Pound cake has never really been one of my favorite desserts to eat, but itโsย one of my top 5ย desserts to make and serve. The mainย reason beingโitโs easy. Only a few staple ingredients beaten together and thrown into the oven. Itโs also super versatile in that itโs the perfect canvas for layering different toppings, glazes, or ice creamโso no one evenย realizes Iโm making the same thingย all the time.
(Dessert tricks!!)
But, like I said, itโs just not my favorite dessert to eat.ย To me, pound cake hasย always been a little bland and a lot boring.ย Iโd much rather dig intoย a slice of apple pie or a lemon cupcake. Anything tastes incredible under a stream of salted caramel or a generous dollop of fresh whipped cream, butย itโs been my goal to make a wonderfully rich pound cake thatโs not only full of flavor, but tastes absolutelyย exquisiteย on its own. And even better with something as humble as strawberry compote.
To get there, I played around in the kitchen for a few months. Every other week or so, Iโd try tweaking my standard pound cake recipe with different techniques and flavors. The minute I smelled the brown butter version, I knew I had one of the best on my hands. It has a moist, velvety texture with a super dense and buttery crumb. The flavor is a dream.
First, do you know how pound cake got its name?ย Original pound cake recipes call for one pound of each: butter, sugar, eggs, & flour. And not much else. Recipes today are a little different, but the results are generally the same!
Letโs Upgrade the Butter
The first thing I looked at was the butter. Obviously pound cake gets most of its flavor and texture from this glorious ingredient. I tested different amounts,ย but it wasnโt until I decided to change the flavor of butter that I was satisfied. If youโve ever used brown butter in a dessert before, you know what Iโm talking about. Itโs a powerful little ingredient that canย transform a good cookie into a โthis is the best cookie Iโve ever had in my lifeโ phenomenon. And thatโs not an exaggeration; itโs magic. When we brown butter, we cook out all of the water. The milk solids toast, which creates this completely mouthwatering nutty aroma and unique flavor.
Hereโs my complete brown butter tutorial.
One crucial step in making pound cake is creaming the butter and sugar. Brown butter is melted butter and you canโt really cream melted butter and sugar.ย Beating the two together will indeed create air bubbles, but they will quickly deflate. Thatโs not the batter base you want here. So weโre going to chill the brown butter. Chill it until it becomes solid and then treat it like you would regular butter. Let it soften to room temperature again. Sounds like an awful long time, but I chilled the brown butter in the freezer for only 45 minutes and took it out to soften for 15. Takes an hour, which is about how long regular butter takes to soften. More dessert tricks!
Letโs also take a look at the eggs. Room temperature eggs are key, so they (1) will not harden the butter when theyโre added and (2) mix together smoothly. Make sure you add the eggs one at a time. Remember those air bubbles I just talked about? You donโt want them to collapse in the egg step either, so youโll want to gradually beat them in. The air bubbles will expand as the cake bakes, which allows it to rise up (and not sink). Eggs are one of the most important ingredients in pound cake because they not only provide moisture and richness, they give the cake its structure. I suggest using high quality eggs because they arenโt just any other ingredient youโre throwing in. Theyโre crucial. And there are 4 of them.
See all the specks in the batter? Those are the toasty brown butter bits. F-l-a-v-o-r.
One quick note before I get to the strawberry compote. (so good!!!) I add a teeny tiny amount of baking powder to my pound cake. Traditionally, pound cake is made without any chemical leavener, but since creamingย brown butter doesnโt produce quiteย as much volume as regular (un-browned) butter would, I make up for it with a little baking powder. It just gives the cake a little extra lift in the right direction.
Ahhh, the strawberry compote. Love this stuff. Itโs completely optional because the brown butter pound cake is pretty epicย on its own, but I highly suggest serving some compote alongside. And strawberries are finally back in season, so you just have to.
Making it isย actually really easy. Like a chunky strawberry syrup, but itโs made completely from scratch and isnโt cloyingly sweet like most store-bought stuff. Youโll need fresh strawberries, a squeeze and zest of lemon to offset some sweetness, sugar, and cornstarch (mixed with water) for thickening. Let it simmer on the stove for a few minutes and youโre done. I usually make the compote in advance because it will need some time to thicken once removed from heat.
PS: this stuff is ridiculously goodย spoonedย over cold, creamy greek yogurt in the morning. Or on top of waffles, ice cream, oatmeal, mini french toast, white chocolate brownies, and angel food cake. For the most dedicated of strawberry lovers, you could even enjoy it on top of strawberry bread. And for a different flavor, try this blueberry sauce topping next time!
