Common Ingredients in pound cake Recipes

We researched the most common ingredients in over a dozen popular pound cake recipes and found the top 15 ingredients.

The most common ingredients in pound cake dishes are white sugar, flour, eggs and butter.

Cream cheese, vanilla bean and baking powder are also common ingredients in pound cake recipes. For herbs and spices, vanilla extract is popular. Variations include:

• buttermilk and milk in place of cream cheese

Salt is in 60% of pound cake recipes.

The average pound cake recipe has about 9.1 ingredients, with a minimum of 6 and a maximum of 20.

In terms of directions, pound cake recipes have about 9.3 steps on average, ranging from 4 to 17 instructions.

Ratios of Common Ingredients in Pound Cake

For 1.5 cup butter (341 g), the median and average amounts of other significant ingredients are below. Some ingredients are potential substitutes for others, meaning they almost never exist together in a single pound cake recipe, and are marked below.

Ingredient	Median	Average	% of recipes with butter	Potential subsitutions
white sugar	3 cup (600 g)	2.5 cup (490 g)	100%
flour	3 cup (375 g)	3.5 cup (441 g)	100%
eggs	6 (336 g)	6.6 (369 g)	90%
salt	0.74 teaspoon (4 g)	0.7 teaspoon (4 g)	60%
vanilla extract	1.5 teaspoon (6 g)	1.9 teaspoon (8 g)	50%
cream cheese	8 ounce (227 g)	8 ounce (227 g)	40%	buttermilk milk
baking powder	1.5 teaspoon (7 g)	1.6 teaspoon (8 g)	40%
vanilla bean	1.5 (5 g)	1.3 (4 g)	40%

Ingredients by Average Weight in Pound Cake

We also found the average content of the significant ingredients by weight in pound cake recipes. This would be: 28% white sugar, 23% flour, 18% butter, 18% eggs, 7% cream cheese, 3% buttermilk, 2% milk and 1% lemon juice.

Here are the top ingredients, listed in order of popularity.

white sugar

White sugar is the most popular ingredient in pound cake dishes. In fact, 100% of pound cake recipes contain white sugar.

White sugar is often included in pound cake dishes in amounts of 3 cups or 2 cups.

In pound cake recipes that contain white sugar, it is on average, 25% by weight.

For pound cake recipes, white sugar is frequently used with flour, butter, eggs, salt and vanilla extract.

flour

Another popular ingredient in pound cake is flour. From the recipes we've sampled for pound cake, 100% have flour.

Pound cake dishes often call for flour to be sifted.

Flour is often included in pound cake dishes in amounts of 3 cups or 1.5 cups.

In pound cake recipes that contain flour, it is on average, 20% by weight.

In recipes for pound cake, flour is often used with white sugar, butter, eggs, salt and vanilla extract.

eggs

Eggs is another common ingredient in pound cake dishes. In fact, 100% of pound cake recipes contain eggs.

Variations of eggs include:

• eggs room temp: 9% of recipes

White sugar, flour, butter, vanilla extract and salt are commonly used together with eggs in pound cake dishes.

butter

Another popular ingredient in pound cake is butter. From the recipes we've sampled for pound cake, 100% have butter.

Softened is a frequent preparation for butter in pound cake dishes.

Butter is often included in pound cake dishes in amounts of 1.5 cups or 1 cup.

In pound cake recipes that contain butter, it is on average, 16% by weight.

For pound cake recipes, butter is frequently used with white sugar, flour, eggs, salt and vanilla extract.

salt

Salt is another common ingredient in pound cake dishes. In fact, over 60% of pound cake recipes contain salt.

Salt is often included in pound cake dishes in amounts of a quarter teaspoon.

In pound cake recipes that contain salt, it is on average, 0.2% by weight.

In recipes for pound cake, salt is often used with white sugar, flour, butter, eggs and vanilla extract.

vanilla extract

Another popular ingredient in pound cake is vanilla extract. From the recipes we've sampled for pound cake, over 55% have vanilla extract.

Common quantities for vanilla extract in pound cake dishes include 1 teaspoon or 1 tablespoon.

In pound cake recipes that contain vanilla extract, it is on average, 0.4% by weight.

