Old Fashioned Butter Pound Cake Recipe (2024)

by Jocelyn (Grandbaby Cakes) · Updated

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This Butter Pound Cake recipe is a classic that never goes out of style. Made with luscious butter and heavy whipped cream, this old fashioned pound cake has the most tender crumb, moist texture and versatility. Serve with berries and whipped cream, with a glaze of your choice or enjoy completely plain for a southern treat like none other!

If there’s anything you should know about me, it’s that I love to bake my cake and eat it too. There’s nothing more satisfying than spending time in the kitchen busting out chocolate layers, shortcakes and confetti surprises. Each cake is uniquely delicious and deserves to be indulgently enjoyed. I mean, every girl deserves a treat right?

Table of Contents

The Heart and Soul of this Butter Pound Cake Recipe

Cuisine Inspiration: Classic Southern
Primary Cooking Method: Baking
Dietary Info: Vegetarian
Key Flavor: Rich and Buttery
Skill Level: Intermediate

Sweet Highlights:

  • Time-Honored Tradition: This recipe is a throwback to simpler times, bringing the classic and comforting flavors of the South right into your kitchen.
  • Simple Ingredients, Big Flavor: With just a few staple ingredients, this cake boasts a rich, buttery flavor that’s hard to resist.
  • Versatile and Crowd-Pleasing: Whether it’s a family gathering, holiday, or just because, this butter pound cake is sure to please any crowd.
  • Texture Perfection: Achieve that perfect crumbly yet moist texture, a hallmark of a well-made pound cake.
  • Sweet Memory Maker: Baking this cake is not just about the delicious end result; it’s about creating sweet memories and honoring baking traditions.

Old Fashioned Pound Cake Ingredients

The ingredients that make the best old fashioned pound cake are the following:

  • Butter
  • Sugar
  • Eggs
  • Flour
  • Whipping Cream

Make sure you use high quality butter for this cake. It makes all the difference. Beating together with sugar at the beginning of the recipe adds air to lift the cake in addition to the leavening added.

Eggs are stabilizers in a cake so this cake has 6 to make sure it stays sturdy.

Flour is also a stabilizer. I used cake flour but I did sift to make sure it had a lighter texture.

Heavy whipped cream is another key ingredient just like butter. Have you ever whipped cream until it became butter? That’s double the butter taste in this cake.

How to Make Butter Pound Cake

  1. Prepare: Preheat your oven to 325 F and generously spray a 10-cup bundt pan with non-stick baking spray.
  2. Cream it Up: In your mixer, blend butter, salt, and sugar on high for 3-4 minutes until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, followed by vanilla, mixing well and scraping the bowl as needed.
  3. Flour Addition: On low speed, gently add flour in two batches, taking care not to overbeat. Follow with whipping cream, mix until just combined, then turn off the mixer.
  4. Bake and Cool: Pour the batter into the bundt pan, bake for 1 hour and 15-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then invert onto a plate and let it cool completely.

Tips

Tip 1: Pan Preparation

Liberally spray your bundt pan with non-stick baking spray or heavily coat it with butter and flour. Don’t be cheap here. Pound cakes are notorious for sticking to the pan and ruining your cake aesthetic dreams.

Tip 2: Room Temperature Ingredients

Before starting up on your batter be sure to allow your eggs and butter to come to room temperature. Adding cold eggs to warm butter will cause them to seize. Also, avoid softening butter in the microwave because it will get too hot and won’t properly cream later on. Simply allow your eggs and butter to sit on the counter for a few hours so that they reach the same temperature.

Tip 3: Don’t Over beat!

Turn your mixer down to its lowest speed and slowly add flour and baking soda into the batter. Be careful not to over beat. Over mixing with a heavy hand will cause the batter to deflate, and all your hard work creaming will be reversed. The result will be a dense, tough cake. Try to stop the mixer when you start to see white streaks running through the batter.

Tip 4: Flipping Your Cake

After you’ve removed the cake from the oven, set it on a wire rack and let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes. A hot cake is too delicate to be removed from the pan. But don’t wait too long to take it out! Gently invert the pan and remove the cake, then let it finish cooling completely on the rack.

How To Serve Old Fashioned Pound Cake

Because this cake is seriously so versatile, here are some ideas for how to serve this cake:

  • Plain (this cake tastes amazing on its own)
  • With berries and whipped cream
  • With a glaze (this Caramel Cake icing is incredible!! Half the recipe and cooking time and pour over the cake) or try this icing from my Brown Sugar Pound Cake.
  • Serve with ice cream while warm

Now it’s time for the fun part, dress up your cake any way you would like and serve!

More Pound Cake Recipes

If you adore pound cakes like I do, try my Lemon Pound Cake, Chocolate Pound Cake, Sour Cream Pound Cake or even my Cream Cheese Pound Cake.

Old Fashioned Butter Pound Cake Recipe (5)

Old Fashioned Butter Pound Cake Recipe

This Butter Pound Cake recipe is a classic that never goes out of style. Made with luscious butter and heavy whipped cream, this old fashioned pound cake has the most tender crumb, moist texture and versatility.

4.34 from 36 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Southern

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour

Resting Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 16 servings

Calories: 447kcal

Author: Jocelyn Delk Adams

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter room temperature
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 6 large eggs room temperature
  • 2 tbsp vanilla extract
  • 3 cups cake flour sifted
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream

US CustomaryMetric

Instructions

  • Start by preheating your oven to 325 F then liberally spray a 10 cup bundt pan with non-stick baking spray.

