Our Best Pound Cake Recipes

When you’re craving a rich and decadent treat, there’s nothing quite like a slice of buttery pound cake. Whether you prefer a classic recipe made with just a handful of ingredients or are looking for a fresh take packed with add-ins and topped with glaze, these easy-to-bake cakes are sure to please.

September 30, 2021

By: Carlos Olaechea

Photo By: Renee Comet

Photo By: Armando Rafael

Photo By: Matt

Sour Cream Pound Cake

The original pound cake appeared in America’s first cookbook and was made with one pound each of butter, sugar, eggs and flour. Now that’s a lot of cake! Over the years, cooks have become more creative with the classic recipe, incorporating different tips and techniques, tweaking the amount of butter and sugar and adding unique ingredients to make their cakes stand out from the rest. We’ve done the same here. We scaled down the ingredients and simplified the work that’s involved to make a showpiece cake that’s perfect for any gathering. The key to our recipe is sour cream, which balanced the sweetness and ensures the cake remains soft for days. This pound cake is moist, dense — and dangerously butter!

Get the Recipe: Sour Cream Pound Cake

Honey Vanilla Pound Cake

This recipe from Ina is both subtle and complex. A combination of honey, vanilla and lemon zest may seem a little jarring, but it works harmoniously to create a beautiful flavor.

Get the Recipe: Honey Vanilla Pound Cake

Chocolate Pound Cake

Trisha's cake is extra rich from a combination of butter and shortening. This also prevents the cocoa powder from drying out the cake too much.

Get the Recipe: Chocolate Pound Cake

Browned Butter Pound Cake

Browned butter isn't a type of butter but rather butter that has been melted and heated until the milk solids are a toasty golden-brown. Browned butter gives a rich, nutty flavor to baked goods, including this pound cake.

Get the Recipe: Browned Butter Pound Cake

Classic Pound Cake

This tried-and-true recipe makes enough batter to fill two loaf pans. That’s one cake for you and one to gift to a friend or family member!

Get the Recipe: Classic Pound Cake

Lemon and Raspberry Pound Cake

Raspberries and lemon make for a classic combination, including in this rich pound cake. The lemon flavor is repeated in the glaze with a generous amount of lemon zest and lemon juice.

Get the Recipe: Lemon and Raspberry Pound Cake

Citrus Pound Cake

We double down on the citrus in this cake, using both orange and lemon zest to brighten the flavor.

Get the Recipe: Citrus Pound Cake

Peach Cobbler Pound Cake

This summertime-centric pound cake was inspired by peach cobbler with a little coffee cake streusel thrown in. Serve it in slices topped with more fresh peaches and a dollop of brown sugar-whipped cream for a quintessential taste of the season.

Get the Recipe: Peach Cobbler Pound Cake

Strawberry Almond Pound Cake

This recipe is like a mashup of a pound cake and coffee cake. The cake batter is flavored with almond extract and studded with fresh sliced strawberries. Instead of a loaf pan, this cake is baked in a cast-iron skillet.

Get the Recipe: Strawberry Almond Pound Cake

Blood Orange Rosemary Pound Cake

This Italian-inspired pound cake is made with two uncommon ingredients (at least in pound cakes): blood oranges and rosemary. Blood oranges have a deep flavor and beautiful red color; rosemary lends a piney aroma pairs beautifully with the citrus.

Get the Recipe: Blood Orange Rosemary Pound Cake

Hot Chocolate Marble Pound Cake

This cake isn't just named after hot chocolate but is actually made with cocoa mix. The addition of hot cocoa gives this pound cake extra richness and keeps the cake moist.

Get the Recipe: Hot Chocolate Marble Pound Cake

Raspberry-Swirl Pound Cake

This is an ideal recipe for raspberry lovers. This pound cake is marbled with a fresh rasberry and raspberry jam sauce. A topping of crispy freeze-dried raspberries completes this cake and reinforces the raspberry flavor.

Get the Recipe: Raspberry-Swirl Pound Cake

Lemony Yogurt Pound Cake

If you think pound cakes can't be light, then think again. This healthier take is made with whole-wheat flour and replaces the butter with Greek yogurt and olive oil. Lemon zest gives the finished product a beautiful, bright flavor.

