Cherry Cheesecake Pound Cake

Shani
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2
Cherry Cheesecake Pound Cake

Let’s talk about it. The vanilla cake base of this Cherry Cheesecake Pound Cake utterly and deliciously melts in your mouth the moment it hits your tongue. That makes way for the delightfully lush cherries in the cake to hit your palette, which causes immediate (and involuntary) toe curling and eye rolling in utter bliss. 

If that wasn’t enough, the cream cheese glaze is the smooth, tangy finisher that ties together the rich cake with the sweet cherry swirls in the cake. To make this even more impossibly delicious, I added more cherries as a garnish on top of the cake, and crumbled graham crackers to mimic a graham cracker crust. The result is a delicious contrast in textures and flavors, dancing in your mouth in the most wonderful way.

In this Post:

The Recipe

Cherry Cheesecake Pound Cake Ingredients

Recipe tinkerers, unite! By reading this section, you’ll learn some of the important baking science in this recipe, which will help understand how to personalize this recipe to a degree. While I don’t recommend wholesale changes to an existing recipe, there are always fun touches that you can add to make it your own! Read on to learn more!

All-Purpose Flour – This kitchen staple is this pound cake’s backbone! While it might be tempting to reach for cake flour, stick with all-purpose for this recipe – its higher protein content gives us that pleasantly plump, tight-crumbed texture we need in a proper pound cake. Cake flour would make things too delicate and fluffy, which isn’t the goal here. Plus, cake flour would not support the weight of the cream cheese, buttermilk, and cherries, and that could lead to sunken cherries in this cake.

Kosher Salt – Salt is the flavor balancing superhero – it counteracts the sweetness of the sugar while magically making the cherry and vanilla flavors pop even more. Without it, your cake would taste overly sweet, which would be a sad ending to all of your labor. Overly sweet is a real concern in this cake, since we have granulated sugar in the cake and a sweetened cherry sauce swirled in the batter. So, salt is imperative!

Baking Soda: With acidic ingredients like buttermilk and cream cheese in our recipe, baking soda is our leavener of choice. It reacts with these acids to create the carbon dioxide bubbles that help our cake rise to perfect heights.

Unsalted Butter – Butter adds its distinctive delicious flavor, but it does so much more – as butter melts during baking, it helps tenderize the proteins in the flour to achieve perfect balance. Plus, when creamed with sugar, it traps air bubbles that give your cake that perfect pound cake texture.

Full-Fat Cream Cheese: The cream cheese is another member of this fat all-star team – its tangy notes balance the sweetness, while its unique protein structure helps create an incredibly tender crumb in this Cherry Cheesecake Pound Cake. Just like its namesake, this cake melts on your tongue, and this ingredient is a big reason for that!

Granulated Sugar – Sugar isn’t just for sweetness! When creamed with butter, it creates millions of tiny air pockets that give your cake structure. It also helps create that gorgeous, deep golden crust we all fight over.

Eggs – Talk about nature’s perfect contradiction! These kitchen MVPs are basically two ingredients in one shell – the proteins in the whites build structure and strength, while the fatty yolks work to tenderize those same proteins. Strangely enough, though, both characteristics work together perfectly for cake perfection.

Vanilla Bean or Pure Vanilla Extract – Vanilla adds more than just flavor! Vanilla actually enhances our perception of sweetness, meaning we can get maximum yum without having to add extra sugar. I prefer vanilla beans in this recipe, for the extra delicious punch, but you can absolutely use pure vanilla extract. Make sure to use pure vanilla extract in your baking, as vanilla flavoring has additional ingredients that can impact the flavor of your cakes.

Full-Fat Sour Cream – Don’t even think about reaching for the low-fat stuff here – full-fat sour cream is bringing its A-game with both fat and acidity to make this cake amazing! The fat tenderizes the proteins in the egg whites and flour, while the acidity interacts with the baking soda to help create rise.

