Author Notes
My favorite pound cake recipe uses buttermilk rather than milk, which gives the finished loaf the most beautiful (less dense) crumb and a slightly tangy flavor that's great with jam. —Erin Jeanne McDowell
Test Kitchen Notes
This recipe, featured in the article Goat Milk Butter Is a Game-Changing Swap for Baked Goods, also welcomes a 1:1 goat milk butter swap—it'll add an earthy adjustment, with a slight tang that works nicely with the buttermilk. To amp up the goat milk butter flavor, you can also make these tweaks: Change 3 cups of flour to 2 cups of all-purpose flour and 1 cup of almond flour; use regular sugar; and add 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract. (And for an all-goat dairy version, try goat milk kefir instead of buttermilk.) —The Editors
Continue After Advertisement
Ingredients
-
2
sticks softened unsalted butter
-
1 3/4 cups
vanilla sugar
-
3
large eggs
-
3 cups
all purpose flour
-
2 teaspoons
baking powder
-
1 teaspoon
salt
-
3/4
cup buttermilk
-
coarse sugar, for garnish
Directions
-
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 4-5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping well after each addition.
-
In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt to combine. Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, mix just until incorporated.
-
Add 1/3 of the buttermilk, mixing just until incorporated. Repeat until all of the dry and wet ingredients are added, scrape the bowl well.
-
Pour the batter into a greased, parchment lined loaf pan and top generously with coarse sugar. Bake in a 350 degree oven until golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
-
Cool 15 minutes in the pan before unmolding, then cool completely before serving.
I always have three kinds of hot sauce in my purse. I have a soft spot for making people their favorite dessert, especially if it's wrapped in a pastry crust. My newest cookbook, Savory Baking, came out in Fall of 2022 - is full of recipes to translate a love of baking into recipes for breakfast, dinner, and everything in between!
See what other Food52ers are saying.