Have you ever wondered why pound cake, one of the lightest cakes there is, is called a “pound cake?” Pound cake gets its name from the way it was made back in the 1700s. The original recipe called for one pound each of flour, butter, eggs, and sugar. It was easy to remember and it fed a lot of people. Over time, the recipe changed to make smaller cakes, but the ratios of ingredients remained the same. As time went on, however, people started adding ingredients, such as baking powder to make it lighter, orange zest for flavor, and even chocolate to make it decadent.
Pound cakes are usually baked in loaf pans, bundt pans, or sheet pans. Of course, we can make pound cakes without the butter or eggs. Check out The Green Monster Vegan Baking Guide and A Beginner’s Guide to Vegan Baking to learn how to substitute for dairy and eggs. If you need to bake gluten-free, that’s no problem – for you, we have The Ultimate Gluten-Free Vegan Baking Substitution Guide.
Let your creativity flow and make it your own with your favorite flavors. To inspire you, here are 14 recipes for cakes that are easy, healthy, and delicious.
1. Mini Coconut Lime Pound Cakes with a Lime Glaze
You can have your pound cake and eat it, too, with these Mini Coconut Lime Pound Cakes with a Lime Glaze. The flavor of these dense, moist pound cakes is the perfect balance of sweet, citrus, and tropical. The sweet lime glaze adds a visually pleasing pattern as well as a pop of tart citrus flavor. Since they’re mini-sized, you don’t even have to share.
2. Mini Lemon Lavender Bundt Cakes
Lemon and lavender go together like peanut butter and jelly. These Mini Lemon Lavender Bundt Cakes are the perfect place for such a perfect combination. The cakes are so easy to make and they’re topped with a sweet lavender glaze. These cakes are so good, you may be tempted to eat two. That’s okay, they’re mini cakes.
Get the Blissful Cookbook!
3. Italian Cream Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Italian cream cake is traditionally built like a layer cake that’s stuffed full of nuts and coconut. This vegan Italian Cream Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting has a few variations. First, it’s made in a Bundt pan, which gives it its distinct shape. Then, it’s topped with a vegan cream cheese frosting that is rich, creamy, and decadent. Sometimes, it’s best to break traditions.
4. Poppy Seed Clementine Bundt Cake
This Poppy Seed Clementine Bundt Cake is a healthy and satisfying dessert. Poppy seeds and sweet clementine oranges come together for a delicious flavor and texture combination. Naturally sweetened with maple syrup, this is the perfect dessert to follow any meal.
5. Lemon Poppy Seed Cake
Cute, kitschy, old-fashioned Bundt pans take a perfectly tasty “normal” shaped cake and turn it into something fancy-Pants like this Lemon Poppy Seed Cake. Lemon and poppy seeds are a match made in heaven and that’s made even better with the addition of blackberries. It’s topped with a luscious lemon glaze that is thick, rich, and looks so pretty oozing down the sides of the cake.
6. Monkey Bread
Monkey bread is a Bundt cake from the 1950s that’s like a giant, gooey, sticky-sweet cinnamon bun. In this Monkey Bread, aquafaba gives the cake a soft and addictive texture — you’ll want to eat this cake with your hands. With the sweet icing glaze, you won’t be able to stop yourself from licking your fingers. Go ahead, we’re not looking.
7. Peanut Butter Chocolate Marble Cake
The perfect cake can be eaten any time – as a dessert, as a snack with a cup of tea or coffee, and even for breakfast. This Peanut Butter Chocolate Marble Cake is that perfect cake. The peanut butter gives this classic cake recipe a sweet and buttery flavor that everyone loves.
8. Chocolate Chai Marbled Cake
Not only is this Chocolate Chai Marbled Cake vegan, but it’s also gluten-free. This cake is made decadent with cocoa powder, and it’s fragrant from the warm chai spices. It’s pretty to look at, but you better look fast because this cake is going to disappear quickly. You had better take a picture first.
9. Chai-Spiced Pumpkin Bundt Cake
This Chai-Spiced Pumpkin Bundt Cake is packed with flavor and healthy goodness. Made with whole wheat flour and pumpkin purée, this cake is dense but so moist. The chai spices add warmth that you can feel down to your tummy. Top with powdered sugar, whipped cream, or a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a truly decadent dessert experience.
10. Healthy Banana Walnut Bundt Cake
The only thing better than having a delicious cake is having a cake you can feel good about. This Healthy Banana Walnut Bundt Cake is made with wholesome ingredients, fresh fruit, and has no added fat. It’s moist from bananas and almond milk, which also add natural sweetness. Healthy never tasted so good.
11. Cranberry Lemon Poundcake
This Cranberry Lemon Poundcake is sweet, tart, and so rich. Enjoy this recipe after dinner with a cup of tea!
12. Lemon Lavender Pound Cake
Floral, fresh, and so decadent, this Lemon Lavender Pound Cake doesn’t even need frosting! If you’re looking to take your love for lavender to the next level, you’ll love this recipe!
13. Carob Pound Cake With Ganache
This Carob Pound Cake With Ganache is chocolatey, rich, and almost like a brownie! But it’s not overwhelmingly sweet, which makes it perfect to enjoy for breakfast if you’re feeling indulgent.
14. Grilled Pound Cake With Berries
This Grilled Pound Cake With Berries makes for the healthiest dessert or a sweet breakfast! Citrusy pound cake is grilled and then served with mashed and fresh berries, but you can try this with multiple pound cakes and fruit.
Easy Ways to Help the Planet:
- Eat Less Meat: Download Food Monster, the largest plant-based Recipe app on the App Store, to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals and get healthy. You can also buy a hard or soft copy of our favorite vegan cookbooks.
- Adopt-a-Pet: Visit WildWatchers, a watchdog platform specifically designed for animal, earth, and wildlife warriors to actively give back, rescue, and protect animals and the planet.
- Reduce Your Fast Fashion Footprint: Take initiative by standing up against fast fashion Pollution and supporting sustainable and circular brands like Tiny Rescue that raise awareness around important issues through recycled zero-waste clothing designed to be returned and remade repeatedly.
- Support Independent Media: Being publicly funded gives us a greater chance to continue providing high-quality content. Please consider supporting us by donating!
- Sign a Petition: Your voice matters! Help turn petitions into victories by signing the latest list of must-sign petitions to help people, animals, and the planet.
- Stay Informed: Keep up with the latest news and important stories involving animals, the environment, sustainable living, food, health, and human interest topics by subscribing to our newsletter!
- Do What You Can: Reduce waste, plant trees, eat local, travel responsibly, reuse stuff, say no to single-use plastics, recycle, vote smart, switch to cold water laundry, divest from fossil fuels, save water, shop wisely, Donate if you can, grow your food, volunteer, conserve energy, compost, and don’t forget about the microplastics and microbeads lurking in common household and personal care products!