This brown butter pound cakeย will stand the test of time in my recipe repertoire. Youโll not only love the brown butter flavor, youโll appreciate the spot-on texture as well. Dense without tasting too heavy, golden brown, and impeccablyย rich. Try it!
Print
Brown Butter Pound Cake with Strawberry Compote
- Prep Time: 1 hour, 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
- Total Time: 5 hours, 25 minutes
- Yield: serves 8-10
- Category: Cake
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
You wonโt BELIEVE the flavor in this simple brown butter pound cake. Top with homemade strawberry compote for one of the best desserts ever!
Ingredients
- 1 cup (16 Tbsp; 226g) unsalted butter
- 1 and 1/2 cups (188g) all-purpose flourย (spooned & leveled)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Strawberry Compote
- 1 and 1/2 Tablespoonsย cornstarch
- 1/4 cup (60ml) warm water
- 1 lb strawberries, hulled and sliced in half (you can use frozen; donโt thaw)
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
Instructions
- Brown the butter: Slice the butter up into pieces and place in a light-colored skillet. (Light colored helps you determine when the butter begins browning.) Melt the butter over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Once melted, the butter will begin to foam. Keep stirring occasionally. After 5-8 minutes, the butter will begin browningโyouโll notice lightly browned specks begin to form at the bottom of the pan and it will have a nutty aroma. See photo above for a visual. Once browned, remove from heat immediately and pour into a large tupperware or a 9ร13-inch baking pan. Cover tightly, place in the refrigerator or freezer, and chill until solid. I always place mine in the freezer. It only takes about 45 minutes this way.
- Remove the brown butter from the refrigerator or freezer and allow to slightly soften on the counter for 15-30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350ยฐF (177ยฐC) and grease a 9ร5-inch loaf pan.
- Make the cake:ย Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.
- With a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the solid brown butter on high speed in a large bowl until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Add the granulated sugar and beat on high speed for 2 minutes until creamed. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed. With the mixer running on low speed, add the eggs one at a time, then add the vanilla extract. Beat on medium-high speed until combined. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed. With the mixer running on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients. Beat everything just until incorporated. Do not overmix.
- Pour the batter into prepared loaf pan and bake for 55 minutes to 1 hour, 10 minutes. Pound cakes are dense and, therefore, take awhile in the oven. Baking times vary, so keep an eye on yours. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven and set on a wire rack. Allow to cool completely before slicing and serving. Cover and store leftover cake at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Make the strawberry compote: Whisk theย cornstarch and water together until all the cornstarch has dissolved. Add it, along with the rest of the compote ingredients, to a small saucepan over mediumย heat. Using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, stir the mixture as it cooks. Break up some of the strawberries as you stir. Bring it to a simmer and allow to simmer for 5ย minutes, stirring constantly. Remove the pan from heat and allow to cool. The mixture will thicken as it cools.
- Spoon cooled compote over pound cake. Cover and store leftover compote in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: You can make the pound cake ahead of time by freezing it. Bake it, cool it, wrap it up in aluminum foil and freeze the loaf as a whole. Allow to thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before serving. Freezes well up to 3 months. You can also brown the butter ahead of time tooโkeep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days then continue with step 2. You can make the strawberry compote a few days ahead of time. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Light Colored Skillet | Wooden Spoon | 9ร5-inch Loaf Pan | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Cooling Rack | Small Saucepan
- Compote: Makes about 2 cups!
Reader Comments and Reviews
Made yesterday with fatherโs day and agree with other reviewers โ mine turned out a bit dry, even with the addition of 1/4c buttermilk. Flavor was good. I baked for 1h, which for my oven I think was a tad long.
Im not sure what I did wrongโฆ.my cake turned out really greasy, especially in the middle of the cake. I do not think it was the recipes faultโฆ.the tried the batter and it was AMAZING. Should I have baked it longer?
Hi Kim! It definitely could have been under-baked. Did you use a toothpick to test for doneness?
I want to make this in another pan, about how many cups of batter does this make?
Thanks!
Hi Erin, this should make about 4 cups of batter, give or take. Enjoy!
So delicious!! Will be making this lots more!
I made this and it came out greasy. I donโt know what I did wrong. Itโs not edible because of how greasy it is.
Dear Sally,
I love your recipes-have tried so many of them and they all turn out perfectly. Iโm looking forward to this one if I can ever make it-the advertisement for Grammerly is covering the ingredients as well as the instructions. Both the advertisements are the same thing and completely block the whole recipe. I realize you need to advertise to support the website but this is ridiculous. There doesnโt seem to be any way to block the ads-and they just keep popping up. Sorry to complain-I do enjoy so many things about your website but this ad is out of control!!!
