Pound cake(from Taste.com.au)

Ingredients (serves 10)
Melted butter (optional), for greasing
250g unsalted butter, cubed, at room temperature (see note)
220g (1 cup) caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
4 large (59g each) eggs, at room temperature (see note)
250g (1 2/3 cups) plain flour
3 tsp baking powder
Icing sugar (optional), to serve

Method
Preheat oven to 170°C. Measure all your ingredients.
Beat butter in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Add caster sugar and vanilla essence and beat until very pale (almost white) and creamy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally to make sure the ingredients are evenly combined (see note).
Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, and scraping down the sides of the bowl frequently. If the mixture starts to curdle, stand the bowl in a sink of warm water, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon so the butter doesn't melt, for 15-30 seconds, then continue beating.
Sift together the flour and baking powder. Gently fold the flour mixture into the butter mixture with a spatula or large metal spoon until combined. Be careful not to over-mix or the cake will develop a tough texture.
Spoon the cake mixture into the loaf pan and smooth the surface with the back of a spoon. Smoothing the surface will help the cake rise more evenly.
Bake in preheated oven for 50-55 minutes or until cooked through. When ready, the cake will start pulling away from the sides of the pan and a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake will come out clean. Stand the cake in the pan for 5 minutes before turning onto a wire rack. Turn the cake the right way up and cool to room temperature. Sprinkle with icing sugar, if desired, and cut into slices to serve. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
Notes
It is important to have both the butter and eggs at room temperature before you begin making the cake. The room temperature butter will transform to a light, creamy texture more readily when beaten with the sugar, and the eggs will incorporate more air and give a lighter texture. If these ingredients are chilled, the mixture will curdle when the eggs are added and can give the cake a heavy, coarse and uneven texture. The final texture of the cake will be affected by the type of beater/s you use. It is best to use a regular beater/s as opposed to a whisk attachment. The idea of beating the butter and sugar is not only to combine the two but also to incorporate air. A whisk attachment can be used but you will find that it won't beat the butter as vigorously and the resulting texture of the cake will be more coarse and less even. Beating butter and sugar until almost white in colour also softens the butter enough to incorporate the eggs without the mixture curdling. If the eggs are added too quickly or, as mentioned in step 1, if they are too cold, the mixture will curdle and in turn will affect the texture of the cake. Make sure you beat the mixture very well after each egg is added.

Variations
Almond pound cake: Reduce butter to 200g and add 100g almond meal with the flour and baking powder. Continue as in the basic recipe. Chocolate pound cake: Omit the vanilla. Gradually mix 125mls (1/2 cup) hot water into 50g (1/2 cup) sifted cocoa powder until smooth. Add the cooled chocolate mixture to the butter mixture after adding the eggs and continue as in the basic recipe. Strawberry pound cake: Roughly chop 250g (1 punnet) of washed, hulled strawberries and toss in a little of the flour before folding into the butter and egg mixture. Continue as in the basic recipe. Madeira cake: Omit the vanilla. Add the finely grated rind of 3 oranges to the butter and sugar mixture before beating in the eggs. Continue as in the basic recipe. Lemon poppyseed pound cake: Omit the vanilla. Add the finely grated rind of 3 lemons to the butter and sugar mixture before beating in the eggs. Fold in 1/2 the flour mixture. Then fold in 80mls (1/3 cup) fresh lemon juice and 2 tbs poppyseeds followed by the remaining flour mixture. Continue as in the basic recipe.