Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Make sure you are using room temperature butter and eggs. When ingredients are at room temperature, they just naturally trap air better when you whip them up. So, what you end up with are baked goods that have a lighter texture.

In a mixing bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer, beat the butter for 1 minute until fluffy.

Add in the granulated sugar and beat for 1-2 minutes until fluffy. Pound cake gets its nice texture from creaming the butter and sugar together well, do not skimp on the creaming. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated. Beat in the egg yolk and vanilla extract.

Gradually add the flour mixture, mixing on low speed until just combined. I like to stop a little short and use a spatula to hand mix the last bit of flour in. The batter will be thick.

Generously grease a loaf pan with butter. I do not recommend using non-stick cooking spray. A loaf pan is typically a 9x5 inch pan or 8.5x4.5 inch pan - it’s important to know what size you have because the bake time can vary by 10 minutes.

Transfer the batter to the pan and smooth using a spatula.

Place the pan in the center of the oven and bake for 50 minutes. After 50 minutes check to see if the pound cake is browning too much. If so, tent the pound cake with aluminum foil and bake for 15-25 more minutes. **If you didn’t tent at 50 minutes, check again in 5 minute intervals to see if tenting is needed. Some bakers have noted that their pound cakes are perfectly brown after 20 minutes, then they cover with foil and continue to bake for about 45 more minutes. Every oven is different, and all bake times are estimates.

The total suggested bake time for a 8.5×4.5 inch pan is 75-80 minutes and 9×5 inch pan is 65-75 minutes. Be sure to know what size your pan is. I tend to err on the side of baking longer because pound cake is so dense. No one wants an undercooked pound cake.

Allow the pound cake to cool in the pan for 30 minutes, then turn it out onto a cooling rack to cool.