Easy Almond Pound Cake
what to expect:
Prep Time: 15 minutes | Bake Time: 35 minutes | Total Time: 50 minutes
Yield: 8 slices
A single-layer almond pound cake that is dense and sweet, flavored with almond and vanilla extracts.
You’ll love making this almond pound cake from scratch. It’s a straightforward recipe that is sweet with that signature almond flavor. Plus, the top gets a little crispy, which is my favorite part.
This almond pound cake makes the perfect snacking cake – so delicious it doesn’t need icing (but is great with whipped topping if that’s your thing!) and stays moist for several days. We had it on the counter when we had company over and it quickly disappeared.
What You’ll Find in This Post
- What You’ll Need (Ingredients & Tools)
- What Makes a Pound Cake a Pound Cake?
- What Makes a Pound Cake Dense?
What You’ll Need to Make Almond Pound Cake
I tried to keep things simple, so there’s no “special” equipment needed and the ingredients are almost all pantry staples.
Ingredients for Almond Pound Cake
- Vegetable Oil
- All Purpose Flour
- Granulated Sugar
- Kosher Salt
- Baking Powder
- Large Eggs
- Vanilla Extract
- Almond Extract
- Heavy Whipping Cream
Tools & Equipment
This recipe is made entirely by hand, so you don’t need any special equipment. It bakes in an 8″ cake pan, and requires two medium mixing bowls (one for dry ingredients and another for wet ingredients). You will also need a whisk or a fork to combine your dry ingredients and then a rubber spatula to bring the batter together.
What Makes a Pound Cake a Pound Cake?
Historically, pound cake got its name because of its ingredients. It was made with a pound of flour, a pound of sugar, a pound of eggs, and a pound of butter. Recipes these days don’t necessarily met those requirements, but the name stuck!
You can read more about this in All Recipe’s article, Why is Pound Cake Called a Pound Cake?
What Makes a Pound Cake Dense?
This pound cake is delightfully dense thanks to its high proportion of sugar and fat and it’s minimal leavening agent (we use baking powder in this recipe). To avoid an unpleasant dense texture, make sure you don’t over-mix the batter!
If you make this almond pound cake, let me know how it turned out by leaving a review! And if you post on Instagram, be sure to tag me @ficklebea. I can’t wait to see what you make – happy baking!
If you are new to baking or nervous about spending time in the kitchen, check out My Kitchen Commandments for some helpful tips!
Easy Almond Pound Cake
A single-layer almond pound cake that is dense and sweet, flavored with almond and vanilla extracts.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 8 slices 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
Ingredients
1 & 1/2 cup All Purpose Flour *
1/8 teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
3/4 cup Vegetable Oil
1 cup Granulated Sugar
2 large Eggs
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 teaspoon Almond Extract
1/2 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
Optional: whipped cream, sliced toasted almonds, and fresh raspberries for topping
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350 Fahrenheit.
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, add the all purpose flour (1 and 1/2 cups), kosher salt (1/8 teaspoon), and baking powder (1/2 teaspoon). Whisk together until combined, about 1 minute.
- In a separate medium-sized mixing bowl, add the vegetable oil (3/4 cup), heavy whipping cream (1/2 cup), granulated sugar (1 cup), eggs (2 – large), vanilla extract (1 teaspoon), and almond extract (1 teaspoon). Whisk together until totally combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in two batches, gently stirring to combine with a spatula or wooden spoon between additions and after the final addition.
- Pour the batter into a non-stick 8″ round baking pan (if yours isn’t non-stick, you can grease and flour the pan) and bake for 35-45 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
- Cool for 10 minutes and then invert to cool completely while upside down on a wire rack. Gravity will make it very easy to remove it from the pan if it doesn’t slide out on its own.
- Eat plain as a snacking cake or top with whipped cream, almond slices, and raspberries!
Notes
*To properly measure your flour: gently spoon the flour into your measuring cup then use a knife or the spoon handle to scrape any excess flour off the top.
To help with your grocery shopping, I’ve listed the ingredients below and where they can generally be found in the grocery store:
Produce
- (optional) Fresh Raspberries
Dairy
- Eggs
- Heavy Whipping Cream
- (optional) Whipped Cream
Pantry
- All Purpose Flour
- Kosher Salt
- Baking Powder
- Vegetable Oil
- Granulated Sugar
- Vanilla Extract
- Almond Extract
- (optional) Sliced Almonds
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