Buttermilk – This is the secret weapon in this Cherry Cheesecake Pound Cake, doing way more than just adding moisture. Its natural acidity works hand-in-hand with the baking soda to create the perfect rise, while also breaking down the tough proteins in flour to give you an incredibly tender crumb. Plus, buttermilk’s subtle tangy flavor gives depth to both the cream cheese and cherries, while helping to balance out the sweetness of the cake.

Now that you know the science, there’s some additional resources that will help you become more confident with every Cherry Cheesecake Pound Cake you ever make! Read on for additional blog resources that will help you take all of your pound cakes to the next level!

Techniques for the Best Cakes

Here at BwB, we’re about more than recipes; the main goal is to create great bakers who feel confident every time they put on their aprons. 

To that end, I’ve cultivated some great technique resources from the Begin with Butter site to help you create the most gorgeous (marble) pound cakes of your life. Read on to get a ton of confidence-building tips!

These resources are super helpful to help you build consistency and confidence on your Cherry Cheesecake Pound Cake journey. Happy reading!

But wait! There’s more! Grab your coffee or a glass of wine and get ready to check out my favorite equipment!

Important Tools

Guess what? Begin with Butter has its own Amazon Storefront, where you can find all of the amazing equipment that I used in this Cherry Cheesecake Pound Cake! Want even more specific product recommendations? Check out the product links, below.

I do get paid a commission when you purchase, but these are the tools that I use all the time in my own kitchen.

If you have these tools already, great! Think of this as a checklist to help you build the confidence that you’ll need to execute this cake!

Conclusion: Thanks Mom. For Everything.

This Cherry Cheesecake Pound Cake was made possible by the loving support from my Mother-in-Law. From the time she laid eyes on me, she took me under her protective wing and she’s loved me fiercely for the last 20+ years. She asks for so little from anyone, yet she’s the first to show up for everyone. What an amazing blessing to have a woman like my mother-in-law in my life.

If this cake brings you joy, I am supremely happy. It’s my sweet homage to a super special woman, and I hope, when I make it for her next visit, that she rolls her eyes at me in the best way possible.

I’d love to see your take on this Cherry Cheesecake Pound Cake! Find me at beginwithbutter.com, or come hang out with me on Instagram @beginwithbutter, where I share tips, tricks, and plenty of baking science to help you become a more confident baker. Tag me in your creations – I absolutely love seeing what comes out of your kitchen! And if you have specific questions about this or any other recipe, drop me a line at bakingbestie@beginwithbutter.com. Can’t wait to share Day 10 of our holiday baking adventure with you tomorrow!

Check out the Other Cakes from the Twelve Days of Pound Cake 2024!

S’Mores Pound Cake

Shani
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0
S’Mores Pound Cake

When my baby girl asked me for a S’Mores Pound Cake, she gave me very detailed specifications: two-thirds chocolate cake, swirled with one-third vanilla cake. Allow them to naturally swirl together in the pan, instead of manipulating the swirl before it goes into the oven. Very vanilla simple syrup, and a vanilla meringue on top. Oh, and crumbled graham crackers, because it cannot possibly be s’mores without graham crackers.

Easy peasy, right? 

WRONG. I spent more time than I care to admit, manifesting what was in her mind. 😂 But BBs, it was entirely worth it because her vision was outstanding, and the final cake was absolutely perfect.

this is a photo of a slice of a s'mores pound cake.
this is a photo of a s'mores pound cake.
this is a photo of a s'mores pound cake.

It’s giving…toasted marshmallows, firepits, and melty chocolate-y goodness. It is…s’mores, and I hope that it serves up the most nostalgic feelings for you as it did for me.

In this Post:

The Recipe

S’Mores Pound Cake Ingredients

Recipe tinkerers, unite! By reading this section, you’ll learn some of the important baking science in this recipe, which will help understand how to personalize this recipe to a degree. While I don’t recommend wholesale changes to an existing recipe, there are always fun touches that you can add to make it your own! Read on to learn more!

