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5-Ingredient Vanilla Pound Cake

If you need a quick and easy cake recipe in a pinch everyone will enjoy, this classic Vanilla Pound Cake is it. Ready in less than 1 hour using only 5 staple ingredients, it’s a cake recipe that I keep coming back to over and over again. AND it’s a traditional pound cake, using equal parts of butter, sugar, and flour.

Vanilla pound cake on a marble tray, white background.
Table of contents

Unlike many other pound cake recipes, this one actually uses equal parts of butter, sugar, and flour which is the basis of a traditional pound cake recipe. Simply double the recipe for a true pound cake in terms of volume but you’ll need a larger bundt tin and bake it for at least 1 hour.

This vanilla loaf cake recipe is an easy tea cake recipe for you to get creative with. Add fruit, chocolate, nuts, or turn it into a swirl cake using this recipe as a starting point. My cinnamon swirl cake, blueberry and lemon pound cake, and strawberry pound cake are good examples.

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Vanilla pound cake on a marble tray, white background.

Vanilla Pound Cake

Caro Jensen
Classic vanilla pound cake made with 5 staple ingredients including equal parts of butter, sugar, and flour. Ready in less than 1 hour!
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Course Cake
Cuisine American
Servings 12 servings
Calories 299 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

  • 1/2 lb butter lightly salted
  • 1/2 lb sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 lb self-raising flour
  • 2 tsp powdered sugar to serve, optional

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease and flour a 9×5 inch loaf pan.
  • In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. About 2-3 minutes.
    1/2 lb butter, 1/2 lb sugar
  • Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla extract.
    4 eggs, 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • Gradually add the flour to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined.
    1/2 lb self-raising flour
  • Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cover the cake with some parchment paper while baking if it's getting too dark while baking.
  • Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack to cool completely.
  • Dust with powdered sugar before serving (optional).
    2 tsp powdered sugar

Notes

Light and fluffy: Make sure the wet ingredients are light and fluffy before adding in the flour.
Don’t overmix: Once you added the flour, make sure not to overmix the cake batter or the cake will be dense.
Storage: This moist lemon cake stores well at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Alternatively, you can freeze leftovers for up to 3 months in a freezer-proof container whole or in convenient slices.

Nutrition

Calories: 299kcalCarbohydrates: 33gProtein: 4gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 10gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 95mgSodium: 143mgPotassium: 45mgFiber: 0.5gSugar: 19gVitamin A: 552IUCalcium: 16mgIron: 0.4mg
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Ingredients and substitutions

Ingredients laid out to make vanilla pound cake.
  1. Butter – I use lightly salted butter for convenience. You can also use unsalted butter and add 1/4 tsp of salt to the batter.
  2. Sugar – Granulated sugar works best for the classic pound cake. I use powdered sugar to serve.
  3. Vanilla – Vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste give the loaf cake its rich vanilla flavor. For an even more intense flavor use 1 vanilla bean and scrape out the seeds. You can also use vanilla essence if needed but I much prefer the taste of vanilla extract.
  4. Eggs – Medium-sized eggs stored at room temperature work best.
  5. Flour – I use self-raising flour for convenience. You can also opt for all-purpose flour and add 2 tsp of baking powder.

5-ingredient vanilla cake (step-by-step)

Creamed butter and sugar in a metal bowl.

1: Cream butter and sugar.

Fluffy dough in a metal bowl.

2: Add eggs one at a time while whisking as well as the vanilla extract.

Plain cake batter in a metal bowl.

3: Stir in the self-raising flour making sure not to overmix the batter.

Cake batter in a greased loaf tin.

4: Add the cake batter to a greased or parchment paper-lined loaf tin. Bake for 40 minutes at 350F in a preheated oven or until a knife comes out clean.

Serving

I recommend serving the vanilla loaf cake with a simple dusting of powdered sugar. Alternatively, add a vanilla bean glaze or frosting.

Serve it with some whipped cream such as my classic schlag, brown sugar whipped cream, or mascarpone cream.

A bowl of whipped chantilly mascarpone next to a white ceramic mug, pink napkin and cinnamon sticks.

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5 from 1 vote