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Perfect Every Time – Almond Pound Cake – tender and buttery, this pound cake is always a winner. Great toasted, served plain, with ice cream or added to trifles or as a layer in an ice cream freezer cake.
For more than 30 years I’ve been baking Granny’s Pound Cake using my mother-in-law’s recipe. ย I always receiveย compliments and requests for the secret that makes it so good. ย You know the old saying “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it?” ย For all those years I figured the perfect pound cake didn’t need me messing with it. ย But, over theย past year I started to wonder …ย what if?ย The “what if” turned into tiny tweaks and changes and now I have a new favorite pound cake! ย It’s not dramatically different from the original recipe but the flavor seemed to be enhanced and the crust more pronounced.
This is one of the most versatile cake recipes you can make.
First, it’s remarkably easy to make. ย It’s wonderful served plain, warm from the oven or you can slide a slice in the toaster, which is my husband’s favorite way to eat Pound Cake. ย The aroma isย absolutelyย intoxicating. ย It’s also great served with a dusting of powdered sugar, or a scoop of ice cream, and be sure to try a fresh fruit garnish, or cut it into cubes and layered in a trifle. ย The cake can also be baked in two loaf pans and frozenย with remarkable results. ย Almond Pound Cake baked in loaf pans make-out-of-this world deliciousย Icebox Cakes.
For a sunny summer treat, substituteย lemon juice for theย almond extract, and add a drizzle of lemon icing on top. ย It’s great with blueberries thrown in too!
I love to siftย a little powdered sugar on top and let my guests decide if fruit or ice cream is best on the side.
On the first Sunday of each month we host a family dinner with our adult children, their spouses and children.
My husband and I cherish those special Sunday dinners. ย We know how lucky we are to have our familyย living close by and even luckierย that they carve time out of their busy schedulesย to spend an evening with us. ย I made this cake for our recent family gatheringย and by the time the leftovers were divvied out, we were left with two small slices. ย Needless to say, it is loved by all!
You should try this with a scoop of Dulce de Leche ice cream – oh my!
If you haven’t tried baking with Vanilla Bean Paste, you should try it in this cake.
The rich pasteย combined with my favorite almond extract produces the most amazing flavor. ย I’m seriously smitten with this cake! ย I thought about updating my old post for Granny’s Pound Cake but decided to leave her legacy intact. ย It’s a great cake recipe too, with just a slightly different flavor profile.
Finally, myย husband said he wishes I wouldn’t always give this cake away. ย He has a birthday coming up, perhaps I should make an Almond Pound Cakeย just for him!
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Perfect Every Time - Almond Pound Cake
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 1 ยฝ cups unsalted butter room temperature (339g)
- 3 cups granulated sugar (665g)
- 3 cups cake flour (348g) sifted after measuring
- ยฝ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 6 jumbo eggs or 7 large eggs
- powdered sugar for garnish if desired
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300ยฐF.
- Grease and flour a large (12 cup) bundt pan or two loaf pans.
- In the mixing bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and cream cheese until smooth.
- Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla bean paste, almond extract and salt. Beat just until incorporated.
- Alternate adding eggs and flour beating just until the yolk disappears and the flour is incorporated. Do not over beat at this point.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Remove from the mixer and fold a few times with a rubber spatula pulling up the batter from the bottom of the bowl.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top to distribute evenly.
- Bake at 300ยฐF for 1 hour and 30 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes. Check at about 90 minutes then go from there.
- Allow the cake to cool before inverting onto a serving plate. Store leftovers in a cake-taker or freeze in an airtight container.
Recipe Notes
- If you can't find 6 jumbo eggs, I have tested this cake with 7 large eggs with wonderful results.
- Substitute 1/4 cup of fresh lemon juice for the almond extract and drizzle the baked and cooled cake with an icing made of lemon juice and powdered sugar.
Nutrition
Here are some of my favorite tools and productsย used for this cake:
The small print: If you decide to purchase something at Amazon after following my affiliate link, I receive a small commission, at no additional cost to you, which I use to pay for web hosting and services for this blog.
Here are a few more Pound Cake recipes you might like:
- The BEST Coconut Pound Cake ~ from Barefeet in the Kitchen
- Lemon Buttermilk Pound Cake ~ from The Cafe Sucre Farine
- Blueberry Lemon Pound Cake ~ from The View from Great Island
- Chocolate Pound Cake ~ from Saving Room for Dessert
Thanks so much for stopping by! ย I hope you have a beautiful, wonderful weekend.