All-Purpose Flour – This kitchen staple is a pound cake’s backbone! While it might be tempting to reach for cake flour, stick with all-purpose for this recipe – its higher protein content gives us that pleasantly plump, tight-crumbed texture we need in a proper pound cake. Cake flour would make things too delicate and fluffy, which isn’t the goal here. Plus, cake flour would not help the batters remain separate, so you’d likely end up with a chocolate cake instead of a marbled cake.

Kosher Salt – Don’t even think about skipping this! Salt is your flavor balancing superhero – it counteracts the sweetness of the sugar while magically making the chocolate and vanilla flavors pop even more. Without it, your cake would taste overly sweet, which would be a sad ending to all of your labor.

Natural Cocoa Powder – Not only does natural cocoa powder give our chocolate swirls that deep chocolate flavor we all love, but it’s also a bit of a science whiz in our cake! Its natural acidity works with baking soda to create tiny bubbles that help the cake rise while keeping things tender and delicious.

Dry Chocolate Pudding – Wonder why this cake stays so ridiculously moist for days (though let’s be real – it never, ever lasts that long)? The secret’s in the pudding mix – literally – since its modified cornstarch and extra cocoa grab onto water molecules like tiny moisture magnets, while also creating that perfect velvety texture we’re after.

Baking Soda – This tiny but mighty ingredient is your cake’s lift ticket! When it meets the acidic natural cocoa powder and sour cream, it creates bubbles that help your cake rise perfectly.

Butter – Butter adds its distinctive delicious flavor, but it does so much more – as butter melts during baking, it helps tenderize the proteins in the flour to achieve perfect balance. Plus, when creamed with sugar, it traps air bubbles that give your cake that perfect pound cake texture.

Neutral Oil: This important ingredient alongside butter to create an exceptionally moist cake that stays fresh longer. Unlike butter, oil remains liquid at room temperature, which results in a cake that tastes moist even longer. And you want this S’Mores Pound Cake to be moist from the first bite to the last!

Granulated Sugar – Sugar isn’t just for sweetness! When creamed with butter, it creates millions of tiny air pockets that give your cake structure. It also helps create that gorgeous, deep golden crust we all fight over.

Eggs – Talk about nature’s perfect contradiction! These kitchen MVPs are basically two ingredients in one shell – the proteins in the whites build structure and strength, while the fatty yolks work to tenderize those same proteins. Strangely enough, though, both characteristics work together perfectly for cake perfection.

Pure Vanilla Extract – Vanilla adds more than just flavor! Vanilla actually enhances our perception of sweetness, meaning we can get maximum yum without having to add extra sugar. Make sure to use pure vanilla extract in your baking, as vanilla flavoring has additional ingredients that can impact the flavor of your cakes.

Neutral Oil – This ingredient is our moisture-boosting secret weapon for the vanilla portion of our marbled cake, just like how the pudding mix works its magic in the chocolate part! By staying liquid at room temperature and coating those flour proteins during mixing, the oil keeps our vanilla swirls super moist and tender for an extended period of time. (Again, this is not usually an issue, as this cake usually disappears during the first offering.)

Full-Fat Sour Cream – Don’t even think about reaching for the low-fat stuff here – full-fat sour cream is bringing its A-game with both fat and acidity to make this cake amazing! The fat tenderizes the proteins in the egg whites and flour, while the acidity interacts with the baking soda to help create rise.

Now that you know the science, there’s some additional resources that will help you become more confident with every S’Mores Pound Cake you ever make! Read on for additional blog resources that will help you take all of your pound cakes to the next level!

S’Mores Pound Cake Math: How to Get Perfect Chocolate and Vanilla Cake Batter Amounts

Let’s talk about one of the most important steps in making the marbled cake base of this S’Mores Pound Cake – getting the right ratio of chocolate to vanilla batter. We’re going for a 2:1 ratio here, which means we’ll need â…” chocolate batter and â…“ vanilla batter. Don’t worry, I’ll walk you through exactly how to do this successfully!

