Shortcake Vs Pound Cake: What's The Difference?

There's no mistaking a shortcake for a pound cake, even with an unknowing eye. Yet, the two do have some similarities; a strawberry shortcake recipe and a classic pound cake recipe might have more in common than a first glance lets on. Both rely on a trusty combination of flour, sugar, and eggs (although shortcake sometimes replaces the latter with cream). Both desserts also originate from England. There are traces of an early shortcake variation in a 1588 recipe book and various accounts of pound cakes from the 1700s. The secret to their individuality is mostly in their consistencies and texture.

Shortcake is deliciously crumbly, with a sturdy quality and a faint buttery flavor. Appearance-wise, it is more comparable with a scone. Pound cake is ultimately what it says in the title. The dessert is served sliced, and, while particularly dense and finely crumbed, aesthetically resembles a traditional cake. Usually, shortcakes and pound cakes are worlds apart in appearance — a handy reality when differentiating between the two. Just hope that the bakers haven't prepared them in Bundt form. In this case, you'll just have to resort to a taste test; what a shame.

Everyone's heard of this classic recipe; the dish even inspired its own fictional character, Strawberry Shortcake. The dessert originates from medieval Europe, yet has adapted over the centuries, and, when crossing the pond to America, developed from dense to flaky in texture. It's a summer staple and most famed for its strawberry-centered recipe, where the dessert is sliced and adorned with toppling fruits bedded into a thick cream. Rather than a traditional, moist cake mix, shortcake is crumbly and closer to a dough. In fact, it's so biscuity in texture that you can easily transform the recipe; strawberry shortcake cookies are a simpler way to enjoy the dessert.

It doesn't have to be strawberries, either. Shortcakes pair beautifully with anything from peaches to blueberries, as the sturdy texture retains its structure perfectly when drenched in fruit juice and syrup. Even when hidden under a blanket of fruit and cream, this famous topping combination is a giveaway at which dessert lurks underneath. Shortcakes are served in multiple forms, most commonly as simple slices from a standard baking tin but occasionally shaped by muffin pans, biscuit cutters, or Bundt pans, like this one by Nordic Ware. You'll quickly identify the dish by its fruit pairings and scone-like texture.

This heavy cake is dense and delectable. It's rather plain in taste (perhaps a kinder phrase would be "simple") and traditionally relies on just four ingredients: butter, sugar, flour, and eggs. Bakers typically prepare the dessert in a cake or loaf tin, although a Bundt shape is sometimes chosen. Unlike a shortcake, fruit is by no means expected, but pound cakes can incorporate extra ingredients and toppings. For instance, you could try a lemon-glazed pound cake recipe. A dash of vanilla essence goes a long way, too.

The exact origins of the pound cake namesake are up for debate. But, by general consensus, the most commonly hazarded guess is that the original recipe used a pound of each of its four ingredients. Since the dessert originated in Europe, the instructions relied on the British imperial units for baking measurements, and a pound is roughly equivalent to 450 grams. Like the humble shortcake, pound cakes have also spread internationally in popularity, coining a mention in the cookbook "American Cookery" in 1796. Now, the cake is a total American classic, especially in the Southern states.

You know the phrase women are from Venus and men are from Mars? Shortcake and pound cake take that to a whole new level: crumbly versus dense. The smallest nibble is an instant differentiator between the two. However, what's interesting is the underlying reason for this. There's a huge variation in vital ingredients: only one of the desserts uses shortening. While pound cake relies on its golden quadruple of flour, sugar, butter, and eggs, shortcake adds shortening — a special fat used in baking — to the mix. This fat limits the flour's gluten development, creating a biscuity rather than a cake-like consistency. 

On a molecular level, shortening prevents bonding and promotes air gaps, which is perfect for creating a flaky yet firm dessert. This transformation of textural results is one of the biggest differences between butter and shortening; it prevents the mixture from expanding, hence the phrase "short" cake. Pound cake takes an entirely different approach. The recipe omits baking soda and baking powder (two forms of chemical leavening agents that encourage rising) to achieve a flatter result. However, it also uses butter instead of shortening. This subtle difference is a one-way ticket to an ultra-moist dessert, creating a heavier and richer batter. Isn't it amazing what simply swapping shortening and butter can do?