A classic pound cake recipe transformed into a "quarter" pound cake! Baked in a small baking dish, this buttery, tender, and golden mini cake recipe yields the perfect amount for one or two people.
A classic pound cake never disappoints. It's a simple cake, not at all fancy or pretentious.
A traditional pound cake doesn't need overly sweet icing or frosting to coat its crust. It's perfect as is, and completely wonderful when paired with a cup of coffee or tea, with perhaps a dusting of powdered sugar or a dollop of whipped cream and fresh fruit.
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What Is A Pound Cake?
Traditionally, a pound cake is made with a pound each of butter, sugar, eggs, and flour. The French call it quatre-quarts, which means "four-fourths". Using these traditional measurements, the size of the cake made it possible to serve many people and was also very dry and dense.
The pound cake appears to have originated in England in the early 1700s. By the mid-1800s, as people began to desire lighter cakes, pound cakes began to change.
Today, many pound cakes are made with leaveners such as baking powder and different proportions of the main ingredients to produce a lighter cake.
The pound cake as we know it today is rich, buttery, and velvety in texture. It's delightful eaten on its own, garnished simply with fruit, or used as a base as in our Caramelized Banana Upside Down Cake.
The tender, buttery pound cake of our times is the one I wanted to recreate as a single serving or mini cake.
Why This Recipe Works
I wanted to create a mini pound cake recipe that was totally reminiscent of the pound cake I love. This cake is about a quarter of the size of a traditional pound cake and I call it a "quarter pound cake". I've adjusted the ingredients in my vanilla pound cake recipe so that it will serve one or two people.
This delightful cake is baked in a small baking dish or it can be baked in two smaller ramekins. The texture is light and airy, and the flavor is incredible.
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
See below for ways to use leftover ingredients.
- Butter: Use salted butter. Make sure the butter is soft, not melted. A good way to check to see if your butter is the right consistency is to make an indention in the butter with your finger. If it’s easy to make an indentation and the butter keeps its shape, then it’s the correct temperature.
- Sugar, vanilla, salt, and lemon juice: For excellent flavor.
- Egg: An egg provides structure in cakes and one large egg is all you need.
- Flour: Use all-purpose flour.
- Baking powder: This ingredient helps the cake rise.
- Milk: Milk adds moisture to the cake batter. Use any percentage of cow's milk or almond milk.
How To Make A Pound Cake
See the recipe box below for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions.
- Heat the oven to 350° F (177° C).
- Lightly butter a 5-inch baking dish or a 4x6-inch baking dish with butter. Place the baking dish on top of a baking sheet.
- In a small bowl, beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer until well mixed.
- Beat in egg, lemon juice, and vanilla.
- In a separate small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Add to butter/sugar mixture and mix to combine.
- Stir in the milk.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and bake for 40-45 minutes or until the top is golden.
- Allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes before inverting it over a plate and slicing it into squares.
Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients
If you have any ingredients left over from this lemon pound cake recipe, you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes:
- Eggs: Cheesy Baked Eggs, Pasta Carbonara, Breakfast Casserole, Rice Pudding
- Lemon juice: Lemon Curd, Lemon Bars, Lemon Scones, Mini Blueberry Pie
- Vanilla: Panna Cotta, Bananas Foster, Tiramisu, Mini Boston Cream Pie
- Milk: Banana Cream Pie, Baked Oatmeal, Potato Soup, Pralines
Expert Tips
Follow these tips to make the best pound cake:
- Be sure to use real butter, not margarine.
- Make sure the butter is soft, not melted. A good way to check to see if your butter is the right consistency is to make an indention in the butter with your finger. If it’s easy to make an indentation and the butter keeps its shape, then it’s the correct temperature.
- Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy for a smooth, velvety texture. Beat for 2-3 minutes depending on the speed of your blender.
- Don’t scoop the flour with a measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour first to loosen it, and then spoon it into a dry measuring cup and level it off using the flat edge of a knife.
- Check to make sure your oven is at the proper temperature. It’s common for an oven to not be calibrated properly. Many ovens heat too high or too low compared to what the temperature is set at. I recommend investing in an oven thermometer to test your own oven temperature.
Frequently Asked Questions
This recipe was developed to be a moist pound cake. The most important thing to remember when baking a pound cake is to not overbake it. Check the cake to see if it is done after 40 minutes of baking. To test to see if the cake is done, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake and if it comes out clean the cake is done. Also, make sure your oven is not running hotter than the display says it is. I keep an inexpensive oven thermometer in my oven at all times to make sure my oven's temperature is correct.
Another way to guarantee a moist pound cake is to measure your flour correctly. Use the spoon and level method, rather than scooping the flour, as mentioned in the Expert Tips section.
It's best to store a pound cake at room temperature with an airtight cover. It will remain fresh for 4-5 days at room temperature.
The success of this recipe depends on the size of the baking dish you use. I use a 5-inch baking dish that measures 5 inches x 5 inches and is 1 ¾ inches deep. This dish holds about 1.5 cups and has a base area of 25 square inches.
A 4×6-inch dish has an area of 24 square inches and will work as well. For best results, use a dish of similar size.
