Name: Vanilla Butter Cake
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 70 min
Ingredients: 1 cup butter (softened); 2 ½ cups sugar; 5 large eggs; 3 cups all-purpose flour; 1 tsp baking powder; ¼ tsp salt; ¾ cup half-and-half; 1½ Tbsp vanilla extract; 2 cups powdered sugar; 3 to 4 Tbsp milk; 2 tsp vanilla extract; 1 tsp meringue powder

Vanilla Butter Cake – my go-to pound cake recipe! Super easy to make from scratch and it tastes amazing! Butter, sugar, eggs, flour, baking powder, half-and-half, and vanilla. Top the cake with a simple powdered sugar and meringue powder frosting. Not too heavy or overly sweet – perfect! Great for a crowd or a homemade gift. #cake #dessert #poundcake #bundt

slice of iced pound cake on a plate with strawberries

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Easy Vanilla Pound Cake Recipe

This Vanilla Butter Cake is one of my all-time favorite pound cake recipes. I have been making this cake for over 10 years and realized that I hadn’t shared the recipe on the blog. OMG! You MUST make this cake. It is super simple and tastes amazing! Not too heavy or overly sweet. The cake is topped with a quick meringue frosting that really puts the cake over the top!

How to Make Vanilla Butter Cake from Scratch

This cake is very easy to make. Start with mixing together butter and sugar. Add some eggs and beat the mixture until fluffy. Add flour, baking powder, and half-and-half. Stir in vanilla extract. Pour the batter into a Bundt cake pan and bake. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then turn it out onto a cooling rack. Once the cake has cooled, make the frosting. With a hand-held mixer beat together powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, and meringue powder until light and fluffy. Spoon the frosting over the cake and enjoy!

Tips for Making Cakes

To properly measure flour, give the flour a stir to loosen it up in the container. Use a spoon and lightly spoon the flour into your measuring cup. Use a flat straight edge (like the straight back of a knife) to level off the top of the flour in the measuring cup. Do NOT compact the flour in the measuring cup. One cup of flour weighs 4.25-ounces.
I use Bakers Joy or Pam Baking Spray to grease and flour the Bundt pan. Either works great. You can also use Crisco or butter and dust the pan with flour.
Check the cake around the 1-hour mark. If the cake is starting to get too brown, cover it with foil until it is done.
The frosting uses a teaspoon of meringue powder. You can find meringue powder in the cake decorating section at Walmart, Michaels, or Hobby Lobby.
I like to sprinkle the cake with some white sugar sprinkles. I buy them at Walmart, Michaels, or Hobby Lobby. Look for them in the cake decorating section.
Can pound cake be made in advance? Yes! You can make the cake ahead of time and store it in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days. The cake will keep in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Can pound cake be frozen? Yes! You can freeze the baked cake. Wrap the cooled cake in plastic wrap and aluminum foil. The cake will keep for up to 6 months in the freezer.

slice of iced pound cake on a plate with strawberries and whipped cream

How to Serve Vanilla Pound Cake

This cake is AH-MAZ-ING. This is great for potlucks, parties, and a nice homemade gift. We like to serve this cake with fresh whipped cream or ice cream. It is also great with a scoop of Vanilla Pudding Fruit Salad. Oh, yeah!

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