mixture. Continue to alternate the additions just until everything is combined. Set aside.
- In a clean, separate bowl beat the egg whites until soft peaks form (they should curl over slightly when you lift the beaters). Gently fold ⅓ of the whites into the batter to loosen. Slowly fold in the remaining whites, being sure to reach the bottom of the bowl, just until everything is combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared tube pan, then lift a few inches and drop onto the counter to release any air bubbles. Bake on the middle rack 55 - 60 minutes, or until golden, the sides are starting to release from the pan, and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and place on a serving platter. Glaze the cake while still warm.
For the Glaze:
- Melt the butter in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Then, off heat, whisk in the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla until smooth.
- Use a pastry brush to completely glaze the still-warm cake - don't forget the hole in the center! Continue to brush over repeat areas until all the glaze is used up and most of the glaze has been absorbed into the cake, with slight pooling along the base of the platter. Let the cake cool completely, then enjoy and share!
Notes
- For less breakage, it's best to separate eggs while still cold from the refrigerator. But for optimal volume, beat the egg whites at room temperature.
- Sifting the powdered sugar ensures a smooth glaze with no white clumps. Powdered sugar can be stubborn sometimes in its clumpiness.
- For the glaze, I use whole milk for its extra richness and flavor.
- I use this 10" aluminum tube pan.
- Recipe adapted from Kathy Sandoz' recipe on Just a Pinch.
sbissen13@gmail.com
This is my family's favorite vanilla cake. They love the dense sweetness. I love a good bundt cake and this one is a classic. Once again, great notes and tips included in the recipe!
Sarah Marx Feldner
Thank you, Sarah! I love that this is a hit with your family! They have good taste 😉 And I'm so happy to hear that the recipe notes are helpful - they're fun for me to write. xoxo
Jean Fleming
I have been looking for a clear glaze for my pound cake forever. Your glaze is perfect. I had already baked my cake, but will be trying your recipe very soon. Thank you so much💕
Sarah Marx Feldner
How fun! Working in the industry, we called this "Frankenstein-ing" a recipe - when you grab the best parts of recipes to make your own favorite. I'm honored this glaze worked for you!
Foxy Brown
Cake was perfect
Sarah Marx Feldner
And your comment and rating are perfect. Thank you! ❤️
Lalena
I decided to make a pound cake but wanted something different, so I made a last minute decision to use fresh strawberries (processed until almost purée but with bits, and swirled into batter, which was steady in the pan.
For the glaze, I followed your recipe but wanted a citrus hint, so added 3/4 tsp vanilla and 1/2 tsp lemon extract. It tastes wonderful and can’t wait for it came to come out, glaze, and enjoy.
Sarah Marx Feldner
Wow. So creative. I bet this was beautiful! Thank you for sharing how you personalized it!
Kathleen
I can understand why this recipe is popular! It is delicious! It is a buttery, vanilla flavored, great texture cake. I served it with strawberries and whipped cream. Thank you for a new go to recipe.
Sarah Marx Feldner
This makes me SO happy to read! And your additions sound like the perfect pairing.
Sue
I came upon this recipe while looking for a clear glaze for a on olive oil cake. I have made the cake twice and it is very similar to a pound cake. The recipe calls for sugar to be added on top. The sugar hardens and is nice but I wanted a glaze. Will this work if applied the same way as in this recipe? I plan to flavor it with lemon or orange.
Sarah Marx Feldner
Hi Sue! Is your question can the Glaze in this recipe be used on other cakes? If so, the answer is yes! I just can't speak specifically to your olive oil cake (which sounds delicious!), as I'm unfamiliar with the recipe. If you try it, please let me know how it turns out.
Sue Goley
The glaze was a nice addition to my recipe. It didn't seem to soak into the cake as much as yours seemed to and if I use it again I will figure out how to put it on once the cake is completely out of the springform pan. It cracked but it didn't really bother me. I decorated the center with some purple and white pansies.
Sarah Marx Feldner
Sounds beautiful, Sue!
Damesha
Not a super experienced baker here ☺️ is it possible for me to bake this in a loaf pan instead of the Bundt pan? If so, how would I need to modify the recipe? If at all.
Sarah Marx Feldner
Hi Damesha! It would take some tweaking to convert this recipe into a loaf pan (mainly, batter volume and bake time). If specifically looking for a loaf pan recipe, I love this Orange Ricotta Loaf Cake: https://bakeitwrite.com/orange-ricotta-loaf-cake/