Rich, dense, and beautifully golden, this Classic Butter Pound Cake delivers that old-fashioned bakery flavor with a smooth, glossy glaze that sets to a delicate sheen. With simple pantry ingredients and reliable steps, it’s the kind of cake you’ll return to again and again.
- Simple pantry glaze: Pours on smooth and sets with a pretty sheen.
Reliable bake: Straightforward steps and bakery-worthy results.
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract (optional but recommended)
- 8 large eggs
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup whole milk
For the White Glaze
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 2–3 tablespoons milk or heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat oven to 325°F (165°C). Grease a 10-inch tube or Bundt pan and lightly dust with flour.
- Cream: In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until very light and fluffy (5–7 minutes). Mix in vanilla and almond extract.
- Add eggs: Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping the bowl as needed.
- Dry mix: In a separate bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Alternate: Add the dry mixture to the butter mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the milk (start and end with dry). Mix just until smooth—do not overmix.
- Bake: Transfer batter to the pan, smooth the top, and bake 1 hour 20–30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool: Let cool in the pan 15–20 minutes, then invert onto a rack.
- Glaze: Whisk powdered sugar, milk/cream, and vanilla until pourable but not thin. Drizzle over the warm cake and let set 15–20 minutes before slicing.
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