Elvis Presley’s Favorite Pound Cake

This is the best pound cake recipe we’ve ever tasted. To master it, all you need are a few baking essentials and a cold oven. As esteemed baker Cheryl Day notes, a cold oven pound cake bakes slowly, so the buttery batter has time to lift as the temperature rises.

A couple of key ingredients make all the difference. Among the dry ingredients, cake flour is crucial. Because it results in less gluten formation than all-purpose flour, cake flour produces a pound cake with a notably more tender, airy crumb. (That said, it is possible to make a cake flour substitute.)

How you incorporate the heavy cream is similarly important. After the batter is mostly combined, you’ll beat in the cream for a full 5 minutes. This aerates the cake batter, which, along with the addition of 7 whole eggs, eliminates the need for leaveners like baking powder or baking soda.

Traditional pound cake recipes often call for a Bundt cake pan, but this recipe can be prepared in a tube pan or divided between two 8x4" loaf pans if you prefer. Whichever shape you choose, butter and flour the pan well, or pick up a canister of our favorite baking spray so the cake unmolds with ease.

This homemade pound cake is delicious as is, but you can customize it in all sorts of ways. Swap half the vanilla extract in the cake batter for almond extract for nutty flavor. Or, make a lemon pound cake by incorporating lemon zest into the batter and topping the cake with an easy lemon glaze. Serve sprinkled with powdered sugar alongside fresh berries and whipped cream or just add a scoop of ice cream.