Two small 8-ounce ramekins or two mini loaf pans would work well with this recipe too.
If you would like additional information on the cooking and baking dishes I use in our “recipes for one”, please visit our FAQ page.
For examples of the dishes used at One Dish Kitchen, please visit our Store page.
Yes. If you'd like to make a half-pound cake, just double the ingredients in this recipe and either use 2 small baking dishes (see sizes above) or use one 8 ½-round baking dish that has a base area of 50 square inches or 7x7-inch square baking with a base area of 49 square inches.
Serving Suggestions
This lovely pound cake really doesn't need anything special but I'll often serve it with a dollop of homemade whipped cream, a scoop of vanilla ice cream, or use it in a strawberry shortcake.
Other Mini Cake Recipes
If you like this recipe, you might also like to try these mini cake recipes:
- Mini Pineapple Sheet Cake
- Tres Leches Cake
- Icebox Cake
- Flourless Chocolate Cake
- Oat Cake
- Carrot Cake
- Gingerbread
- Spice Cake
If you’ve tried this pound cake or any recipe on One Dish Kitchen please let me know how you liked it by rating the recipe and telling me about it in the comment section below.
If you take a picture please tag us on Instagram (@onedishkitchen) we’d love to see it!
Recipe
Mini Pound Cake
See the post above for expert tips,
FAQs and ways to use leftover ingredients.
Video
Equipment
- 5-inch baking dish or a 4x6-inch baking dish
Ingredients
- ¼ cup salted butter softened, plus 1 tablespoon more for greasing
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup all purpose flour
- ⅛ teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup low fat milk
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350° F (177° C)
- Lightly butter a 5-inch baking dish or a 4x6-inch baking dish with butter. Place the baking dish on top of a baking sheet.
- In a small bowl, beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer until well mixed.
- Beat in egg, lemon juice, and vanilla.
- In a separate small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add to butter/sugar mixture and mix to combine.
- Stir in the milk.
- Pour batter into prepared baking dish and bake for 40-45 minutes or until top is golden.
- Allow to cool for 10 minutes before inverting over a plate.
- Best if served warm.
Notes
- Be sure to use real butter, not margarine.
- Make sure the butter is soft, not melted. A good way to check to see if your butter is the right consistency is to make an indention in the butter with your finger. If it’s easy to make an indentation and the butter keeps its shape, then it’s the correct temperature.
- Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy for a smooth, velvety texture. Beat for 2-3 minutes depending on the speed of your blender.
- Don’t scoop the flour with a measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour first to loosen it and then spoon it into a dry measuring cup and level it off using the flat edge of a knife.
- Check to make sure your oven is the proper temperature. It’s common for an oven to not be calibrated properly. Many ovens heat too high or too low compared to what the temperature is set at. I recommend investing on an oven thermometer to test your own oven temperature.
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Saf Makhdoom says
Does this taste lemony?
Joanie Zisk says
The lemon flavor is not strong. If you would like to make a lemon pound cake with a stronger lemon flavor, leave out the vanilla and use 3/4 teaspoon of lemon juice.
Kathy M says
Oh my gosh it’s awesome very easy to make. You could easily serve this for four peoples with some fresh fruit and whipping cream. Highly recommend the pound cake. Before removing from the pan I went around the cake with a plaster knife, to make it easy to remove. I used the 4 by 6 pan. Will be making again.
Marian Adams says
Can you use cake flour instead of all purpose? Enjoy all your recipes.
Joanie Zisk says
Thank you, Marian. Yes, you can use cake flour.
Aleisha Brown says
Made this on numerous occasions, soooo freaking yummy. When I have buttermilk on hand I use that instead of milk. You won’t regret making this!
Marie says
For health reasons I will have to pass on the white flour, salted butter and sugar, do you have any suggestions what to use instead? Thanks
Joanie Zisk says
Hi Marie, I haven't tested this recipe with other types of flour except for King Arthur Brand 1:1 Gluten-Free flour which works very well. Unsalted butter or vegan butter can be used instead of salted butter. Although we have not tested this pound cake recipe with sugar substitutes, other readers have used Truvia and Stevia with success.
Joan says
Friend please print the amounts with the directions, would be so much easier to print it and follow it.
Joanie Zisk says
We provide ingredient amounts for every recipe on our website. You can always find this information at the bottom of every page in the recipe box. Either click the "Jump To Recipe" button at the top of each page or simply scroll down to it. You can print the recipe from the recipe box with all the information you need.
Janice Lipham says
Can you double this recipe?
Joanie Zisk says
Yes. If you'd like to make a half-pound cake, just double the ingredients in this recipe and either use 2 small 5x5-inch baking dishes, 2 4x6-inch baking dishes, or use one 8 ½-round baking dish that has a base area of 50 square inches or a 7x7-inch square baking with a base area of 49 square inches.
Jane says
This is the best pound cake recipe ever! I’ve made it multiple times and it is perfect each time. It will be my go-to from here on out.
Linda ONEILL says
This is a FABULOUS recipe. It's as delicious as it looks and super easy. Incredible; gorgeous; wonderful. Thank you, Joanie!
Shirlee says
This is a favorite. I have made it twice and it is so good. Love your recipes. Thank you for providing.