Tricia
Jackie
Hi I am making this cake tomorrow. Question.. can I use regular all purpose flour or self rising flour instead of cake flour? Thanks in as for your response
Tricia Buice
You can use all purpose flour but the cake will not be as tender. Cake flour is best. No self rising as there is no leavening in pound cake. Thanks!
Howard
This cake came out perfect. It’s a sweet one so small pieces are great. Really delicious.
Tricia Buice
Thanks Howard! Try a slice toasted. It’s so good!
Cynthia
My husband won’t eat pound cake if it’s baked in a bundt pan. Does this recipe also work baked in a 9 x5″ loaf pan? If so, please provide baking adjustments.
Tricia Buice
Hi Cynthia. You’ll need two loaf pans for the entire recipe, or you can cut the recipe in half. The baking time is the same. Enjoy!
Michelle
Absolutely delicious! Moist and melts in your mouth! Thank you so much for an easy recipe that tastes great!
Tricia Buice
Thank you Michelle! This pound cake is my favorite. Thanks for giving it a try and for taking the time to comment.
Bill M.
Cake is delicious. I followed the recipe to a T.
I donโt know what I did wrong but it seemed to sink when I got it out to cool, both loaf pans provided the same result.
After one hour a knife inserted came out clean. I removed the pans to cool. However in about ten minutes there was a large air gap between the top โcrust โ and the body of the cake!
I was able to salvage the cake by removing the top crust and vanilla icing covered the then crumbly top of each loaf.
My oven thermometer showed about 3 degrees hotterโ-would that be enough to cause this?
Tasted great and I will try again. Maybe a Bundt would be helpful?
Suggestions appreciated.
Tricia Buice
Hi Bill. I’ve found that this scenario can happen if you over-beat the batter. Too much air can create this problem. Take care when mixing especially when adding the eggs. Blend only until the yolk disappears. It’s better to fold a few time with a spatula than to beat too long. Hope this helps. Glad you enjoyed the flavor of the cake and sorry you had trouble. Hope you’ll try again! Thanks for the feedback.
Mary
Outstanding, recipe! I have made it both ways almond and lemon from fresh lemons from my tree, now I am the go to person with family and friends to make every year. Thank you for sharing๐๐๐ฅฎ
Tricia Buice
Thank you Mary! You can never go wrong with a great pound cake ๐๐๐
Pam
would I adjust for a 10 cup Bundt pan? I canโt wait to try this!!!
Tricia Buice
Hi Pam. Yes I think you should adjust to bake in a smaller Bundt pan. Or you could put part of the batter in a small loaf pan and bake separately, for a much shorter time of course. Enjoy!
Julie G
Hands down this is the best pound cake. Period. Iโve made it in both a bundt pan and loaf pans, depending on what I need to use it for. I believe the cream cheese and cake flour help make this recipe the best. I like to make it ahead of time and freeze for a quick and easy dessert. Just add fruit and whipped cream on a slice and itโs heaven on a plate.
Tricia Buice
You’re a wonderful baker Julie and we truly appreciate your feedback! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. Thanks a bunch for commenting and for trying the recipe ๐
Sara
Curious as to whether block or spreadable cream cheese makes a difference here. I know for cheese cake block is a must
Tricia Buice
Hi Sara. I’ve never tested this with spreadable cream cheese so I can’t say for certain it would work. Spreadable cream cheese has a few additional ingredients added to help make it creamier along with additional salt. I don’t think I would try it, for what it’s worth.
Kari
I make this 3 times a month and my family just loves it. I do find it comes out dry at times when I bake it in a bunt pan. Any help would be great.
Tricia Buice
Hi Kari. First I would double check your oven temperature. You can buy an inexpensive thermometer to make sure your oven is not running hot. Also, if using a fairly inexpensive bundt pan you might consider reducing the baking time. Make sure you are measuring your flour correctly by stirring it in the bag, lightly scooping and leveling off the top of the measuring cup. Hope this helps. Good luck and enjoy!
Sonja Regis
Came out perfect!!! Nice crust on the outside and perfectly moist inside. I doubled the almond extract, which was perfect for me.
Tricia Buice
Thank you Sonja! So happy you enjoyed this wonderful cake ๐
Kate
This cake turned out perfectly and has a lovely almond flavor. I baked it at 300 degrees for 90 minutes and tested for doneness. It was done and exactly right. I used 1 tsp of vanilla paste and 1 tsp of almond extract as the flavorings and otherwise followed the recipe as written. Will definitely make again.