Here’s what to do before you start mixing anything:

  • Understand that this cannot be accomplished successfully without a digital kitchen scale. (I hate to be a Debbie Downer, but it’s really necessary for this cake!)
  • Weigh your empty mixing bowls and write these numbers down (trust me on this!);
  • Keep those numbers handy – you’ll need them in a few minutes.

Once you’ve mixed up your base batter (but before adding any of the chocolate or vanilla dry/wet ingredients), here’s how to divide it perfectly:

  1. Weigh your primary mixing bowl with all the batter in it;
  2. Subtract the empty bowl weight you wrote down earlier;
  3. Multiply that number by 0.33; and
  4. Transfer exactly that amount to your second mixing bowl.

Fear not, gentle reader! I have a real-life example for you: Say your bowl of batter weighs 1500g, and you wrote down that your empty bowl weighed 500g. You’d do this math:

  • 1500g (full bowl) – 500g (empty bowl) = 1000g total batter
  • 1000g × 0.33 = 330g goes into your second bowl for vanilla

Techniques for the Best Marble Cakes

Marble cakes have a reputation for being…fussy. And, for years, I did nothing but add to this reputation, with a steadfast refusal to make a single marble cake in my kitchen. 😂 BUT it doesn’t have to be that way. 

To that end, I’ve cultivated some great technique resources from the Begin with Butter site to help you create the most gorgeous (marble) pound cakes of your life. Read on to get a ton of confidence-building tips!

These resources are super helpful to help you build consistency and confidence on your marble cake (and pound cake) journey. Happy reading!

But wait! There’s more! Grab your coffee or a glass of wine and get ready to check out my favorite equipment!

Important Tools

Guess what? Begin with Butter has its own Amazon Storefront, where you can find all of the amazing equipment that I used in this S’Mores Pound Cake! Want even more specific product recommendations? Check out the product links, below.

I do get paid a commission when you purchase, but these are the tools that I use all the time in my own kitchen.

If you have these tools already, great! Think of this as a checklist to help you build the confidence that you’ll need to execute this cake!

Conclusion: This Cake is a Sweet, Nostalgic Treat

This marbled masterpiece brings all your favorite s’mores flavors into one showstopping cake. Each bite offers the perfect balance of rich chocolate and vanilla-scented cake, both impossibly moist and tender. The cloud-like vanilla meringue mimics the gooey marshmallow you love in a traditional s’more, while the graham cracker crumbs add that essential crunch and honey-sweet flavor that ties everything together. Whether you torch the meringue for that campfire-kissed flavor or leave it pristinely white, this cake is guaranteed to be the talk of any gathering.

I’d love to see your take on this S’mores Pound Cake! Find me at beginwithbutter.com, or come hang out with me on Instagram @beginwithbutter, where I share tips, tricks, and plenty of baking science to help you become a more confident baker. Tag me in your creations – I absolutely love seeing what comes out of your kitchen! And if you have specific questions about this or any other recipe, drop me a line at bakingbestie@beginwithbutter.com. Can’t wait to share Day 9 of our holiday baking adventure with you tomorrow!

The Best Cream Cheese Glaze
Bourbon Brown Butter Vanilla Pound Cake
Gingersnap Pound Cake

Apple Cranberry Pound Cake

Shani
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0
Apple Cranberry Pound Cake

This special cake uses unsweetened applesauce instead of diced apples, because easy. It uses bagged cranberries for a lovely sweet/tart punch of flavor, and, because I have a serious thing for spice, a lil’ kiss of cinnamon. It’s incredibly moist (🙉), with pops of flavor in every bite, and topped with a simple-but-delicious vanilla glaze.

You want this cake in your rotation, and here it is!

