This is an old school (I’m talking about 100+ years old, old school) Classic Pound Cake recipe that does not need a tweak or an edit. That’s because it’s my Southern big mama’s recipe, handed down from generation to generation without a change being made. Remember, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Simply put, this staple pound cake is the reason why my Grandbaby Cakes Fam calls me the queen of pound cakes.
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I have countless pound cake recipes on my website, seriously countless. But I knew I needed to share with y’all the ultimate classic ‘plain‘ pound cake recipe that can work anytime and any place. It’s just the one, boos. It’s as basic as basic can be in the best way and just brings so many feels! You can dust it with powdered sugar, add a glaze or serve it plain. Regardless of how you serve this pound cake it delivers, boo.
The Lowdown on this Plain Pound Cake
Cuisine Inspiration: Southern
Primary Cooking Method: Baking!
Dietary Info: Rich, buttery and super indulgent
Key Flavor: Sweet and buttery with slight vanilla vibes, bringing on all the nostalgia
Skill Level: Easy y’all (No Sweat Fam!)
Textures on Textures
The golden, crispy outer crust that classic Southern pound cakes are known for is perfectly achieved here, and that butter line.. don’t even get me going.
Do you!
You can serve this baby in any way you want. Whether you love it with fresh fruit, drizzled with glaze or served perfectly plain, it’s a straight up hit.
This recipe is classic. OG. A legacy.
My big mama’s Mississippi love is written all through this recipe. You get the best of her Southern skillz in a classic that will always deliver.
Ingredients you’ll need to make a classic pound cake
- Butter and Sugar: Classic pound cakes start with the creaming period. Room-temperature unsalted butter and granulated sugar come together, creating the ultimate rich, creamy base. Also, the long creaming period adds air to the batter, so leavening ain’t needed y’all.
- Eggs and Egg Yolks: Nothing adds more velvety richness and structure than eggs.
- Kosher Salt: We gotta balance that sweetness and enhance all of the overall flavors.
- Cake Flour: For the ultimate delicate crumb, this helps tenderize the batter.
- Milk: I love using whole milk since it adds richness and moisture creating a super smooth base.
- Vanilla Extract: This is the only flavor enhancer we add. It brings some aromatic warmth to the mix.
How to make a basic pound cake
What to Top Your Pound Cake With
- Powder it Up: Sprinkle with a nice dusting of homemade powdered sugar.
- Dollop It Up: Serve each slice with fresh whipped cream dollops and sprinkle on some fresh fruit.
- Sauce it Up: Drizzle on a chocolate ganache, a caramel sauce or even a strawberry sauce to change up the flavor.
Recipe Substitutions
- Butter: I use unsalted in this pound cake recipe, but Big Mama used whatever she had on hand, so if you only have salted, use that. Just leave the salt out of the recipe.
- Granulated Sugar: You can swap in homemade brown sugar and make a fun brown sugar pound cake if you want deeper sweetness.
- Cake Flour: If you don’t have it on hand, grab some all-purpose flour and cornstarch to make homemade cake flour.
- Milk: You can easily replace the milk with half-and-half for a richer flavor, buttermilk for a tangy flavor, or even a non-dairy milk like almond or oat milk.
- Vanilla Extract: Feel free to swap out this extract for any extract you like or go with a heavier vanilla flavor by using vanilla paste.
Recipe Variations and Additions
- Brown the Butter: Get even more depth of flavor and some nutty rich vibes in the mix by browning the butter and letting it set before creaming it with the sugar.
- Gluten-Free: Swap out the flour for your fave 1:1 ratio gluten-free baking flour blend. The texture will change, but it will still taste delish boos!
- Booze It Up: A bit of rum, whiskey, or bourbon added to the batter can kick things up for the grown-up boos.
- Toss it In: Fold in a cup of everything from berries to chocolate to switch up the flavor and add some texture.
Tips for making the best pound cake from scratch
- Room Temp is the Way: Make sure the butter, eggs, and milk are at room temperature before mixing. This will give you the ultimate smooth pound cake allowing the ingredients to melt into each other while mixing.
- Use your patience: During the creaming of the butter and sugar, take your time. This process adds air and lightness to your cake without leavening.
- Don’t Overdo the Dry Ingredients: Only mix the dry ingredients into the batter until just combined. Don’t over mix and risk additional gluten forming which will make the cake less tender.
- Grease it Up!: Even non-stick baking pans need a little extra love y’all. This homemade cake release is a Godsend but you can totally use a spray or go old school with shortening then flour in the pan like my big mama did.
How to store pound cake
Make sure your cake has cooled all the way down then either wrap tightly in plastic wrap or add to a cake container. You can store at room temp for 4-5 days.
How long will pound cake last in the fridge?
I don’t recommend storing pound cake in the fridge since it will dry it out boos. Store at room temp so that texture stays on point ya dig?
Can I freeze this pound cake recipe?
Freezing is all good boos. Wrap the leftovers in plastic wrap tightly then pop leftovers into a heavy-duty freezer bag. Label with the date. It should keep for about 4-6 months. When ready to serve again, thaw overnight in the fridge.
Frequently asked questions
Listen boos, old school pound cakes didn’t have baking soda and baking powder in them. The long creaming period of mixing the butter and sugar adds air to the batter. Don’t rush this step boos.
Absolutely boos! In fact, it will taste even better if you make it the day before you serve it. Those flavors will develop even more, and that moist fine texture will really have time to set in.
Make sure you grease the heck out of that pan y’all. I like to use my cake release since it really gets the cake out clean once you flip it.
When you want a serious taste of home, this pound cake is the best to make. It is simply as classic and as perfect as a pound cake recipe gets. Easy, elegant, traditional and filled with so much love, I’m passing down this recipe to you.
More Pound Cake recipes
- Buttermilk Pound Cake
- Sour Cream Pound Cake
- Cream Cheese Pound Cake
- Million Dollar Pound Cake
- Lemon Pound Cake
Pound Cake
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound unsalted butter room temperature
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 2 large yolks
- 1 ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 ½ cups cake flour
- 1 cup milk room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300F. Set rack to middle position. Generously spray a 12-cup Bundt pan with nonstick baking spray.
- In bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar on high speed until fluffy and light in color, about 7-8 minutes.
- Lower speed to medium, and add eggs and yolks, one at a time, scraping down the bowl as needed.
- On low speed, slowly add salt and half of flour. Mix until just combined, about 1 minute, scraping down bowl as needed.
- Slowly pour in milk and extract and mix until combined.
- Add in second half of flour and mix well until combined, about 90 seconds.
- Pour batter into prepared pan and bake until inserted skewer comes out mostly clean with a few moist crumbs attached, about 1 hour 20-40 minutes.
- Allow cake to cool in pan for 15 minutes. Remove cake from pan and cool fully, about 30 minutes.
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Explain the 4 eggs and 2 yolks. Is that 4 whole eggs and 2 more yolk only?
You need 4 whole eggs and 2 additional egg yolks.
Not too many ingredients and still delicious
Thank you so much!