Tricia Buice
Thanks for the feedback Kate. So glad you enjoyed this wonderful cake. It’s been a staple in our house for decades. Thanks again!
Sandy Ager
I made this cake and it is delicious!! Do you think it would bake well in round cake pans and use for a wedding cake? I am making my granddaughter’s wedding cake and she asked for almond pound cake.
Tricia Buice
Hi Sandy. I have not tried baking this recipe in cake pans but I don’t see why it won’t do well. I make it in loaf pans all the time so I know it’s easily adapted. Let us know if you try it and how it turns out! Thanks for the great question. Congratulations to your granddaughter!!!
Dana
Hi, did you use this recipe for your granddaughterโs wedding cake? If you did, how did it turn out? Thank you
SUSAN bailey
IS there not any leavening agent in the recipe such as baking powder or baking soda?
Tricia Buice
Hi Susan. No we don’t use baking powder or baking soda in this recipe. You can add it if you want but our cakes have always turned out terrific without. We’ve been making variations of this cake for 35 years. Enjoy!
Stacey L Sahady
Is baking in 2 loaf pans do you still bake at 300ยฐ for an hour and thirty to an hour 45 minutes?
Tricia Buice
Hi Stacey. Start checking the cake at one hour and thirty minutes and bake at 300 degrees F. It will most likely take a bit longer but not as much as when it’s baked in a Bundt pan. Enjoy!
June OConnor
can cake flour be substituted with almond flour?
Tricia Buice
Hi June. I have not tested this recipe using almond flour but I think it would work. The texture will be very different, of course. I recommend cutting the recipe in half and bake in a loaf pan to test. Good luck. Let us know how it turns out for you!
Mackenzie
I just made this and it turned out great! I halved the recipe and used my 10-cup Nordic Ware Honeycomb pan, and I dropped the bake time to 60min at 300F. It came put perfectly soft with a nice crust and good flavor. I wouldn’t change anything!
Tricia Buice
Thanks Mackenzie! So glad you enjoyed this cake. A personal favorite of mine for sure ๐
Jackie
This is the best poundcake recipe out there!!!!
I made this yesterday because I had some extra time. This cake is fantastic. I did read some of the comments and I didn’t have any problems with the cake deflating or under baking. I did end up baking it an extra 15 minutes. I would give it more stars if I could. I also used an angel food cake pan. No problems. It seems to be a fool proof recipe๐
Tricia Buice
Thank you Jackie! We appreciate the feedback. Enjoy!
Denise Sharpe
This has to be one of the best cakes Iโve ever made. I followed the recipe exactly using 2 loaf pans. I was a little concerned as Iโve never baked a cake at 300 degrees and it took a full 1: 45 mins. Definitely the best crust Iโve ever had and cake was so tender. This will be in my regular rotation. Thank you for this gem!
Tricia Buice
Thanks so much Denise ๐ We’re thrilled you enjoyed this cake. Thanks for taking the time to comment. My husband says try a slice toasted – it’s terrific!
Martha Genaro
Can I use all purpose flour?
Tricia Buice
Hi Martha. Yes but it won’t be as tender and will have a slightly different texture. You also need to use a little less all-purpose flour or the cake will be dry. Or, you can make a good cake flour substitute by measuring out your all-purpose flour, remove two tablespoons of flour per each cup. Add two tablespoons of cornstarch per cup of AP flour and sift. Good luck!
LaVonne Airdo
Can’t wait to try the recipe. Just wondering if you think it would bake in 2 8 inch rounds?
Lavonne
Tricia Buice
Hi LaVonne. I’ve never made pound cake in rounds, so I cannot say for sure. Not sure of the baking time and also not sure that 2 (8-inch) cake pans would be large enough for all this batter. Good luck!
Lisa
I have made this cake numerous times, both with cake flour and I bleached all purpose flour. I donโt understand why there is no baking powder or baking soda I not. I usually add a teaspoon of one or the other.
Giselt
Quick question. Can I use a mold for mini bundt cakes? (Like cupcake size) what would be the cooking time you think? Thanks
Tricia Buice
Hi Giselt. I bake them in mi-bundt pans for 45 minutes to 1 hour depending on the side of the pan. If using really small cake molds, I would check them at 30 minutes for sure. Good luck!