In this Post:

The Recipe

Apple Cranberry Pound Cake Ingredients

Recipe tinkerers, unite! By reading this section, you’ll learn some of the important baking science in this recipe, which will help understand how to personalize this recipe to a degree. While I don’t recommend wholesale changes to an existing recipe, there are always fun touches that you can add to make it your own! Read on to learn more!

All-Purpose Flour – This kitchen staple is a pound cake’s backbone! While it might be tempting to reach for cake flour, stick with all-purpose for this recipe – its higher protein content gives us that pleasantly plump, tight-crumbed texture we need in a proper pound cake. Cake flour would make things too delicate and fluffy, which isn’t the goal here.

Cinnamon – Cinnamon adds cozy fall flavor, but this spice is actually a natural preservative that helps your cake stay fresher longer (but let’s be real – this cake never lasts long enough to need preserving! 😉)

Kosher Salt – Don’t even think about skipping this! Salt is your flavor balancing superhero – it counteracts the sweetness of the sugar while magically making the apple and cranberry flavors pop even more. Without it, your cake would taste flat and overly sweet, rather than perfectly balanced.

Baking Soda – This tiny but mighty ingredient is your cake’s lift ticket! When it meets the acidic cream cheese and applesauce, it creates bubbles that help your cake rise to perfectly plush heights.

Butter – Butter adds its distinctive delicious flavor, but it does so much more – as butter melts during baking, it helps tenderize the proteins in the flour to achieve perfect balance. Plus, when creamed with sugar, it traps air bubbles that give your cake that perfect pound cake texture.

Cream Cheese – Our secret weapon for an extra-moist cake! Cream cheese also adds a subtle tang that makes those sweet-tart fruit flavors sing, while its richness keeps every bite super tender.

Granulated Sugar – Sugar isn’t just for sweetness! When creamed with butter, it creates millions of tiny air pockets that give your cake structure. It also helps create that gorgeous, deep golden crust we all fight over.

Eggs – Talk about nature’s perfect contradiction! These kitchen MVPs are basically two ingredients in one shell – the proteins in the whites build structure and strength, while the fatty yolks work to tenderize those same proteins. It’s like having your own little good cop/bad cop situation right in your mixing bowl!

Vanilla Extract – More than just flavor! Vanilla actually enhances our perception of sweetness, meaning we can get maximum yum without having to add extra sugar.

Apple Liqueur – This optional ingredient is our flavor booster! Alcohol is actually really good at carrying flavor compounds, helping that apple taste reach every corner of your cake.

Applesauce – Talk about a multitasker! Beyond bringing amazing apple flavor, this ingredient is stepping in to help with moisture duty – which is exactly why we only need 4 eggs instead of the usual 6 you’d find in a classic pound cake. Plus, its acidity works with the baking soda to create the perfect rise.

Fresh Cranberries – These tart little gems do more than just taste amazing – their natural pectin helps bind moisture, keeping your cake fresh longer, while their pop of color makes every slice Instagram-worthy!

Now that you know the science, there’s some additional resources that will help you create the most perfect Apple Cranberry Pound Cake ever! First, let’s go down the yellow brick road of techniques.

Techniques for the Best Cakes

One of the absolute best things about this Apple Cranberry Pound Cake is the texture contradiction between the moist cake and the pops of cranberry. However, there are some techniques that will help you execute this cake perfectly, and I have included some links for them here! 

These resources cover so many fun techniques that will take your baking to the next level, and will allow your confidence to soar to new heights!

These resources are super helpful to help you build consistency and confidence on your baking journey. Happy reading!

But wait! There’s more! Grab your coffee or a glass of wine and get ready to check out my favorite equipment!

Important Tools

Guess what? Begin with Butter has its own Amazon Storefront, where you can find all of the amazing equipment that I used in this Pineapple Carrot Pound Cake! Want even more specific product recommendations? Check out the product links, below.

I do get paid a commission when you purchase, but these are the tools that I use all the time in my own kitchen.

If you have these tools already, great! Think of this as a checklist to help you build the confidence that you’ll need to execute this cake!

