Julie Clark
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French Vanilla Pound Cake
French vanilla coffee creamer and buttery extracts give this French Vanilla Pound Cake an amazing flavor! Top with glaze, vanilla ice cream, and pecans for the ultimate dessert.
A few years ago, Maddie wanted a simple cake for her birthday. She doesn’t love frosting, but does love a buttery white cake, so she chose this French Vanilla Pound Cake for her celebration.
We topped the slices with glaze, ice cream, caramel and pecans. And it was a hit!
What does a pound cake taste like?
Pound cakes usually have a buttery, rich, sweet flavor. And this one is no different. What we love about this cake however is the deep French vanilla, paired with a buttery vanilla nut extract.
Several years ago McCormick used to sell an imitation Vanilla, Butter and Nut extract. I’ve heard it has been discontinued, which is very unfortunate!
Thankfully LorAnn has come through with a Vanilla Butternut Emulsion. It tastes very similar and will really give this cake a unique flavor. We get ours on Amazon. You may find it in a specialty baking store, too!
What is the best pound cake pan?
We like to bake our pound cakes in a bundt cake pan. You can buy beautiful pans that will make your butter pound cakes look amazing. We find they come out of the bundt cake pans really easily!
Can you make a bundt cake in a regular pan?
You can bake a pound cake in a 9×13 baking pan instead of a bundt cake pan. However, the timing will be different. It may take longer to bake this cake in a 9×13 baking pan. If the top starts to get too brown, cover the cake with foil.
How to Make Pound Cake
- In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, add the softened butter, sugar, salt and flavoring. Using a hand mixer or the stand mixer, cream these ingredients together.
- Then add the eggs one at a time, beating after each one.
- Add the creamer and flour alternately while beating the mixture.
- Grease and flour a bundt cake pan (or use our pan grease) and place the batter in the pan. Use a rubber spatula to spread the batter evenly in the pan.
How long should you cook a pound cake?
We use the cold oven method for baking pound cake. This gives the cake a little more time in the oven to bake without the cake getting too brown.
Place the pan of batter into a cold oven and set the oven to 325 degrees. Bake the cake for 1 hour and 40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Why does my pound cake have cracks in the top?
Pound cakes often have cracks in the top and honestly, I love them! Pound cakes are dense, so the outside of the cake will often cook first, making the center rise up and crack the top as it continues to bake.
How long should you leave a cake in a pan to cool?
You should always follow the recipe instructions for how long to let a cake sit before turning it out onto a plate to cool completely.
For this cake recipe, you’ll turn it out right away. A general rule is to turn the cake after about 10 minutes of cooling time.
How do you store pound cake?
This cake is best stored at room temperature. Keep it in an airtight container for 2-3 days. If you want to keep it longer you can refrigerate the cake after 3 days or freeze it.
This cake freezes really well! Make sure it is wrapped well in plastic wrap, then place in a zippered storage bag or plastic storage container.
How to Jazz Up a Pound Cake
Powdered sugar glaze is ALWAYS a good idea to top a pound cake. Drizzle the cake while it is hot if you want the glaze to soak in. Wait til the cake is cool if you want the glaze to look prettier and “sit” on top.
You can jazz up cakes with a sprinkling of powdered sugar, cocoa powder, whipped cream, ice cream, caramel syrup, raspberry or strawberry syrup and fresh fruit. The possibilities are endless!
Other Pound Cake Recipes
- Sour Cream Pound Cake
- Rum Soaked Pound Cake
- Bourbon Cake
- Easy Rum Cake
- Five Flavor Pound Cake
- Cranberry Pound Cake
Tools to Make this Cake
- Bundt Cake Pan: This is a classic, must-have kitchen tool.
- Bundt Cake Carrier: Store your cake in this carrier to keep it fresh and easy to transport!
- Cake Plate: I have this cake plate and everyone loves it! It comes with the cute server too.
French Vanilla Pound Cake
French vanilla coffee creamer and buttery extracts give this French Vanilla Pound Cake an amazing flavor! Top with glaze, vanilla ice cream, and pecans for the ultimate dessert.
Servings 12
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 40 minutes
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1 1/2 cups salted butter (softened)
- 2 3/4 cups granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla, butter & nut extract* (or half vanilla and half butter extract)
- 5 large eggs
- 1 cup French vanilla coffee creamer
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
For the glaze:
- 1/4 cup salted butter (melted)
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla, butter & nut extract* (or half vanilla and half butter extract)
- 1 tablespoon French vanilla creamer
Instructions
Make the cake:
- In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, add the softened butter, sugar, salt and flavoring. Using a hand mixer or the stand mixer, cream these ingredients together.
- Then add the eggs one at a time, beating after each one.
- Add the creamer and flour alternately while beating the mixture.
- Grease and flour a bundt cake pan (or use our pan grease) and place the batter in the pan. Use a rubber spatula to spread the batter evenly in the pan.
- Place the pan of batter into a cold oven and set the oven to 325 degrees. Bake the cake for 1 hour and 40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Turn out the cake onto a plate immediately after removing the cake from the oven. Allow the cake to cool completely.
Make the glaze:
- In a small bowl, mix together the melted butter, powdered sugar, flavoring and creamer. Mix until the glaze is smooth.
- Once the cake has cooled, drizzle or spoon the glaze overtop the cake.
- Serve with vanilla ice cream, butterscotch topping and nuts, if desired.
Video
Notes
The calories shown are based on the cake being cut into 12 pieces, with 1 serving being 1 slice of cake with glaze. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information.**
**Several years ago McCormick used to sell an imitation Vanilla, Butter and Nut extract. I’ve heard it has been discontinued. Thankfully LorAnn has come through with a Vanilla Butternut Emulsion. It tastes very similar and will really give this cake a unique flavor. We get ours on Amazon. You may find it in a specialty baking store, too!
Nutrition
Calories: 616kcal | Carbohydrates: 81g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Cholesterol: 160mg | Sodium: 320mg | Potassium: 73mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 57g | Vitamin A: 959IU | Calcium: 27mg | Iron: 2mg
This cake is very good. I made it for myself and even my picky kids liked it