Meet your new go-to vanilla cake. This vegan pound cake, or vegan Madeira cake, is a simple to make buttery loaf cake with a perfect crumb.
What's more, this cake is made with a little vegan butter but mostly yoghurt. Trust me, you won't taste the difference. It's awesome. Really.
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So, What is Pound Cake?
Pound Cake, or Madeira cake as we call it here, is a buttery vanilla cake commonly made in loaf form. Historically, pound cake was made with a pound of each of the four ingredients; flour, butter, eggs and sugar.
It's a great all-rounder cake, perfect for afternoon tea, picnics or packed lunches.
The crumb is denser compared to typical cakes, but if made properly, pound cake is moist, buttery and melt-in-your-mouth.
This vegan pound cake is all of the above.
Why You'll Love This Vegan Pound Cake
I have tested, re-tested and tested again to get this cake just right. It works every time.
Is Pound Cake, Madeira Cake and Loaf Cake?
Yes and No. As I mentioned, Pound Cake gets its name because of the ratio of ingredients in the original recipe; 1-1-1-1. We call this cake a vegan Madiera cake here in Australia.
Some call it a loaf cake but a loaf cake can also be any cake cooked in a loaf pan.
Phew. Don't get me started on international cup measurements.
Whether you call it vegan pound cake, vegan Madeira cake or Uncle Bob, this cake is a reliable, buttery cake recipe to have in your back pocket.
Ingredients & Substitutions
All-purpose flour. I use good old AP flour but you can swap it for cake flour for a lighter crumb, but I don't think it needs it. Save your cake flour for a fluffy sponge.
Caster sugar. Raw caster sugar is my baking go-to. It melts beautifully but if you only have regular granulated sugar, that will work fine too. I have tested with both.
Vegan Butter. In Australia I prefer Naturli (not a sponsored link)for this recipe but if you can only find Flora or Nuttelex, that works too.
Olive oil. Besides adding a little more fat to our cake, olive oil gives a little punch of fruity flavour and colour.
Baking Powder and Soda. Traditionally, pound cake doesn't contain any leavening agents but because we aren't using eggs, we'll use some baking powder and soda to give us a little lift.
Coconut yoghurt. Find a nice thick coconut yoghurt or you can swap out the yoghurt for vegan sour cream. I have tried both, they are equally wonderful.
How to Make a Deliciously Buttery Vegan Pound Cake
You'll find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Step 1. Beat room temperature butter and sugar together in a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer until it resembles fluffy sand. (You can also do this step in a stand mixer).
Step 2. Add half the yoghurt and keep beating until combined. Go ahead and add the second half and mix it in now.
Step 3. Beat in the olive oil a tablespoon at a time, then add the vanilla. That's your wet ingredients done, you can go ahead and set them aside.
Step 4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and soda and salt.
Add half the dry ingredients to the wet and mix through with a large spoon before adding the second half. Mix until combined, but no more.
Step 5. Spoon the batter into a prepared loaf tin and using a spoon or baking palette knife, smooth it out nice and level. It's a thick batter, don't worry, it's supposed to be.
Bake the cake for around 55-60 minutes and voila, a buttery, melt-in-your-mouth vegan pound cake is all yours.
Note: I can never get the perfect pound cake crack down the centre of my cake - no matter; this cake is too delicious to worry about that.
How to Serve Your Vegan Pound Cake
Pound cake is essentially a sturdy vanilla cake which means you can dress it up or down anyway you like. Try these serving suggestions and then invite me over.
Best served room temperature. If it gets a bit stale, toast it lightly or just warm up slices in microwave to resurrect it - no judgement here!
Storage
This buttery cake will keep for 4 to 5 days in an airtight container at room temperature (unless it’s super hot where you are).
It freezes well for 3 months. After the cake has cooled completely, wrap it in foil and place it in a freezer bag and into the freezer.
To thaw, bring it out of the freezer and defrost at room temperature. Don't try to thaw frozen cake in the microwave, it will just dry out.
FAQs
Pound cake isn't a light and fluffy cake, it is a little more dense but it has a beautiful buttery crumb. Traditionally, it doesn't contain any raising agents other than the pound of eggs so it's a bit sturdier.
You can swap out the coconut yoghurt for vegan sour cream if you like. I have used both and they are both wonderful.
Love cake? You've come to the right place. Try these vegan cake recipes.
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Buttery Vegan Pound Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
- ½ cup (125g) vegan butter room temperature
- 1 cup (225g) caster sugar
- 1 cup vegan yoghurt coconut works best
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups (300g) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
For the Cake
- Line and lightly grease a 21.5cm x 11.4cm x 6.9cm loaf tin and preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F (conventional/standard) / 160°C/320°F (fan).
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar together with a hand mixer until it resembles fluffy sand. (You can also do this step in a stand mixer)
- Add half the yoghurt and keep beating until combined. Add the second half and mix that in as well.
- A tablespoon at a time, beat in the olive oil and finally all the vanilla. Set the mixture aside.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and soda and the salt. Add half the dry ingredients to the wet and mix through with a large spoon before adding the second half. Mix until combined but no more.
- The batter is super thick, don't worry it's supposed to be.
- Spoon the batter into your prepared loaf tin and using a spoon or baking palette knife, smooth it out nice and level.
- Pop the loaf in the oven and bake for 50-60 minutes or until a skewer comes away from the centre clean.
- Remove the loaf from the oven and allow it to sit for at least 10 minutes before turning it out onto a cooling rack. The longer you leave it, the easier the cake is to handle. The crumb settles and it's just easier to cut.
- Slice and serve at room temperature.
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