This Almond Pound Cake is the collision of two of my most favorite things: pound cake and almond.
I passionately love anything almond. Almond cakes, almond tortes, macarons, almond danishes, amaretto, and just about anything with almond extract.
And there are few desserts that I love more than a perfectly executed pound cake.
But this cake isn’t just about adding almond extract into a boring pound cake. This pound cake it seriously delicious!
It’s got a lighter texture than some of my other pound cakes and has tons of great flavor thanks to 3 sticks of butter.
And if all that almond in the cake itself weren’t enough, we’re gonna go all in and add some almond extract to the glaze AND sprinkle some sliced almonds on the top. It’s like almond-a-palooza up in here! Whew!
Y’all are lucky there was even any of this left for me to photograph. See that big ol’ piece missing in that photo above? Yeah, that was me. And I’m not sorry about it. Not one bit.
Now I get not everyone is as big of a fan of almond extract as I am, so you can certainly scale back on the amount of almond extract in this recipe.
You can even leave it out completely and have a super delicious butter pound cake. I wouldn’t, but you can. I mean, it’s totally up to you, but I would add it. I mean it’s delicious without it, but even more delicious with it. But you can leave it out… (~whispers~ but don’t.)
One thing to note: As with most of my other pound cakes, I call for you to cream the butter and sugar together for 5 minutes in the beginning step. No, that’s not a typo. It’s 5 whole minutes. Just trust me.
Y’all enjoy!
Almond Pound Cake
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3 cups sugar
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 5 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 to 3 teaspoons almond extract
For the topping:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1/4 cup sliced almonds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease and flour a 10 to 12-cup bundt pan. Set aside.
- Use a mixer to cream the butter and sugar together for about 5 minutes.
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together.
- Add the eggs to the butter mixture, one at a time, and mix well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again.
- Add the dry ingredients and the milk to the mixture, alternately. Start with 1/3 of the dry, then half the milk, another 1/3 of the dry, the other 1/2 of the milk, then the remaining dry. Mix well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again.
- Add the vanilla and almond extracts. For lots of almond flavor, add 3 teaspoons. For less, only add 2. Mix to combine.
- Pour the mixture evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Bake times may vary. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then place a plate or platter over the pan and invert to turn the cake out onto the plate. Allow to cool completely.
- To make the glaze, whisk the powdered sugar, almond extract, and milk together in a small bowl. Drizzle over the cooled pound cake and sprinkle the almonds over the top.
Rose Groth says
Could you use an Almond liquor in the glaze or even poke cake with a fork and use a TBSP. or 2 of the almond liquor sprinkled over cake before glazing?
Stacey says
Absolutely!
Claudine Bratcher says
OMG! I’m so glad to know that there is another who’s just as crazy about almonds and almond flavor as I.
I love pound cakes and I absolutely love anything almond. I have all the ingredients on hand to make this as well as having some sliced almonds that need to be used up.
Thank you Stacey for sharing this recipe.
Claudine in Fort Worth, TX
Stacey says
It’s got to be one of my most favorite flavors. Hope it turns out great for you!
MARY K REX says
I Love anything Almond
Stacey says
Me too! So very much!
Virginia says
I don’t have any all purpose flour on hand, only self-rising flour. How would I substitute self-rising flour in this recipe? Would it still be 3 cups of flour? Thanks
Stacey says
Yes. The measurement would be the same.
Glenda says
Virginia needs to that she should omit the baking powder and salt when using self-rising flour. If she’s an experienced cook, she will already know this.
Glenda says
Oops! Left out a word….needs to KNOW….that she should….
Stacey says
I figured that might be the case, but you are 100% correct.
Virginia says
Hello Glenda and Stacy…..yes, I would leave out the salt and baking powder when I use self-rising flour. Thanks for your comments though. This recipe looks wonderful, and I am so anxious to try it. Pound cake is so such a great cake and I like to think it is ‘…..so Southern…..’
Stacey says
Hope you enjoy it!
Debbie A Readling says
Is the amount of milk correct? Shouldn’t it be a whole cup?
Stacey says
It’s correct.
mac says
If granny wasn’t cremated I would dig her up and slap her, then give her a kiss.
Made it for my sweetie’s Birthday. WOW! was she impressed. It’s easy guys, try it.
She hardly eats desert, and she ate 2 slices and took some to work for the girls.
Stacey says
I seriously can’t love this comment enough! So glad you enjoyed it!
Sunita Machado says
Hey Stacey,
I’m a big fan of the good ol pound cake and the touch of almond takes it to another level. Thanks for sharing your recipe. I tried it and it turned out well. It was a tad sweet for my taste, so tempered down the sugar by 30% the next time I made it. Also, it’s hard to find unsalted butter easily in Mumbai, so used salted butter. Thanks a bunch!
Stacey says
So glad to hear you enjoyed it, Sunita!
Sheila says
I only have salted butter on hand. Would I omit the salt in the recipe?
Sheila says
I wanted to make this recipe today, so I searched the internet for an answer. Sorry I’m impatient, but, this is what I found.
Thanks for the recipe. I can’t wait to try it, I just LOVE almond flavor!
“If your recipe calls for unsalted butter and you want to use salted, reduce the amount of salt by 1/4 teaspoon. If your recipe calls for salted butter and you’re using unsalted, increase the amount of salt by 1/4 teaspoon.”
Stacey says
Glad you found an answer! Sorry I couldn’t get to your question sooner.
Sheila says
Seriously no worries. I made this cake and it lasted maybe 3 days! Everyone loved it. I will be making this recipe again and again. Thanks again for sharing!
Stacey says
So glad everyone enjoyed it!
Joana says
I would like to know if it is possible to make cake using almond flour instead of wheat flour.
If so, what are the adjustments?
I am looking forward to baking this
Thank you
Stacey says
Hi Joana! I’ve not tried that, so I can’t say for sure. Hopefully someone else who has tried can chime in and help out.
Ashley Davis says
If making in a loaf pan would I just half the recipe?
Stacey says
You certainly could!
Ellen Allen says
Do you have a favorite bundt pan that you use??
Size, steel, aluminum, non-stick?? I need a new one (I think) …
I love everything almond as well.
Stacey says
I do! It’s a thick-walled, aluminum Bundt pan that a sweet lady gave me years ago. It’s probably about 50 years old.
E. Lee says
Can unsweetened Silk almond milk be used instead of regular milk?
Stacey says
I don’t see why not. Enjoy!
Maryanne Sistrunck says
Instead of using regular sugar could I use Splenda is it any different
Stacey says
Hi Maryanne! Unfortunately, I don’t have any experience with low/no sugar baking. Since baking is so much about chemistry, I’d hate to make any guesses. Maybe another reader will have some insight to share with us.
Vikki Montgomery says
I made this cake yesterday and it is AMAZING! I have made numerous pound cakes in my life and nothing comes close to this one. Thank you so much for sharing this treasured recipe!
Stacey says
Awesome! It’s one of my favorites so I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed it!