Goodbye, Dry Pound Cake: This Ingredient Keeps It Perfectly Moist

Pound cake is rich, buttery, and the perfect dessert to conclude a meal or mark a celebratory moment. However, it can also be dense and even dry if it stays in the oven too long. That's why, if you want yours to be the one that keeps family and friends coming back for more, you need to add a certain creamy ingredient to the batter to ensure your crumb is nice and moist: yogurt.

A classic pound cake calls for 1 pound each of butter, sugar, eggs, and flour. More modern versions might include vanilla or baking soda, but the addition of yogurt will not only transform the taste and texture of this baked good, but it will also produce a consistent result each time you make it. Similar to adding sour cream to chocolate cake batter, this thick, dairy helps create a crumb that's tender while adding a little pop of tangy flavor to your pound cake, especially if you use Greek yogurt. This ingredient's fatty, acidic nature makes for a richer-tasting cake. The acid almost serves as a marinade, softening the gluten to create that pillowy mouthfeel.

For a typical pound cake that uses 3 cups of flour, 1 cup of butter, and six eggs, add 1 cup of yogurt. If you are halving these ingredients, then use a half cup of yogurt just as you would if you were using sour cream. That said, you may want to experiment with the amount to create the crumb consistency and structure that you prefer. To add to your batter, you want to alternate by adding some of the sifted dry ingredients and then the yogurt. You should end this process with the dry ingredients. Just be careful not to overmix. This is one of the many common mistakes to avoid when making pound cake.

When choosing the type of yogurt, consider using full-fat Greek or regular yogurt. These thicker yogurts will ensure you don't end up with a liquid-like batter. The fun aspect of yogurt is the different flavors that you can use. A lemon yogurt will add a bit of a citrus taste to your pound cake, while a raspberry or blueberry yogurt will give it a sweet berry flavor. This is perfect if you plan to serve it with fruit and whipped cream. But regardless of how you present it, this simple ingredient will give your pound cake the texture you want.