New This Month

Classic Pound Cake

5
4
3
2
1
829

Light on effort, heavy on flavor, pound cake has earned its centuries-long popularity. Learn how to make this traditional, crowd-pleasing dessert.

Source: Martha Stewart Living, July 2009
Yield

Ingredients

Directions

Variations

Topping- Macerated berries: Combine 2 cups berries, 2 tablespoons sugar, and 1 teaspoon lemon juice in a bowl. Cover; refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes. Serve with whipped cream.

Cook's Notes

Optional: Serve with our Classic Pound Cake Topping.

Similar Recipes

Reviews

5
4
3
2
1
829
How would you rate this recipe?
829
  • zahra_khorasane
    26 MAY, 2018
    Excellent
    Reply
  • gibby1855meco
    11 DEC, 2015
    I was looking forward to a great pound cake, not. It's too salty and it taste like pure eggs. Martha next time try making the recipe before you suggest it. I used organic flour, butter and eggs. Martha you owe me some money. I wish I had seen the reviews first.
    Reply
    • catherinewallace001
      15 FEB, 2017
      Unsalted butter is the best; but didnt have any available, so I used 1 tsp of sea salt. The issue you had with an overpowering taste of eggs may come from using organic eggs; the egg flavor is more noticeable in using organic eggs versus regular eggs. When I had chickens and no longer bought eggs at the store, I had to readjust my taste buds to fresh brown eggs. I don't think Martha Stewart owes you any money -- consider the error made using salted butter, not reducing the salt, and using organic eggs to be a learning curve for the next time a festive season calls for a poundcake.
    • douglasgallant
      24 JAN, 2017
      I think this is a lovely recipe, I have made it several times with great success each time. For those that claim their cake is too salty, I submit that they did not follow the recipe. NOTE that it calls for UNSALTED BUTTER. If you use salted butter instead, you must reduce the added salt to 1 1/2 teaspoon.
  • catherinewallace001
    15 FEB, 2017
    I used salted butter, creaming the butter and sugar for 20 mins on high speed. I reduced the salt to 1 tsp sea salt, and increased the vanilla to 2 Tbsp. I baked it in a large rectangular baking pan, at 325° for about 1 hour 10 minutes. The result was a dense and flavorful pound cake that did rise without any leavening agent, was incredibly moist, and received rave reviews. This is a wonderful recipe ❤
    Reply
  • mikesalvadory
    16 MAR, 2016
    I loved this recipe. Moist, delicious, not at all salty (I used kosher salt). I was wondering if it can be used for an Easter Lamb Cake. Has anybody tried this?
    Reply
  • DRGuzman
    6 JAN, 2015
    I love this receipe. I used a tablespoon of 33% less sodium salt. It's the first time I made this receipe. I love it.
    Reply
    • gibby1855meco
      11 DEC, 2015
      This recipe is a flop
  • gibby1855meco
    11 DEC, 2015
    I was looking forward to a great pound cake, not. It's too salty and it taste like pure eggs. Martha next time try making the recipe before you suggest it. I used organic flour, butter and eggs. Martha you owe me some money. I wish I had seen the reviews first.
    Reply
  • gibby1855meco
    11 DEC, 2015
    I was looking forward to a great pound cake, not. It's too salty and it taste like pure eggs. Martha next time try making the recipe before you suggest it. I used organic flour, butter and eggs. Martha you owe me some money. I wish I had seen the reviews first.
    Reply
  • gibby1855meco
    11 DEC, 2015
    I was looking forward to a great pound cake, not. It's too salty and it taste like pure eggs. Martha next time try making the recipe before you suggest it. I used organic flour, butter and eggs. Martha you owe me some money. I wish I had seen the reviews first.
    Reply
  • Hemera
    17 SEP, 2014
    This recipe came out perfectly. I just wanted to leave a comment because some people are having trouble with the salt. I used the whole tablespoon, and I used course salt. Because I saw that some reviewers had used course salt and still felt the cakes came out salty, I took the advice of an earlier comment and put the salt into the butter/sugar mixture halfway through creaming them together. I highly recommend this method, as the batter was perfect and the cakes are delicious.
    Reply
  • Mary Sims
    2 AUG, 2014
    We had a dinner party last night and I wanted the PERFECT pound cake so where else to go but to Martha. LOVE her cooking classes on PBS, etc. Well, my sweet husband told me "a whole tablespoon of salt??!!". Yes, that is what Martha said. I didn't eat any at the party but after cleaning up sat down to eat a piece of this beautiful cake. It was very salty. The only thing I can think is that I didn't have "Course Salt" and used Kosher. No one commented on the saltiness, just it was so pretty
    Reply

I'm in the mood for:

{{mainDropdownTitle}}
  • breakfast
  • lunch
  • dinner
  • dessert
  • an appetizer
  • a cocktail
{{secDropdownPreword}} {{secDropdownTitle}}
  • that's eggy
  • that's fruity
  • that's hearty
  • that's healthy
  • that's simple
  • that's a smoothie
  • that's a casserole
  • that's off the beaten path
  • that's light
  • that's packable
  • that's speedy
  • that's warming
  • that's kid-friendly
  • that's comforting
  • that's quick
  • that's healthy
  • that's a sunday dinner classic
  • that's vegetarian
  • that's seasonal
  • that's chocolaty
  • that's an american classic
  • that's easy
  • that's fruity
  • that's salty and sweet
  • that's over the top
  • that's crowd pleasing
  • that's simple
  • that's for a cocktail party
  • that's a dip or spread
  • that's healthy
  • that's cheesy
  • that's shaken not stirred
  • that's bubbily
  • that's good for a crowd
  • that's ideal for brunch
  • that's seasonal
  • that's simple
  • that's artisanal
See Recipes