Bread Machine Pound Cake
This bread machine pound cake is incredibly easy to make and tastes fantastic. Incidentally, you can freeze the leftover cake as it holds up beautifully.
Last Updated on February 22, 2025 – Originally posted June 23, 2013
Note that this pound cake recipe was most recently tested with a Zojirushi BB-PAC20 Home Bakery Virtuoso. Curious about my favorite bread machines? Check out my recommendations. I’ve successfully baked this recipe at both sea level and an elevation of 3,700 feet—it turned out perfectly every time!
Featured Comment
Turned out perfectly and is such a blessing to be able to have this on hand to use in shortcakes and quick desserts all summer long without having to heat up the kitchen with the oven! ~ Rebekah
Zojirushi bread machines have a handy cake setting. I first tried it with cornbread and later with banana bread.
However, it wasn’t until I discovered this pound cake recipe that I decided to use the cake setting for an actual cake. It was incredibly easy to make and tasted fantastic.
Incidentally, I froze the leftover cake, and it held up beautifully. Freeze it sliced. To thaw take slices out about a half hour before eating.
For those of you with machines featuring a quick bread cycle, this recipe will work with that cycle too.
Remember, this is a cake recipe. So even though you’re making it with a bread machine, no yeast is required.
While you can eat this cake with a fork, it’s firm enough to just pick it up and eat it.
Recipe Updates
I’ve made a few adjustments to this pound cake recipe over time. I initially used bread flour for this recipe but have since switched to all-purpose flour. Also, I use room temperature milk and eggs when making pound cake.
Important Note on Baking Powder
Note that this recipe uses baking powder and not baking soda.
Before attempting this recipe, look at the age of your baking powder. How important is this? It’s very important!
Check out the photo below. The loaf on the left was made using old baking powder. The loaf on the right used new baking powder. What a big difference!
The loaf on the left was made using old baking powder. The loaf on the right was made using fresh baking powder.
Here’s a simple test to see if your baking powder is still good. Stir half a teaspoon of baking powder into a 1/4 cup of hot water. Does it fizz and bubble? If so, your baking powder is good to use.
Melt the Butter
Note that this recipe calls for melted butter.
In the bread recipes on this site, I tell people that if their machine has a preheat cycle to not melt the butter. The bread machine will do that for you.
However, the Zojirushi cake setting doesn’t include the preheat cycle. It starts mixing right away. So in this instance, the butter needs to be melted.
Special Bread Machine Setting Needed
For this recipe you’ll be using the cake or quick bread setting. Not all bread machines have this feature. If you have any doubts please consult your bread machine’s manual. The correct cycle for this recipe will NOT be for yeast breads.
The setting should last for roughly an hour and 45 minutes to 2 hours.
On the Zojirushi BB-PAC20 Home Bakery Virtuoso, this cycle lasts for an hour and 50 minutes. There’s 24 minutes of kneading/stirring, 70 minutes of baking and 16 minutes of cooling.
Pound Cake Tips
We usually eat our pound cake plain or top it with whipped cream. However, you can also top it with:
- Ice cream and chocolate sauce
- Strawberries and whipped cream
- Sliced bananas and warm honey
- Lemon curd
- Drizzled icing
Bread Machine Pound Cake Instructions
This recipe uses the cake cycle of a two-pound machine using the medium crust setting.
Follow the instructions that came with your bread machine in terms of which ingredients to put in the machine first.
Select the cake setting. I used the medium crust setting.
If your bread machine allows it, take a spatula and scrape the inside of the pan down during the first few minutes of mixing.
Let the cake cool for a few minutes. Gently loosen the sides with a silicone spatula before turning it out of the pan.
Pound Cake Ingredients
Note that this recipe uses the cake cycle (with medium crust) of a two-pound machine.
3 large eggs, room temperature and beaten
1/3 Cup milk, room temperature
2 Cups all-purpose flour
3 tsp. baking powder, be sure to check the expiration date
1/2 Cup butter, melted
1 Cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
See below for metric measurements, as well as nutrition information, for this pound cake recipe for the bread machine.
Bread Machine Pound Cake
Recommended Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 eggs large, room temperature and beaten
- 1/3 Cup (78.86 ml) milk room temperature
- 2 Cups (250 g) all purpose flour
- 3 tsp. baking powder be sure to check the expiration date
- 1/2 Cup (113.5 g) butter melted
- 1 Cup (200 g) sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
Instructions
- Follow the instructions that came with your bread machine in terms of which ingredients to put in the machine first.