White sugar, eggs, flour, butter and salt are commonly used together with vanilla extract in pound cake dishes. Conversely, vanilla extract is not often used with lemon juice.

cream cheese

Cream cheese is another common ingredient in pound cake dishes. In fact, over 45% of pound cake recipes contain cream cheese.

Softened is a frequent preparation for cream cheese in pound cake dishes.

Cream cheese is often included in pound cake dishes in amounts of 8 ounces.

In pound cake recipes that contain cream cheese, it is on average, 13% by weight.

For pound cake recipes, cream cheese is frequently used with white sugar, flour, butter, eggs and vanilla extract.

Potential substitutions for cream cheese in pound cake:

• buttermilk
• milk

Also, cream cheese is not often used with baking powder, lemon extract and lemon juice.

vanilla bean

Another popular ingredient in pound cake is vanilla bean. From the recipes we've sampled for pound cake, over 45% have vanilla bean.

In pound cake recipes that contain vanilla bean, it is on average, 0.2% by weight.

In recipes for pound cake, vanilla bean is often used with white sugar, flour, butter, eggs and salt. On the other hand, vanilla bean is almost never used with lemon extract and milk.

baking powder

Baking powder is another common ingredient in pound cake dishes. In fact, over 35% of pound cake recipes contain baking powder.

Common quantities for baking powder in pound cake dishes include 1 teaspoon.

In pound cake recipes that contain baking powder, it is on average, 0.3% by weight.

Butter, eggs, white sugar, flour and salt are commonly used together with baking powder in pound cake dishes. Conversely, baking powder is not often used with cream cheese.

lemon juice

Another popular ingredient in pound cake is lemon juice. From the recipes we've sampled for pound cake, over 15% have lemon juice.

In pound cake recipes that contain lemon juice, it is on average, 7% by weight.

For pound cake recipes, lemon juice is frequently used with butter, eggs, white sugar, flour, baking powder and salt. However, vanilla extract, cream cheese, buttermilk and lemon extract are almost never used together with lemon juice in pound cake dishes.

lemon extract

Lemon extract is another common ingredient in pound cake dishes. In fact, over 15% of pound cake recipes contain lemon extract.

In pound cake recipes that contain lemon extract, it is on average, 0.2% by weight.

In recipes for pound cake, lemon extract is often used with flour, eggs, butter, white sugar, vanilla extract and salt. On the other hand, lemon extract is almost never used with cream cheese, vanilla bean and lemon juice.

milk

Another popular ingredient in pound cake is milk. From the recipes we've sampled for pound cake, over 15% have milk.

In pound cake recipes that contain milk, it is on average, 12% by weight.

Flour, butter, eggs, white sugar, baking powder and salt are commonly used together with milk in pound cake dishes.

Potential substitutions for milk in pound cake:

• cream cheese
• buttermilk

Also, milk is not often used with vanilla bean.

buttermilk

Buttermilk is another common ingredient in pound cake dishes. In fact, over 15% of pound cake recipes contain buttermilk.

Buttermilk is often included in pound cake dishes in amounts of 1 cup.

In pound cake recipes that contain buttermilk, it is on average, 15% by weight.

For pound cake recipes, buttermilk is frequently used with white sugar, flour, butter, eggs and lemon extract.

Potential substitutions for buttermilk in pound cake:

• cream cheese
• milk

Also, buttermilk is not often used with lemon juice.

saffron

Another popular ingredient in pound cake is saffron. From the recipes we've sampled for pound cake, over 5% have saffron.

In pound cake recipes that contain saffron, it is on average, 0.1% by weight.

In recipes for pound cake, saffron is often used with butter, eggs, white sugar, flour, orange juice, lemon juice, baking powder, salt and vanilla bean. On the other hand, saffron is almost never used with vanilla extract, cream cheese, buttermilk, lemon extract and milk.

orange juice

Orange juice is another common ingredient in pound cake dishes. In fact, over 5% of pound cake recipes contain orange juice.

In pound cake recipes that contain orange juice, it is on average, 11% by weight.

Butter, eggs, white sugar, flour, lemon juice, baking powder, salt, saffron and vanilla bean are commonly used together with orange juice in pound cake dishes. Conversely, orange juice is not often used with vanilla extract, cream cheese, buttermilk, lemon extract and milk.

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