A rich, buttery vanilla pound cake recipe that's perfect any time of day, from breakfast to dessert. Enjoy it on its own, with whipped cream and your favorite fresh fruit, or as the base for trifles, parfaits, or a decadent twist on French Toast!
½cupsolid vegetable shortening(such as Crisco or Spectrum)
2-½cupsgranulated sugar(500 grams)**
5largeeggs, room temperature
1cuphalf and half
2teaspoonsvanilla extract
Instructions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F with rack in the lower third of the oven.* Grease and flour a large (9-½ to 10-inch diameter) tube pan.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together butter and shortening until smooth and creamy-looking, about 3-4 minutes. Add sugar and mix on low speed until combined. Increase mixer to medium speed and cream until very light in color and fluffy, 8-10 minutes.
Add the eggs to the bowl one at a time, incorporating well on low speed after each addition. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl occasionally. Mix in the vanilla extract.
Gradually add the flour and half and half to the mixer bowl, alternating and mixing to incorporate after each addition. Start and end with the flour, adding it in 3 parts.
Give the batter a final stir with a rubber spatula and pour it evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean.
Cool the cake for 15 minutes in the pan. Run a thin knife around the edges and transfer to a wire rack to cool before slicing and serving.
Store cooled cake, covered, at room temperature. Cake is best enjoyed within a couple of days.***
Notes
*Sift the flour, then weigh or measure using the "spoon and sweep" method.**We like our pound cake a little less sweet than traditional recipes, so we use 2-½ cups granulated sugar. For a sweeter cake, increase to 3 cups.As is traditional to pound cake, the texture will densify as it cools, and overnight. We like the texture best when next-day cake is gently warmed. Simply pop slices into the microwave for 5-10 seconds, and enjoy. For additional serving and warming ideas, see the "Serving" section in the article above.