Conclusion: This Cake is Sweet, Spice, and Everything Nice

This cake should be lauded for its simplicity, but also celebrated for its absolutely fantastic taste and texture. The sweetly spiced, moist cake, combined with the cranberry perfection, make this a fall dessert that you’ll want to make over and over again. When you take it to your fall gatherings, it will disappear without delay; just be prepared to babysit the dessert table once you open the cover!

I am so excited for you to make this cake! When you make this one, make sure to tag me on Instagram @beginwithbutter so that I can shout out your success!

See you tomorrow for Day 8 of the Twelve Days of Pound Cake!

Chocolate Stout Pound Cake

Shani
-
0
Chocolate Stout Pound Cake

There isn’t a brownie recipe on this site – yet – but I found the perfect pound cake to give her everything that she wants in the best brownie. It’s my Chocolate Stout Pound Cake and it is impossibly moist, deeply chocolate, and perfect for any occasion. It’s also so easy to make that you can feel like a kitchen boss, no matter your baking level, so if you have a serious love for chocolate, this cake is absolute perfection for you.

In this post, I’ll give you the recipe and show you how to execute it to perfection. Read on to make this one-of-a-kind dessert!

In this Post:

The Recipe

Chocolate Stout Pound Cake Ingredients

Recipe tinkerers, unite! By reading this section, you’ll learn some of the important baking science in this recipe, which will help understand how to personalize this recipe to a degree. While I don’t recommend wholesale changes to an existing recipe, there are always fun touches that you can add to make it your own! Read on to learn more!

All-Purpose Flour: This trusty kitchen staple is responsible for giving your pound cake its pleasantly plump, satisfying texture. While cake flour might seem fancy, it actually won’t give you the same impressive lift and structure you’re looking for in a proper pound cake. The specific amount here is calibrated to achieve that perfect pound cake texture without becoming too heavy or bread-like.

Chocolate Pudding Mix: Chocolate pudding mix is a secret weapon in this cake! The modified starches and extra cocoa solids in pudding mix help keep your cake incredibly moist for days after baking. The chocolate in the pudding also really enhances the chocolate flavor.

Natural Cocoa Powder: The cocoa powder creates a chemical reaction with the carbonated beer to help your cake rise. When these two ingredients meet, they create extra bubbles of carbon dioxide that give your cake an even better lift.

Kosher Salt: The kosher salt is absolutely crucial here; it not only balances the sweetness from both sugars but also helps to amplify the chocolate flavor in this cake. Remember, if using table salt, reduce the amount by half!

Unsalted Butter: The butter in this Chocolate Stout Pound Cake provides essential flavor and helps create air pockets during creaming. This ingredient, combined with the granulated sugar, helps create cake rise in a cake that doesn’t have any chemical leavening!

Granulated Sugar: The granulated sugar in this cake helps create those crucial air pockets during creaming. It also helps with caramelization, and of course adds sweet sweetness to this cake!

Eggs: Five whole eggs provide structure, richness, and stability to this rich cake. The proteins in the egg whites help create structure, while the fat-rich yolks add tenderness and contribute to the cake’s fudgy texture.

Vanilla Extract: A full tablespoon might seem generous, but is the perfect amount to balance the deep chocolate notes. We need this amount to ensure that this chocolate cake is utterly perfect.

Beer (Stout): Your stout isn’t just there for flavor – though it definitely brings amazing roasted, malty notes that complement chocolate perfectly. The carbonation in beer provides extra leavening power, while the proteins and sugars contribute to both flavor and texture. Plus, the alcohol helps intensify all the other flavors in your cake. For this cake, I’m a big fan of Guinness Stout.

Techniques for the Best Cakes

One of the absolute best things about this Chocolate Stout Pound Cake is the deeply rich, fudgy texture, and the wonderfully balanced cake. However, there are some techniques that will help you execute this cake perfectly, and I have included some links for them here! 

These resources cover so many fun techniques that will take your baking to the next level, and will allow your confidence to soar to new heights!