- Select the cake setting with medium crust.
Notes
Nutrition
All information presented within this site is intended for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information on breadmachinediva.com should only be used as a general guideline. This information is provided as a courtesy and there is no guarantee that the information will be completely accurate. I try to provide accurate information to the best of my ability; however these figures should still be considered estimates.
Made it today in my new Hamilton Beach breadmaker. Turned out good. Premixed all the ingredient before I put them in the cake pan. Used the cake setting.
Cake tester came out clean so I think it’ll be good.
Mine was PERFECT! Exactly as it should be – was delicious, dense and moist. Will be a regular in our house now!
Recipe was a flop. Smelled wonderful, but sunk in the middle. Waiting for it to cool, but I am not sure if it is edible. The measurements did seem off. I weighed out the flour, etc.
I’m so sorry it didn’t work out. I wonder if your backing powder was old? That’s so important. I’ve added that information to the recipe.
Making this for my again for my husband. He loves it.
Mine did not turn out at all! It smells absolutely fabulous, but sunk in the center and was not cooked. I cooked it for another 20 mins and at least the toothpick came out clean. Wish I could add a picture of it here. So sad, not sure how to fix. I have a KBS, which is not the best machine I’m finding out, but breads come out good. This is the first time I have tried the cake cycle on it, so I’ll try again with a different recipe soon.
Let me know if any cakes turn out on your machine. Also, could it be that your baking powder was old? That really affects this recipe.
This came out great. I also added cinnamon, and coconut shavings. I didn’t have vanilla extract so I just used honey. It tasted like a cross between pound cake, banana bread, and angel food cake.
Fabulous exactly as written! Turned out perfectly and is such a blessing to be able to have this on hand to use in shortcakes and quick desserts all summer long without having to heat up the kitchen with the oven! Love it! Now I need to adjust it to be a lemon pound cake. 🙂
I did exactly as directed, including testing my baking powder, using bread flour, and scraping the side of the machine when mixing. My machine has a cake setting, so that is what I used.
It was a disaster. Brown crust was too thick on sides, but cake was not done in center top. I cut the sorry part out, but even the taste was bland. Also, the “holes” notable in baked goods were more like elongated oval shapes. The edible part (after crust removed and sorry batter scooped out) was dry and tasteless.
Think I will stick to breads.
I’m so sorry this recipe didn’t turn out. What brand of bread machine do you have? Also, have other recipes for the cake cycle turned out successfully?
I used regular unbleached all purpose flour since I read that for cakes you shouldn’t use bread flour and it turned out great. I beat the eggs with a mixer first and added the other ingredients until just mixed in and then poured into my bread machine and baked on cake setting. I don’t know if that would make a difference for you, but wanted to mention it. I also poured strawberries with a little sugar and used that when serving.
Using my faithful West Bend breadmachine,the pound cake turned out perfect. Moist and tasty. Thanks.
Great recipe. Modified adding 1/2 cup of sour cream Adjusting the sugar to oir preference 1/2 cup instead (1 cup).
Cuisinart cbk200 medium crust 2lb cycle. I got a perfect pound cake with an amazing tan finish. Thanks.
Thanks for sharing your modifications. That sounds great!
Can I chuck blueberries in with the cake
I’ve never tried that, but it should work. Let me know how it goes as it sounds great!
Perfect! Delicious! And so easy! No fuss or mess! Took 1h 30 minutes which includes the mixing time in the machine. Scrape the sides and bottom WELL during the first 3-5 minutes of mixing,as she mentioned in the instructions, and the cake should turn out perfectly! After the timer went, I unplugged the machine and let the cake continue to “cook” for about 20 more minutes. Golden brown and cooked through.
Hi
Love the site. Have the Zojirushi breadmaker but want to make Chocolate pound cake. I have tried adding chocolate chips but just sank to the bottom. How much coco powder do you think I should add? I was thinking 1/4 to 1/2 but not sure.
Great question! If it were me, I’d go with 1/3 of a cup for my first try. Let me know what happens!
try using mini chocolate chips, they are not as heavy so wont sink
Cover the chips with flour before adding them to the batter they shouldn’t sink
try coating chocolate chips with flour that usually prevents things from sinking
This did not fully cook for the 1hr 33 minutes cake cycle. I will just put it in the oven to cook the rest of the way and hope that works. So sad as this was a student project for my high needs education class.
