Homemade pound cake is a classic dessert. But don t settle for a store-bought version or a small frozen type. There is nothing like making your own from scratch.

It s not a cake you put a lot of frosting on. It s humble, but it s the real deal.

Most food historians believe that the name comes from the fact that pound cakes were made with a pound of butter, a pound of sugar, a pound of eggs, and a pound of flour.

They are not as sweet as we expect pound cakes to be, says Linda Carman, Martha White baking expert who does recipe testing and development. She notes the sweetness of commercially made pound cakes.

Pound cakes are dense, heavy, and moist.

But, I think they all have a little more sugar today, says Ms. Carman.

The technique for making a pound cake is easy, but there are a few things to remember. Cream the butter and sugar well, she says. Use real butter. You don t get that in a cake mix. It s the rich, subtle, well-rounded flavor. Use good vanilla for flavor, and fresh ingredients. Simple things are so delicious because they have these wonderful ingredients.

The Blade tested two basic recipes. Classic Pound Cake from Southern Cakes by Nancie McDermott (Chronicle, $19.95) uses the one-pound principle of ingredients. We baked it in two 9-by 5-inch loaf pans rather than a 10-inch tube pan. Instead of sugar, confectioner s sugar is used in this recipe.

We also tested Marbleized Pound Cake from The Culinary Institute of America Cookbook (Lebhar-Friedman Books, $39.95). Two batters are marbleized by gently folding them together. It is a delicious cake. But it has an interesting step: since the sugar makes it form a crusty top, after 15 minutes of baking, a sharp paring knife is used to cut a slit down the center of each loaf and then the baking is continued.

The slit is for a controlled crack, said CIA Chef David Kamen. It is similar to scoring a baguette when it is baking. This is done because the outside of the cake bakes before the inside has fully risen. Opening the oven can bring a potential issue of the oven temperature dropping. Do it quickly, he said. Don t linger.

In 34 years with Martha White, Ms. Carman has lost count of the hundreds of pound cakes she s made. Brown Sugar Pound Cake has a caramel flavor, a tanner color, and pecans. Made with milk, it has a softer crumb. The baked cake has a glaze.

Sometimes she makes pound cake with sour cream, heavy cream, or cream cheese. This makes a cake that is denser and heavier, she says.

Pound cakes are very popular in the South. We ve seen a combination of flavorings, she says. There s a 5-Flavored Pound Cake. There are variations of flavorings many using as little as 1/8 or teaspoon. For example, one version has coconut extract, lemon extract, vanilla, almond, and orange extracts.

In recent years, I ve seen a lot of tropical flavors added to pound cake, she says. Also loaf pound cakes may be prepared as a breakfast food such as a fresh blueberries in a pound cake and the flavoring is lemon extract. That s an item she seen sold in coffee shops.

Indeed, there are such a variety of options with pound cakes. With care, you can adapt a classic recipe.

From The Art & Soul of Baking by Cindy Mushet and Sur la Table (Andres McMeel, $40), there s Double-Vanilla Pound Cake made with sour cream and Chocolate Velvet Pound Cake made with instant espresso powder and buttermilk.

The Mixer Bible Second Edition by Meredith Deeds & Carla Snyder (Robert Rose, $27.95) has four pound cake recipes including Maple Pound Cake with Maple Glaze and Ginger Pound Cake made with cream cheese.

Cornmeal Pound Cake with Blackberries and Double Cream is a trendy recipe from Classic Stars Desserts: Favorite Recipes by Emily Luchetti (Chronicle Books, $29.95).

Recipes crop up with cornmeal, notes Ms. Carman. They are good if they are moist enough. It s a subtle flavor.

The unusual combination of chocolate and stout makes for a great cake, writes author Nicole Rees in Baking Unplugged (Wiley, $29.95). Chocolate Stout Cake has a Chocolate Ganache Glaze. Dark molasses makes the cake moist. She includes a recipe for Orange-Poppyseed Pound Cake, too.

The versatility of pound cakes can t be denied. It s a great cake to take to any event. Simple, lightly sweet, all you need to add is a bouquet of spring flowers.

First Published March 16, 2009, 7:09 p.m.