Classic Southern Pound Cake
To me, there are fewer things more perfect or delicious than a classic Southern pound cake. This cake is proof that a dessert does not have to be fancy to be a favorite. My family has been making this recipe for years for a reason: it’s tender, sweet, moist, and oh so delicious.
Pound cake makes me think of so many things: picnics, church luncheons, my grandmother’s house. I’ve made pound cakes for many a tailgate, and they always disappear. When spring comes around, I’m always excited to make my favorite pound cake and enjoy it with a cold glass of iced tea on my back porch.
Pound cake is the epitome of a simple, delicious dessert. Nothing fancy, but a well-baked pound cake is tender and soft, with a slightly crispy golden crust, and tastes absolutely divine. Flavors don’t need to be too complicated: vanilla, almond, or lemon are classic. Sometimes a chocolate and vanilla swirl cake is fun for some variety.
Pound cake got its name from older recipes having a pound each of the four main ingredients: flour, sugar, butter, and eggs. If that sounds like a lot, it’s because it is. That’s one dense cake! This recipe isn’t quite that heavy, even with five eggs in it.
A good pound cake doesn’t need icing or a glaze or any fuss or frills. I actually prefer my pound cake without glaze or icing; those often make it too heavy or dense. For me, a nice dollop of freshly whipped cream and some fresh berries are the perfect accompaniment.
I especially love a plain vanilla pound cake with a little almond flavor to it. This recipe has a dash of almond extract in it, but you can leave that out if it’s not your thing. If you want a lemon pound cake, replace the almond extract with 1 teaspoon of lemon extract, and add the zest of one lemon.
Tips for Making a Perfect Pound Cake
Make sure our eggs and butter are at room temperature. This will make creaming everything together much easier and smoother. Plus, stark differences in ingredient temperatures can affect the texture of the baked cake.
Make sure you completely cream the butter and sugar together, rather than just combining them! White Lily says that fully creaming your butter and sugar results in lighter, fluffier cakes. Trust me, it makes a difference!
Make sure your bundt cake pan is well buttered and floured. Cover as much surface area inside your pan as you can. Don’t forget to freeze your pan while you make the batter to help lock in the butter!
Don’t try to turn your cake out of the pan immediately when it comes out of the oven. That will probably lead to a breakage, and no one wants broken cake. Let it cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then try turning it out.
How to Make Classic Southern Pound Cake
To make it, you will need:
- Butter (softened, room temperature)
- Sugar
- Eggs (room temperature)
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Vanilla extract
- Milk
- Almond extract (optional)
First, preheat your oven to 350ºF and prepare your bundt cake pan. Place the pan in the freezer while you make the cake batter.
Add the flour, baking powder, and salt to a mixing bowl, and whisk to combine.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the butter and begin beating it. When it is light and fluffy, add the sugar and beat until creamed.
Add each egg one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the extracts and beat again briefly.
With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture alternately with the milk, starting and ending with the flour. Mix slowly until the flour is moistened and there are no dry bits in the batter. The batter will be thick but pourable.
Pour the batter into the prepared bundt cake pan. Bake the cake for 1 hour, until it is dark golden on top and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Glaze, ice, or decorate as desired. Slice and serve. I like mine with some freshly whipped cream and berries.
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Classic Southern Pound Cake
Ingredients
- 3 sticks unsalted butter (softened, room temp)
- 3 cups sugar
- 5 eggs (room temp)
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp almond extract (optional)
- 3/4 cup milk
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF, and butter and flour a bundt pan. Place the pan in the freezer while you make the cake batter.
- Add the flour, baking powder, and salt to a mixing bowl, and whisk to combine.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the butter and begin beating it. When it is light and fluffy, add the sugar and beat until creamed.
- Add each egg one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the extracts and beat again briefly.
- With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture alternately with the milk, starting and ending with the flour. Mix slowly until the flour is moistened and there are no dry bits in the batter. The batter will be thick but pourable.
- Pour the batter into the prepared bundt cake pan. Bake the cake for 1 hour, until it is dark golden on top and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- Glaze, ice, or decorate as desired. Slice and serve.
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