Moist, dense, and easy to enjoy with coffee in the morning, pound cake is a time-honored treat that deserves a spot in your baking rotation. In France, it’s called quatre-quarts, or “four-fourths,” because the original recipe contained equal weights of butter, flour, sugar, and eggs. Today, many versions still forgo any chemical leavening, instead relying on the natural lift of aerated eggs and the creamed butter-sugar combo. This recipe roundup showcases all manner of pound cakes, from the classic Jacques Pépin version to Giada de Laurentiis’ variation with ricotta, amaretto, and Prosecco-spiked strawberries. Whether you’re looking for a sweet addition to your brunch spread or a festive way to celebrate a special occasion, there’s a pound cake ready to be baked.
Lemon Pound Cake
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Josh Hoggle
You’ll need three lemons and a short list of pantry staples to make this moist, tender pound cake that’s equally perfect for breakfast or dessert. The sweet-tart lemon glaze dresses the loaf up and intensifies the sunny citrus flavor.
Moscato Pound Cake with Grape Glaze
Food writer Nicole A. Taylor turns classic pound cake into a sophisticated and festive dessert worthy of a celebration. The addition of Moscato in the batter lightens the intensely buttery crumb; a small amount of Moscato in the vibrant glaze heightens the grape flavor.
Cheddar Cheese Pound Cake with Brandy Caramel Apples
Top Chef finalist Dawn Burrell’s cheddar-infused pound cake toes the line between sweet and savory, a perfect foil for her Brandy Caramel Apples. She combines shredded cheddar with warm evaporated milk to make a cheese sauce that gets folded into the batter, then sprinkles more cheese on top to form a delightfully golden crust.
Chocolate Whiskey Cake
Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Christina Daley
With its signature caramel notes, whiskey is a natural match for buttery pound cake — especially when the cake is made with brown sugar, as it is here. You’ll need a total of five ounces for this recipe: two ounces for the cake batter, two ounces for the whiskey syrup, and an ounce for the ganache glaze.
Jacques Pépin’s Favorite Pound Cake
This is the fundamental loaf that started it all. Jacques Pépin’s version comes fairly close to the original made with equal parts flour, sugar, eggs, and butter; he moistens the batter with a bit of milk and includes vanilla and salt to enhance the flavor.
Ricotta-Orange Pound Cake with Prosecco Strawberries
Giada De Laurentiis puts an Italian spin on her pound cake by including ricotta and amaretto in the batter, then serving it with lightly sweetened Prosecco-tinged strawberries.
Matcha Pound Cake with Almond Glaze
Blogger Molly Yeh pairs earthy matcha green tea with fragrant almond extract for an exceptionally moist, flavorful loaf that begs to be sliced. Be sure to beat the butter and sugar until fluffy to incorporate air into the dense batter.
Nutella-Swirl Pound Cake
Swirl an entire jar of the beloved chocolate-hazelnut spread Nutella into a loaf of pound cake, then serve slices with coffee ice cream for a rich, undeniably delicious dessert.
Grilled Lemon Pound Cake with Peaches and Cream
This is the dessert to make when sweet, juicy peaches are in abundance. Chef Bryan Calvert toasts his lemon-scented pound cake on the grill and serves it with warm, tender grilled peach slices and billows of whipped cream for a true summertime treat.
Chocolate Marble Pound Cake
This loaf’s beautifully swirled marriage of classic chocolate and vanilla pound cake pairs perfectly with coffee, no matter the time of day. The cake can be wrapped in foil and refrigerated for one week or frozen for up to two months.
Sour Cream Pound Cake
Former F&W test kitchen editor Kay Chun employs a combination of sour cream and buttermilk for a lighter pound cake with a tangy edge. A simple dusting of powdered sugar allows the cake’s flavors to shine.
Lemon-and-Orange-Glazed Pound Cake
© Fredrika Stjärne
Enriched with heavy cream and 10 whole eggs, this fine-crumbed pound cake boasts lots of bright citrus flavor — both the cake and the icing contain the zest and juice of orange and lemon.
Baked Alaska
Make your own meringue-topped and torched layered ice cream cake with this simple step-by-step method that takes advantage of creamy (and customizable) store-bought ice creams and sorbets; a simple, buttery pound cake; and just enough time in the freezer between layers to ensure success.
Sour Cherry–Cheesecake Trifle with Black Pepper and Saba
Chef Pichet Ong reimagines this classic British dessert by swapping out the usual ladyfingers for pound cake and egg custard for cheesecake. Feel free to use grapes or strawberries instead of sour cherries to keep it seasonal.
Almond, Elderflower, and Lime Travel Cakes
William Werner calls his tiny almond treats “gussied-up pound cakes.” Baked in a mini muffin pan, they’re infused with St-Germain in both the batter and the glaze.
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