Our 12 Best Pound Cake Recipes for an Irresistibly Buttery Treat (2024)

Classic Pound Cake

Classic pound cake is super easy to make, thanks to its basic ingredients—butter, sugar, eggs—that most people already have in their kitchens. This cream cheese pound cake recipe uses cake flour for a lighter texture, but all-purpose flour can easily be used. Or make it gluten-free by trying a flour substitute.

Banana-Nut Pound Cake

If you like banana bread, then you'll find this moist pound cake recipe flavored with bananas and bourbon really appealing. Chopped pecans add texture, and a swirl of cream cheese perfects the dense, crumbly cake.

Sweet Potato-Chocolate Pound Cake

Sweet potatoes aren't just for casseroles and mashes (although they're tasty in those as well). In this well-balanced sour cream pound cake, a mashed sweet potato infuses more color, earthiness, and vitamins into the chocolate-swirled batter. Drizzle the finished loaf with silky chocolate ganache and sprinkle with flaky sea salt for the ultimate just-sweet-enough dessert.

Buy It: Maldon Sea Salt Flakes (Amazon)

Milk Chocolate Pound Cake

Who says you have to stick with a classic vanilla pound cake recipe? Switch things up by blending finely chopped milk-chocolate morsels into your batter. To make it worthy of a spot on the list of our greatest chocolate hits, we call for slathering each slice with a generous spoonful of smooth milk-chocolate ganache.

White Chocolate and Almond Pound Cake

A dash of almond extract and a drizzle of silky sour cream elevate your average old-fashioned pound cake recipe into a crowd-pleasing masterpiece. This ultra-appetizing almond pound cake becomes even more irresistible with our white chocolate glaze and a sprinkling of chopped almonds. Not only do they look showy, but these toppings also hint at—and accentuate—the flavors hiding inside.

Triple-Citrus Pound Cake

Make this citrus pound cake for any occasion—especially in winter and spring, when citrus is at its finest. Grapefruit, lime, and orange lend tang to the recipe. Topped with candied orange slices and a citrus glaze, the dessert is as much a showstopper as it is delectable.

Grapefruit and Olive-Oil Cake

You have our full permission to eat cake for breakfast. Zingy grapefruit zest, fresh grapefruit slices, and juice perk up the flavors for a treat that's far better than store-bought. Make the easy pound cake recipe extra-sweet and kid-friendly by using any leftover pulp for a simple syrup.

Lime-Infused Coconut Pound Cake

Head to the tropics for dessert tonight. Topped with a citrus-coconut glaze, lime zest, and toasted coconut flakes, this twist on vanilla pound cake is sure to satisfy your sweet tooth. The unique cake gets tart flavor from fresh lime juice and a smooth, buttery texture from cream of coconut.

Test Kitchen Tip: To toast curls of fresh coconut, spread them in a single layer in a shallow baking pan and bake for 5 to 10 minutes at 350°F.

Sour Cream Pound Cake

Substitute sour cream for some of the butter in your traditional pound cake recipe to make the crumb supremely moist. Once you've mastered the basic version, follow our simple upgrades for a lemon-poppy seed or blueberry pound cake. It's just like your favorite muffin recipes but a bit sweeter.

Vanilla and Sparkling Wine Pound Cake

Cheers to bubbly and how it makes almost everything better—including this dessert. Look to sparkling wine to add a pleasant amount of acidity and a super-light texture to this wedding-worthy vanilla pound cake recipe. Bake it in a pretty fluted tube pan for showy slices.

Lemon Bundt Cake

This photo-worthy lemon pound cake recipe gets its crave-able flavor courtesy of a sweet-tart glaze, and all you'll need to make it is powdered sugar and Meyer lemons.

Buy It: Nordic Ware Jubilee Bundt Pan (Target)

Cherry-Smothered White Chocolate Pound Cake

Cherries jubilee—that retro, festive, brandy-spiked fruit dessert—meets pound cake in this bakery-quality creation. Not one, but two hits of white chocolate make the moist pound cake recipe extra enticing, first in the batter and second in the drizzle. Brandy-spiked cherry compote takes it over the top in the best way.

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