These resources are super helpful to help you build consistency and confidence on your baking journey. Happy reading!

But wait! There’s more! Grab your coffee or a glass of wine and get ready to check out my favorite equipment!

Important Tools

Guess what? Begin with Butter has its own Amazon Storefront, where you can find all of the amazing equipment that I used in this Pineapple Carrot Pound Cake! Want even more specific product recommendations? Check out the product links, below.

I do get paid a commission when you purchase, but these are the tools that I use all the time in my own kitchen.

If you have these tools already, great! Think of this as a checklist to help you build the confidence that you’ll need to execute this cake!

Conclusion: This Chocolate Cake is The One.

This Chocolate Stout Pound Cake is so fudgy and rich, it borders on being a brownie’s sophisticated cousin. Each slice reveals a deep, dark crumb that’s so rich, with an intense chocolate flavor that’s perfectly balanced by the stout beer. The texture is absolute luxury: dense enough to feel decadent but still impossibly tender, with a tight crumb that practically melts on your tongue. 

But the real show-stopper? It’s dressed to impress with rivers of Bailey’s-spiked white chocolate ganache cascading down the sides, creating a striking contrast against the dark cake. A final drizzle of delicious chocolate sauce makes this cake so sinfully decadent. It’s the kind of dessert that makes people fall in love at the first bite, and also make them lick their plates to get all of the crumbs. 😊

For an absolutely over-the-top experience, serve each slice with a scoop of vanilla bean gelato – the cold, creamy gelato contrasting all of that chocolate is pure dessert magic that cannot be topped. Just be prepared to take an empty cake plate home!

I am so excited for you to make this cake! When you make this one, make sure to tag me on Instagram @beginwithbutter so that I can shout out your success!

See you tomorrow for Day 7 of the Twelve Days of Pound Cake!

Check out the Other Posts from the Twelve Days of Pound Cake

The Best Cream Cheese Glaze
Hi BB! This year, for …
Bourbon Brown Butter Vanilla Pound Cake
Hi BB! Welcome to Day …

Pineapple Carrot Pound Cake

Shani
-
0
Pineapple Carrot Pound Cake

This cake features a beautifully plump, moist crumb, deep and warm complementary spices, and the wonderful, honeyed sweetness of bright pineapple. The pineapple lends additional moisture to this exciting cake, making every bite more rich and indulgent than the next.

This is definitely a cake that will have you coming back to the dessert table over and over.

In this Post:

The Recipe

Pineapple Carrot Pound Cake Ingredients

Recipe tinkerers, unite! By reading this section, you’ll learn some of the important baking science in this recipe, which will help understand how to personalize this recipe to a degree. While I don’t recommend wholesale changes to an existing recipe, there are always fun touches that you can add to make it your own! Read on to learn more!

Boiling Water & Raisins: The boiling water in this recipe does two important jobs. First, it plumps up the raisins, rehydrating them to create plump, juicy bursts of flavor throughout the cake. The hot water also helps bloom the spices, releasing their essential oils and intensifying their flavors. Adding a cinnamon stick to this steeping mixture creates an additional layer of warmth that permeates the entire cake.

All-Purpose Flour: The protein content in all-purpose flour is crucial for this amazing cake. At 384g (3 cups), we’re using enough flour to create a sturdy structure that can support the weight of our carrots, pineapple, and plump raisins without becoming dense. Cake flour would likely cause the ingredients to sink to the bottom, so a flour that can support our heavy-duty ingredients is important here.

Spices & Salt: This cake’s blend of ginger, cinnamon, and cloves isn’t just for flavor – these spices are the reason for this cake’s deep, delicious aroma and taste. The kosher salt is absolutely crucial here; it not only balances the sweetness from both sugars but also helps to amplify the complex spice flavors. Remember, if using table salt, reduce the amount by half!

