Pound Cake

There's no eastier and swifter cake to make.

Yield

One loaf; slice it as you like.

Ingredients

2 sticks	unsalted butter, plus more to grease the pan
4	large eggs
¼ cup	whole milk
1½ cups	all-purpose flour
1 tsp	baking powder
1 cup	granulated sugar
¾ tsp	kosher salt
1 tbsp	vanilla extract

Preparation

0. Set out ahead of time in your mixer's bowl the ingredients to reach room temperature:

• the butter
• the eggs
• the milk

2. Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly coat a 9+5" loaf pan with butter. Line the bottom and 2 long sides of the pan with a sheet of parchment paper that extends past the sides by a few inches to form a sling.

3. Dump the flour and baking powder into a medium bowl and whisk to combine.

Meanwhile...

4. To the mixing bowl with the butter, add the sugar and salt. Cream the sugar and butter with the paddle attachment on medium speed until lightened in color and fluffy. Use a flexible spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the eggs well one at a time scraping down the sides after each. The batter will look separated.

5. Add half of the flour mixture and fold in on the lowest speed until just combined. Add the milk and vanilla then beat on low speed until just combined. Add the remaining flour and continue just until the batter is smooth and combined, scraping down the sides as needed.

6. Transfer the batter into the loaf pan and smooth out the top. Pick up the pan and gently tap the bottom on a work surface a few times to remove any air bubbles.

7. Bake until the top is lightly golden-brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 60 to 70 minutes. Check after 50 minutes: If the top is getting dark, tent the top of the cake with a sheet of aluminum foil for the remainder of the bake.

8. Place the pan on a wire rack and let cool for 30 minutes. Grasping the excess parchment, lift the cake out of the pan and place it on the rack. Let cool completely, about 2 hours.