Hi Cindi, Iโm so sorry about this. Ads should *never* block my content because then there is no purpose for readers to be on my website! I have strict blocks in place, and appreciate you letting me know what the ad placement was for, so I can request this campaign to be completely blocked as well. So sorry for the inconvenience!
If you hit the print button, the recipe comes up without ads, but you donโt have to print it out. Thatโs how I look at all recipes! Try it!
It has great flavor, but I agree with the other readers. I added 1/4 cup of buttermilk and only baked mine for 40 minutes. This is the first recipe of yours that I needed to adjust from the original recipe.
I use buttermilk as suggested in the comments and only baked mine for 40 minutes. It came out perfect and the flavor is out of this world! This will be a stampe recipe in our kitchen!
Iโll be trying this soon . Love anything with brown butter. So grateful to you Sally
Dear Sally, is there any chance that I could bake this cake in a 9-inch springform plan?
This pound cake would be quite thin in a springform pan. Bake time would be shorter. Let us know if you try it!
I made this for Easter tomorrow and just took off a slice. The flavor is definitely cookie-like, but in a good way. I saw the reviews about the dryness of this loaf, so I followed Sallyโs suggestion from a comment to add in 1/4 cup buttermilk with the dry ingredients and I think that helped a lot โ the texture is not quite as moist as a traditional poundcake, but definitely not dry and crumbly. I also started checking the bake at around 40 minutes, and Iโm glad I did; it was ready to come out at about 45 minutes for me. The loaf is delicious, the strawberry compote is amazing, and I canโt wait to serve this up with a bit of whipped cream tomorrow!
I canโt wait to try this but I want to make it in a Bundt cake pan. I love your cream cheese pound cake, can I just substitute brown butter in there? Is it the same amount of butter? Thank you
Hi April! We would use this recipe and multiply ingredients by 1.5x to have enough for a Bundt pan.
I usually love your recipes, but this turned out very dry. The flavor of the brown butter was good, not overwhelming. I weighed the flour using proper techniques & all ingredients were room temp. Iโll try again in a few weeks to see if I get the same results.
Hi Chris, thanks for the feedback. When you try it again, it may help to add 1/4 cup (60ml) of buttermilk when you add the dry ingredients. This will help add moisture.
I lived the taste of the browned butter pound cake but unfortunately it was very dry. As an experienced baker I cooked it for 15 minutes less than suggested and it was still dry. I love the taste so will try again and check it even earlier. This is the first time Iโve been disappointed with a recent of yours.
Hi Patty, thank you so much for giving this one a try. Was the flour over measured by chance? Spooning and leveling (or using a kitchen scale) will be helpful for ensuring just the right amount of flour so the bread doesnโt get too dry. Thank you again for making and trusting our recipes!
Loving the look of this but need , for too many boring reasons, a Bundt cake. Can I double the ingredients to make as a Bundt cake? Many thanks
Hi Hilary, I would recommend 1.5x the recipe, because a 9ร5 loaf pan holds 8 cups of batter, and a Bundt pan holds 10-12-cups batter. Bake time will obviously be longer; keep an eye on it and use a toothpick to test for doneness.
I love this pound cake and as usual, Sallyโs recipe is perfect. The brown butter really made the cake taste amazing. I followed the recipe exactly, except I took the advice of another commenter and doubled the recipe for a Bundt cake. I kept the temperature at 350 and baked for 55 minutes, but started checking at 45 minutes.
Hi! Question: Iโll be making this in the fall, after strawberry season has passed. Can I use frozen strawberries for the compote? And, would this compote be good for layering in a layer cake?
Hi Susan, you can use frozen strawberriesโno need to thaw them first. The compote is a little too runny and chunky to layer inside a cake. You may enjoy this raspberry cake filling, though.
Unfortunately it turned out super dry which was disappointing because it smelled amazing going into the oven
Hi Natalie! Could it have been over-baked? Also make sure to use proper room temperature ingredients and make sure to spoon and level your flour (or use a kitchen scale) when measuring. Thank you for giving this recipe a try!
I donโt believe it was over baked as I cooked it less time than the recipe suggested and was keeping a close eye on it. I did use room temperature ingredients and a kitchen scale. My husband tasted it and agreed it tasted more like a sugar cookie than a pound cake and was not fluffy and moist as traditional pound cakes are. It seems Iโm not the only one experiencing this based on comments maybe itโs worth a revisit?
Made exactly as recipe for Motherโs Dayโฆit was a big hit!!