Butter, Coconut Oil (optional, but lends a tropical element) & Cream Cheese: This trifecta of fats creates magic in our cake! The butter provides essential flavor and helps create air pockets during creaming, while solid coconut oil adds a subtle tropical note that complements the pineapple. The cream cheese is another member of this fat all-star team – its tangy notes balance the sweetness, while its unique protein structure helps create an incredibly tender crumb.

Granulated & Dark Brown Sugar: Using two types of sugar isn’t just about sweetness – it’s about texture and flavor complexity. The granulated sugar helps create those crucial air pockets during creaming, while the dark brown sugar, with its molasses content, brings moisture, a deeper color, and caramel notes that complement our spices beautifully.

Eggs: Five whole eggs provide structure, richness, and stability to this substantial cake. The proteins in the egg whites help create structure, while the fat-rich yolks add tenderness and contribute to the cake’s velvety texture.

Vanilla Extract: A full tablespoon might seem generous, but with the bold flavors of spices, carrots, and pineapple, we need this amount to ensure the vanilla notes shine through.

Fresh Carrots: Fresh carrots are non-negotiable here! Pre-shredded carrots are often dry and can be bitter. Freshly grated carrots release natural moisture and sugars, contributing to both the texture and sweetness of our cake. Plus, they carry essential natural enzymes that help tenderize our cake’s crumb. Pre-bagged carrot shavings cannot deliver the necessary moisture for this cake.

Crushed Pineapple: The crushed pineapple, along with its juice, does triple duty in this recipe. First, it provides moisture. Second, its natural acids tenderize the cake’s crumb. Finally, those same acids activate our baking soda, helping create the perfect rise. Never drain your pineapple for this recipe – that juice is liquid gold!

Baking Soda: With acidic ingredients like pineapple and cream cheese in our recipe, baking soda is our leavener of choice. It reacts with these acids to create the carbon dioxide bubbles that help our cake rise to perfect heights.

Techniques for the Best Cakes

Who among us wants to learn how to consistently make the most amazing cakes? Well, lean in dear BB, because that’s what this section is about! Here at BwB, I love love love when you come and grab a recipe, but the real magic happens when you learn how to master a technique, and then you can use that technique in every pound cake you ever make. 

That’s why I’m giving you the following links! They cover so many fun techniques that will take your baking to the next level, and will allow your confidence to soar to new heights!

These resources are super helpful to help you build consistency and confidence on your baking journey. Happy reading!

But wait! There’s more! Grab your coffee or a glass of wine and get ready to check out my favorite equipment!

Important Tools

Guess what? Begin with Butter has its own Amazon Storefront, where you can find all of the amazing equipment that I used in this Pineapple Carrot Pound Cake! Want even more specific product recommendations? Check out the product links, below.

I do get paid a commission when you purchase, but these are the tools that I use all the time in my own kitchen.

If you have these tools already, great! Think of this as a checklist to help you build the confidence that you’ll need to execute this cake!

Conclusion: This Cake is Another Day in Paradise

This moist, richly-spiced Pineapple Carrot Pound Cake is truly a slice of heaven. Each forkful reveals layers of flavor – from the tender crumb (that’s positively bursting with sun-sweetened pineapple) and delicious threads of fresh carrot layered throughout. 

The sweet, plump raisins add little pockets of intense sweetness, while the warm embrace of cinnamon, ginger, and cloves hugs you from your mouth to your tummy. That gloriously golden crust, kissed by caramelized sugars, gives way to an impossibly tender interior that practically melts on your tongue.

Whether you’re enjoying a thick slice for breakfast (I won’t tell! Shoot, I wish I could join you!), serving it at your next gathering, or savoring a piece with your afternoon coffee, this cake has a way of making any moment feel special. 

As always, if you make this cake, I’d love to hear about your experience in the comments below! Don’t forget to snap a photo and tag me on Instagram @beginwithbutter so I can see your beautiful creation. Happy baking, BBs!

See you tomorrow for Day 6 of the Twelve Days of Pound Cake!

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