For Delicious Homemade Pound Cake, Choose This Butter Every Time

It may be hard to find a slice of home-baked pound cake you don't like, but recipes made with high-quality ingredients always seem to be that much better. That's because most pound cakes are made with minimal ingredients — flour, sugar, butter, eggs, and milk — so the type of butter you choose affects both the flavor and texture of this simple dessert. And when it comes to the best grocery store butter brands for pound cake, European butter gives it the richest flavor and most satisfying texture. Not to mention, many European butters are cultured or made with fermented cream, which adds a tangy, complex taste.  

When it comes to the differences between American and European butter, what truly sets European-style butter apart is its higher percentage of butterfat. Sure enough, U.S. rules only require American butter brands to have a minimum of 80% butterfat, while European brands typically have between 82% and 85%. While a 2% difference may not seem like a big deal, pound cake has enough butter that the increase in butterfat pays off. 

Beyond giving your pound cake a richer, more pronounced flavor, the added butterfat helps coat the flour proteins and limit gluten development, leading to a softer slice of cake. With more fat and less water, your pound cake is sure to develop a finer, more tender crumb without a dry, crumbly finish. Yet before you start baking, there are a few additional factors you should consider.

While European-style butter may be worth using in your pound cake, you don't have to buy an imported brand like Kerrygold to get the benefits. There are plenty of other noteworthy butter brands for baking, all widely available in the United States. What's more, a handful of these (often American-made) varieties have equal or higher butterfat content than many popular European brands.

For instance, Vital Farms butter has 85% butterfat and is made with milk from cows that are 90% grass-fed. You can also buy a Costco butter that doubles as a Kerrygold dupe. An Irish butter, Kerrygold is known for its golden-yellow hue, 82% butterfat content, and grass-fed quality. Costco's variety also contains 82% butterfat and is made from the milk of grass-fed cows in New Zealand. The best part about Costco's butter is that you can buy it in bulk. Another popular option is the cultured butter from Vermont Creamery. This rich fermented butter contains anywhere between 82% and 86% butterfat and is produced exclusively by family farms in Vermont.    

If your primary goal is to create a lusciously dense pound cake with an extra-soft texture, choosing any regular or cultured butter with 82% butterfat is the way to go. Butters that exceed 82% butterfat may leave your cake dense and greasy, which isn't the best option for a rich and satisfying pound cake you're sure to make again and again.