The Best Pound Cake – Broma Bakery

Tender, buttery, supremely sweet and supremely soft, this sponge cake recipe is the tastiest you’ll ever taste. We’ve broken it down so you have a step-by-step guide to making the best sponge cake.

The best pound cake recipe

I know this pound cake could see like a humble, boring old vanilla cake, but I swear to you it will be one of the best things to ever hit your taste buds. After all, it’s not a classic dessert for nothing. With just 10 simple ingredients, this cake is rich and buttery with a tender, velvety crumb that’s irresistible. You can use this recipe as a base for stir-fries or assorted flavors, or as a base for a glaze, a luxurious frosting, or whipped cream and strawberries for a strawberry shortcake treat.

Or if you’re a purist like me, you’ll love this sponge cake just the way it is – it’s delicious on its own.

Why is pound cake called pound cake?

I’ve always assumed pound cake was called pound cake because it’s quite dense (but not dry – that bad boy melts in your mouth) and heavy, I won’t lie, the loaf has some weight. After further research, the pound cake is actually called pound cake because the original recipe was a pound of butter, sugar, flour, and eggs. While this sponge cake recipe doesn’t follow the 1:1:1:1 ratio, we started right there with this recipe. We’ve balanced these amounts to the absolute perfect ratio for a gorgeous pound cake.

I guess we can call this cake pound cake.

Ingredients for classic sponge cake

The pound cake is made from super easy pantry staples so you can make it anytime you feel like it. Personally, I grew up with Sara Lee, which you can buy at the grocery store, but I have to say, homemade is so much better and super quick to make with these 10 simple ingredients:

• Unsalted Butter: The key to a tender and moist sponge cake starts with good butter. We love Vermont Creamery’s butter, but any other quality butter brand will do right here!
• granulated sugar: Sugar keeps your sponge cake sweet while remaining super soft. We prefer to use granulated sugar, but a brown sugar cake is just as delicious in the fall.
• eggs: This recipe only requires a small amount of baking powder (many sponge cake recipes don’t use baking powder at all!), so most of the batter comes from beating the eggs into the batter and providing structure. Make sure your eggs are room temperature so they blend seamlessly into the batter.
• vanilla extract + Almond Extract: A combination of mainly vanilla extract and a touch of almond extract gives this sponge cake a real gourmet taste.
• Sour cream: Sour cream makes this sponge cake super moist and gives it a light spiciness that perfectly complements the sweetness.
• Milk: Instead of using only sour cream for your wet ingredients, we prefer to use sour cream and milk. The milk loosens the sponge cake a little so that it doesn’t become too firm!
• All Purpose Flour: All-purpose flour gives your sponge cake a soft, tender crumb. Make sure you measure your flour properly by fluffing it properly before spooning it and leveling it into your measuring cup!
• Baking powder: Half a teaspoon of baking soda will ensure your cake rises perfectly without creating too many large air bubbles.
• Salt: All baked goods need a little salt to balance out the sweetness and enhance the flavor, and this sponge cake is no exception!

Step-by-step guide to making the best pound cake ever

Pound cake is a very simple recipe, but we’re going to break it down step-by-step to take the guesswork out of you! You can make this sponge cake with a hand mixer or food processor, or even by hand with a whisk if you fancy an arm workout!

Step 1: Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Step 2: Add eggs, vanilla extract and almond extract and beat until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.

Make sure your eggs are room temperature so they’ll beat evenly into the sponge cake batter!

Step 3: Scrape the bowl and add half of the dry ingredients to the mixture. Fold together until well mixed.

Step 4: Add sour cream and milk and stir until well combined.

Step 5: Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix until just combined and there are no streaks of flour.

It’s important not to over-mix the sponge cake batter after adding the flour. Once the flour has been added gluten bonds will begin to form and if you mix the batter too much your cake will end up chewy and bready!

Step 6: Bake until golden brown and a knife inserted in the center comes out mostly clean!

What should you serve your sponge cake with?

Pound cake is the perfect base for all sorts of flavor combinations. I’m a sponge cake purist and love to eat a slice straight (it’s delicious in the fridge), but there are so many ways to serve it in front of a large crowd. Our favorites include:

• With a pinch of powdered sugar
• Served with whipped cream and fresh fruit
• Topped with a vanilla bean (or CHOCOLATE) glaze
• Chopped up and layered with whatever you happen to have on hand makes a lovely little thing
• Served with clotted cream and lemon curd for afternoon tea or coffee

Happy baking, my friends!

XXX

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