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British

Pound cake

Contains egg (no meat or fish)

The original equal-weights cake — butter, sugar, eggs and flour in the same quantities — creamed until pale and baked low into a fine, close-crumbed, buttery loaf with a golden crust.

Pound cake is a British cake from United Kingdom, ready in about 2 hours 40 minutes and made with unsalted butter, sugar and egg. It serves 12 and is rated easy to cook.

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Delicious vanilla pound cake with a creamy white glaze drizzled on top.
Photo: Natalia Olivera / Pexels · Pexels License
Prep
20 min
Cook
1 h 5 min
Rest
1 h 15 min
Total
2 h 40 min
Serves
12
Level
Easy
Calories
302

Ingredients

12 slices

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oven (opens in a new tab) to 170 °C (fan 150 °C). Grease and line a 900 g (2 lb) loaf tin (opens in a new tab).

  2. Step 2

    Beat the soft butter and sugar (opens in a new tab) for 5 minutes until very pale, light and fluffy — this traps the air that raises the cake.

  3. Step 3

    Beat the eggs (opens in a new tab) with the vanilla (opens in a new tab) and add them a little at a time, beating well after each addition. If the mixture starts to curdle, add a spoonful of the flour.

    • 4 min
    Eggs being whisked in a bowl
    How it looks · Photo: Kampus Production on Pexels

  4. Step 4

    Sift in the flour, baking powder (opens in a new tab) and salt and fold gently with a spatula (opens in a new tab), adding the milk (opens in a new tab), until just smooth. Don't beat at this stage.

  5. Step 5

    Scrape into the tin, level, and run a buttered knife down the centre for a neat crack. Bake 55–65 minutes until risen and golden and a skewer (opens in a new tab) in the middle comes out clean (about 96 °C inside).

  6. Step 6

    Cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then turn out onto a rack and cool completely.

About this dish

Origin
United Kingdom · Commonly attributedNamed for the pound of each ingredient in early British recipes; the same idea gives France's quatre-quarts and America's pound cakes.Also popular in United States, FranceMore food from United Kingdom
Dish
Snack · Dessert · Cakes
Cooking method
Oven-baked
Taste
buttery, sweet, rich
Diet
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No nut ingredients
All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No nut ingredients · Pork-free · Beef-free
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Make-ahead · Freezer-friendly · Child-friendly
Cook more with
Unsalted butter · Sugar · Egg · All-purpose flour · Baking powder · Vanilla extract
Techniques
Baking · Fermentation

Allergens

  • Contains: Milkfrom unsalted butter, milk
  • Contains: Eggsfrom egg
  • Contains: Wheatfrom all-purpose flour, baking powder
  • Contains: Glutenfrom all-purpose flour, baking powder

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

302 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 73 g · recipe makes 12

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 6%
  • Carbohydrate 44%
  • Fat 51%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g
Energy302 kcal412 kcal
Protein4.3 g5.8 g
Carbohydrate33.4 g45.6 g
Net carbohydrate32.9 g44.9 g
Sugars19 g25.9 g
Added sugars18.8 g25.6 g
Fibre0.5 g0.7 g
Fat17.1 g23.3 g
Saturated fat10.1 g13.7 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol103 mg140 mg
Sodium96 mg130 mg
Salt equivalent0.2 g0.3 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
52 mg
Calcium
31 mg
Iron
1.2 mg
Magnesium
7 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
156 µg
Vitamin C
0 mg
Vitamin D
0.4 µg
Vitamin B12
0.2 µg
Folate (DFE)
63 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Have everything at room temperature so the batter emulsifies smoothly.

Common mistakes

  • Opening the oven early, which can make the middle sink.

Serve with

  • Plain with tea, or with berries and cream; toast slices and serve with fruit.

Storage

  • Keeps 5 days well wrapped; freezes for 3 months.

Variations

  • Madeira cake: Add the zest of a lemon and top with a strip of candied citron halfway through baking.
  • Quatre-quarts (France): The Breton version, often made with salted butter.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 2, 3, 4

Baker’s notes

Customise in Bread & Bakery

Timeline and readiness cues

  1. Mix and knead · about 20 min

    Mix only until no dry flour remains — overmixing makes it tough and tunnelled.

  2. Bake · about 1 h 5 min at 170 °C

    Risen and golden; a skewer in the centre comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs; the top springs back.

  3. Cool · about 1 h 15 min

    Cool on a rack before slicing — the crumb is still setting; cutting hot bread makes it gummy.

  4. Start to finish: about 2 h 40 min. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.

If something goes wrong

  • Gummy or wet crumb

    Likely causes

    • Under-baked
    • Sliced while hot
    • Hydration too high for the flour

    What to do

    • Bake to 93–96 °C inside (cakes: clean skewer)
    • Cool completely on a rack before slicing
    • Reduce water by 3–5% or use a stronger flour
  • Collapsed or sunken middle

    Likely causes

    • Oven door opened too early
    • Too much leavening or sugar
    • Under-baked centre
    • Over-proofed yeast dough

    What to do

    • Don't open the oven for the first two-thirds of baking
    • Measure leaveners exactly with spoons, levelled
    • Test the centre before removing
    • Proof less
  • Pale crust

    Likely causes

    • Oven too cool
    • Too little sugar or no milk/egg for browning
    • Over-fermented (yeast ate the sugars)

    What to do

    • Check the oven with a thermometer
    • Brush with egg wash or milk
    • Shorten the fermentation
  • Burnt bottom

    Likely causes

    • Tray too close to the heat
    • Dark tray absorbs more heat
    • Too much sugar in the dough

    What to do

    • Bake on the middle shelf
    • Double up trays or use a light-coloured one
    • Lower the temperature 10–15 °C and bake a little longer
  • Cracked or domed top

    Likely causes

    • Oven too hot (crust sets before the centre rises)
    • Too much leavening
    • Overmixed batter

    What to do

    • Lower the oven 10–15 °C
    • Use the exact leavening amount
    • Fold just until combined
  • Big holes or tunnels

    Likely causes

    • Overmixed batter (cakes, muffins)
    • Air trapped while shaping bread
    • Uneven proof

    What to do

    • Mix quick breads only until no dry flour shows
    • Degas gently and shape tightly
    • Proof covered in an even, warm place
  • Dry or crumbly

    Likely causes

    • Too much flour (scooped, not weighed)
    • Over-baked
    • Too little fat or sugar

    What to do

    • Weigh flour, or spoon it into the cup and level
    • Check 5 minutes early
    • Don't cut fat or sugar by more than a quarter without another moisture source

Reviews & corrections

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