  • In your stand mixer bowl, add butter, salt and sugar and mix for 3-4 minutes on high speed until very pale yellow and fluffy.

  • Next add eggs, one at a time, then vanilla extract combining well after each addition and scraping down the sides of your bowl as needed.

  • Turn your mixer down to its lowest speed, and slowly add flour into batter in two increments. Be careful not to overbeat.

  • Lastly add in whipping cream, scrape down sides and mix until just combined and turn off mixer.

  • Pour cake batter into prepared bundt pan, and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes to 1 hour and 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

  • Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes then invert cake on serving plate for at least an hour or until the cake is cool to touch.

Notes

Make sure your butter is room temperature before beginning this recipe to ensure the batter starts off correctly.

Nutrition

Calories: 447kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 128mg | Sodium: 178mg | Potassium: 62mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 35g | Vitamin A: 840IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 1mg

Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @GrandbabyCakes or tag #grandbabycakes!

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Old Fashioned Butter Pound Cake Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between a butter cake and a pound cake? ›

Butter cakes (also referred to as creamed cakes) have a lighter texture and greater volume than pound cakes. Pound cakes (named because they originally contained one pound each of butter, sugar, eggs and flour) tend to be denser.

What makes a cake fluffier butter or oil? ›

The texture of cakes made with oil is—in general—superior to the texture of cakes made with butter. Oil cakes tend to bake up loftier with a more even crumb and stay moist and tender far longer than cakes made with butter. So why do most cake recipes start with butter? Flavor.

What is the best butter for baking pound cakes? ›

Unsalted butter is best for baking, and you can use them to create the simple yet delicious pound cakes.

How many eggs is 1 pound? ›

How many eggs are in a pound? Eggs vary in weight since not all eggs are the same. Large eggs tend to weigh just short of 2 ounces each. It takes between 8 and 9 large eggs to equal one pound.

Which is better for pound cake salted or unsalted butter? ›

Unsalted butter gives you complete control of the overall flavor of your recipe. This is especially important in certain baked goods where the pure, sweet cream flavor of butter is key (butter cookies or pound cakes). As it pertains to cooking, unsalted butter lets the real, natural flavor of your foods come through.

What does Crisco do for cake? ›

Crisco® all-vegetable shortening will make your cakes moist, pie crusts flaky, and cookies soft and fluffy, with 0g of trans fat per serving*. One look, and you'll see why we've got butter beat.

How much oil for 1 cup of butter? ›

Butter to Oil Conversion
BUTTER/MARGARINEOLIVE OIL
1/2 Cup1/4 Cup + 2 Tablespoons
2/3 Cup1/2 Cup
3/4 Cup1/2 Cup + 1 Tablespoon
1 Cup3/4 Cup
5 more rows

What is the best oil to use for baking cakes? ›

Best Oils for Baking

Choosing vegetable oil is the best option for baking moist, delicious baked goods. Canola oil, the most common vegetable oil used in baking, doesn't add a strong flavor. It allows your cake's flavor will shine through while still achieving a moist texture.

Should I use parchment paper for pound cake? ›

A snug piece of parchment at the bottom of your pan is a must for all baking—not just cakes, but brownies, shortbreads, bars, and so much more.

What is Kentucky butter cake made of? ›

It's an old-fashioned vanilla buttermilk pound cake drenched in a luscious butter and sugar syrup. The syrup not only adds exceptional moisture to the cake, but it also creates a crisp coating on the surface, almost like a glazed donut. Kids love it, grown-ups love it—this simple butter cake is hard to beat.

Is Land O Lakes real butter? ›

It's the very first sweet cream butter. Melted, browned, creamed or clarified, Land O Lakes® Salted Butter is the all-purpose butter that improves the taste of everything it touches. It's the original that never lets you, or your taste buds, down.

Is it better to bake pound cake at 325 or 350? ›

Preheat oven to 325°F (163°C). Not 350°F. Generously grease a 10-12 cup Bundt pan with butter or nonstick spray. Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the butter on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes.

Why does the top of my pound cake crack? ›

First, why the crack occurs: Since quick breads and pound cake batters tend to be thick and dense, the exterior bakes first. But as the center of the cake continues to bake, releasing moisture, it rises, pushing through the top crust, and creating a crack.

Why start pound cake in a cold oven? ›

Cakes rise higher and exhibit finer texture.

In addition, the edges of the cake don't set as quickly when starting in a cold oven, which enables the cake to rise higher.

What makes a pound cake different from a regular cake? ›

There are many differences between pound cake and regular cake. The differences include: Ingredients: Pound cake has more fat than regular cake, and has four ingredients: butter, eggs, flour, and sugar. Regular cake has the same four ingredients plus more ingredients.

What is another name for pound cake? ›

It is also worth noting that the “Pound Cake” is now known by many names; “Madeira Cake” or “Yellow Cake” even simply “Loaf Cake”. No matter what it's called, one thing is for sure! The simple sponge cake recipe has stood the test of time and remained a staple for home baking!

What cake is similar to pound cake? ›

A pound cake is usually baked in a loaf or Bundt pan. It's served plain or topped with a simple powdered sugar icing, chocolate ganache, or dusting of powdered sugar. Many coffee cakes, sour cream cakes, Bundt cakes, and crumb cakes are variations of pound cake.

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