Get the Recipe: Lemony Yogurt Pound Cake

Pineapple Upside-Down Pound Cake

Pineapple upside-down cake is usually made with a lighter batter than traditional pound cakes. However, a buttery pound cake is a perfect match for the sticky-sweet pineapple rings and maraschino cherries that caramelize on the bottom of the pan.

Get the Recipe: Pineapple Upside-Down Pound Cake

Lemon Pound Cake

This buttery pound cake is finished with a sticky lemon-scented glaze. Unlike some other glazes made with powdered sugar, this glaze is made with granulated sugar and soaks into the cake, making it extra lemony and moist.

Get the Recipe: Lemon Pound Cake

Cinnamon Sugar Pound Cake

This is an extremely simple recipe for pound cake that is as traditional as can be. The unique flavors in this pound cake comes from the glaze, which includes a generous amount of ground cinnamon for a spicy, warm flavor.

Get the Recipe: Cinnamon Sugar Pound Cake

Candied-Lemon Pound Cake

Quality ingredients make a big difference in pound cake where there aren't a lot of add-ins or flavorings. Try using premium butter — and if you can, use organic cane sugar. It gives the loaves a great crunchy top.

Get the Recipe: Candied-Lemon Pound Cake

Ricotta Orange Pound Cake

Giada's recipe for pound cake includes a signature italian ingredient: ricotta cheese. The ricotta gives the cake an extra layer of richness. The orange zest is a classic pairing for ricotta.

Get the Recipe: Ricotta Orange Pound Cake

Vanilla Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Adding cream cheese to pound cake is a classic technique for making an extra rich cake. This recipe also includes a double punch of vanilla from a combination of vanilla extract and vanilla bean.

Get the Recipe: Vanilla Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Old-Fashioned Clementine Pound Cake

This pound cake has clementine flavor within the cake and in the glaze, as well. A hint of cinnamon adds some sweet warmth to the clementines and makes for a perfect wintery treat.

Get the Recipe: Old-Fashioned Clementine Pound Cake

Mango Coriander Pound Cake Cupcakes with Mango Chutney Filling and Sweetened Condensed Milk Whipped Cream

If you're the type who loves unique flavor combinations and unexpected ingredients, this pound cake recipe is made for you! Each cupcake is filled with a mango chutney compote and topped with a rich whipped cream enhanced by rich and sticky condensed milk. Coriander seed powder gives a lemony perfume to the cake.

Get the Recipe: Mango Coriander Pound Cake Cupcakes with Mango Chutney Filling and Sweetened Condensed Milk Whipped Cream

Apple Pound Cake

This pound cake includes tart granny smith apples and the acidity is reinforced with some lemon juice and lemon extract. A little bit of ground cinnamon gives this cake a warming, spicy flavor.

Get the Recipe: Apple Pound Cake

Peanut Butter-Caramel Pound Cake

This decadent cake is made with creamy peanut butter and a caramel sauce made with caramel candies and heavy cream. The result is an ooey-gooey pound cake with nuttiness from peanuts and deep flavor from the caramel sauce.

Get the Recipe: Peanut Butter-Caramel Pound Cake

Orange Pound Cake

This pound cake is perfumed with the enchanting flavors of orange juice and orange zest for an especially citrusy cake. The glaze is optional but highly recommended, particularly if you're a big fan of oranges.

Get the Recipe: Orange Pound Cake

Cold Oven Pound Cake

This is a basic pound cake recipe that can be customized with any ingredients or flavors you'd like. What makes this recipe unique, however, is that you don't need to preheat the oven. This cake is started in a cold oven.

Get the Recipe: Cold Oven Poundcake

Plain Pound Cake

This is a great basic recipe for pound cake that has just a little bit of tang from buttermilk. The buttermilk combines with the baking soda in the recipe to make the cake extra fluffy. This is a perfect recipe to adapt by adding your favorite flavorings, nuts, candies and fruit.

Get the Recipe: Plain Pound Cake