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Failure-resistant recipe

Classic Pound Cake

Rich butter pound cake with a fine close crumb, room-temperature ingredients and a long gentle bake stopped as soon as the center tests done.

Prep20 minCook65 minTotal95 minYieldOne 9-by-5-inch loaf cakeLevelMedium

Source-reviewed. No original CookClue test is claimed unless it is actually recorded.

Golden pound cake loaf with a fine buttery crumb and one slice cut

Before you start

What this method is trying to achieve

Pound cake is intentionally rich and close-crumbed, but it should not be dry or crumbly. Beat the butter and sugar until light, add the eggs gradually, alternate the dry and liquid ingredients, and start checking the loaf before the upper end of the baking window.

Success looks like

Know the target before you cook

The loaf should rise evenly, spring back lightly on top and slice into a fine buttery crumb that holds together without dryness.

Ingredients

What you need

Cake

  • 227 g salted butter, softened to room temperature
  • 198 g granulated sugar
  • 4 large eggs, room temperature
  • 240 g all-purpose flour
  • 1.5 tsp baking powder
  • 0.5 tsp fine salt
  • 113 ml whole milk, room temperature
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Method

Cook by the cues, not just the clock

Prepare

  1. Heat the oven to 350°F / 177°C and grease a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan.

Cream

  1. Beat the butter until light, then gradually beat in the sugar until the mixture is visibly fluffy.

Add eggs

  1. Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping the bowl between additions.

Finish the batter

  1. Whisk flour, baking powder and salt separately. Add the dry mixture and milk alternately to the butter mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients; mix only until smooth.

Bake

  1. Spread into the pan and bake about 60 to 65 minutes, until the top springs lightly and a long tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool before slicing.

Critical checkpoints

Stop here and check

texture

After creaming: visibly light and fluffy?

The butter-sugar mixture is paler and aerated instead of dense and greasy.

Continue creaming before adding eggs if it still looks heavy.

other

Near 60 minutes: center just done?

The top springs lightly and a long tester comes out clean or with a few dry crumbs.

Remove once done; extra bake time drives off more moisture.

other

After cooling: dry or crumbly slices?

The loaf breaks into dry crumbs or feels dry throughout.

Use cake-dry-or-crumbly to check flour measurement, bake exposure, pan and ingredient balance.

If yours looks different

Route the failure before changing the recipe

The pound cake is dry throughout or breaks into dusty crumbs instead of slicing into a cohesive buttery crumb.Pound cake dry or crumbly? Diagnose flour amount, bake exposure, pan choice and ingredient balance.

Why Is My Cake Dry or Crumbly?

After cooking

Storage, reheating & substitutions

Storage

Wrap the completely cooled loaf tightly and keep at room temperature for short storage. Freeze well wrapped for longer storage.

Reheating

Serve at room temperature. If desired, warm individual unfrosted slices very briefly.

Substitutions

Use unsalted butter only if the salt is adjusted. Keep eggs and milk near room temperature to help the batter emulsify smoothly.

Evidence

Sources & methodology

Technical claims and method decisions are tied to sources. Recipe-specific advice is not presented as a universal food-science law.

  1. 8 reasons your cakes turn out dryKing Arthur Baking

    King Arthur identifies excess flour and excessive baking among common reasons cakes turn dry and recommends weighing flour.

    publisherPassage verified
  2. King Arthur's Original Pound CakeKing Arthur Baking

    King Arthur creams butter and sugar, adds eggs gradually, alternates dry and liquid ingredients and bakes until the center tester comes out clean.

    publisherPassage verified