I did what it said in the recipe.it rise well cooked out side but still gooie in middle I used the cake cycle I have a Russell Hobbs bread maker
excellent worked perfectly
I have used your recipe twice now, and the pound cake has turned out great both times. The first time, I made a tropical fruit and coconut conserve. Today I sliced it into 3 layers and placed lemon pudding in between and a lemon drizzle on top. Thank you for the recipe.
Thank you so much for your comment and the great serving ideas!!
This was my very first thing I made in my Pioneer Woman Artisan Bread maker and wow! It turned out perfect! Gone by the next day, devoured by my 14 yr old! Lol Thank you for this recipe! I am about to start it up again for my annual tradition of goodie making and have a question. Can I add to this recipe, like, use it for a basic and add lemon and blueberries, or chocolate chips? It’s been YEARS since I’ve had a bread maker and, getting older here y’all, can’t remember exactly what I can and can not do! Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! And BTW… MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!! ❤️?️?
Your comment made my day! I’m so glad you liked the pound cake.
I haven’t tried adding anything else to the recipe, but check out the comments. Other people have and have had some tasty sounding results.
Merry Christmas!
I followed the pound cake recipe on a Zioryshi bread machine, similar to what the author has. However my pound cake comes out brown inside and out. Is the sugar caramelizing in the machine.
I’m not sure what’s going on. Maybe using the light crust setting will help.
So I made your Sour Milk Bread today and found it didn’t rise to fill my vertical machine.
Any idea as to why?
I’m not sure. I have a list of things to check when the dough rises and then falls. It’s not exactly your situation, but it’s still a good place to start.
Want to try pound cake in my cake cycle and put halve or quartered cherries in ? What say you?
I’ve never tried that, but it might work. (And it sound delicious!) Let me know how it goes.
I have a FoodNetwork Bread Maker with a CAKE cycle. Why does it take two or more hours to make this pound cake recipe on the CAKE cycle? I’m talking about the mixing, setting/resting and baking. At this rate couldn’t I just mix it in my mixer and transfer to the oven?
A bread machine is not always the answer to everything, as I found out with my meatloaf experience. 🙂 The cake cycle offers users a sort of “set it up and forget about for a few hours” experience. It’s about freeing you up to do other things. However, if it’s not you, then it’s not for you.
Thank you! Honestly, I thought I was missing something but I get it now. Thanks for the great recipes!
I made this pound cake today, but made it into a lemon pound cake. I added lemon zest to the batter, brushed it while warm with lemon syrup and then glazed with lemon powder sugar glaze. Oh heavens! Amazing.
That sounds great!!
The only thing I would change is try the light crust setting because I think it was a tad dry, but the lemon flavor was exactly what I was looking for.
Would the quick bread cycle work if you don’t have a Zo?
Yes. Just be sure that the quick bread cycle is for things without yeast. We’re talking banana bread and cornbread.
This as opposed to the quick/rapid cycle. That’s for yeast bread using rapid rise yeast.
We made the pound cake in our Hamilton bread maker cake setting perfect. The just made it again use cinnamon peanut butter and walnuts amazing add wet ingredients then dry
Love this recipe! Today I am adding chopped apples to it. I hope it will work well. Thank you for such a lovely basic recipe for the bread machine. 5 stars!!
I tried making this in my Hamilton Beach on the quick bread setting. I put all wet ingredients in first and dry ingredients on top. I also ended up with a very bad result with huge gaps of unmixed flour like a couple other people mentioned in the comments. It was just awful and a complete waste. I do not recommend making this unless you have the same bread maker the poster has with the cake setting.
I have a hamilton beach, and it worked out great. Cake settings and light crust 50 minutes. I use a sieve for the all purpose flour to put some air
Mine wasn’t completely cooked. Still liquify in center. Hamilton beach also. Same setting as yours… was your cooked through?
I followed all the directions and the “pound cake” tastes like the microwave cakes. Not good at all
I find that if you take a spatula and scrape around the outside of the pan during the initial mixing, the bread comes out perfect. Thanks for a great bread machine recipe.
Thanks for the tip!
Why do I have raw flour around my bread and pound cake. My machne is an ouster ?
I had the same thing with my cuisinart and what size loaf are we suppose to pick I picked 1 1/2 and it’s a very small loaf but consistancy seems like normal pound cake
According to my experience, this happens when the flour is put in the pan first. In bread machines, it is very important to put all liquids (e.g. water, eggs, milk etc.)first and add the flour and other dry ingredients later.