Updated November 7, 2021
Make a great pound cake. It’s not that hard! I’ll tell you exactly how. Ordinary ingredients, ordinary cooking.
POUND CAKE
Have you searched for that perfect pound cake recipe? I did. There are great recipes out there. In old cookbooks by Church ladies, online, and in magazines with mouth-watering pictures. You want it moist, flavorful, and pretty. Well, maybe not so much pretty. (I’ve had some unforgettable comments about the appearance of some of my pound cakes.) You just want it to be GOOD!
And right up front, hear this: I’m not a food blogger. I have so much respect for those folks. It’s hard. Their recipes are beautiful and complete. Their photos are breathtaking. I thought I could do that but I can’t. (Food bloggers, I love you!)
That’s my disclaimer; so please be gentle. If you have a comment, please be as restrained as you would be with a shy second-grader posting a recipe. And thank you.
What Makes Pound Cake Really Good?
Why is it we have that wide-eyed sigh when someone says “pound cake?”
Maybe because we love a good pound cake. And there’s this: All pound cakes aren’t that good. Some are dry, or have the wrong flavor. Some have a texture that isn’t pleasing, or they are just boring.
But when it’s right, it’s downright drool worthy.
I experimented over the years and came up with this one. No need to go on and on about it. There aren’t any real “secrets” to this recipe. I don’t even sift my flour. When I don’t use all butter, I use a mixture of butter and Louana coconut oil because it is unflavored. I use a heavy one-piece tube pan.
Something I discovered was that I was just slightly overcooking mine. Instead of an hour and 15 minutes, I reduced the expected cook time to an hour. The result? A moister cake. The toothpick test is a very good predictor of doneness.
A few things: If your eggs are small, use more. If your butter is too soft (like melted) your mixture won’t have the structure it needs.
As to texture, the batter will give you some clues: If it’s really stiff, your cake may be dry. If it’s soupy, your cake may take too long to cook. You want this batter thick enough to kind of hold a shape in the bowl. Not pourable, but not super stiff. I use a big spoon to “dollop” it into the pan.
I hope those notes are helpful on what to expect.
Here’s the recipe. and below there’s a link to a printable version.
POUND CAKE
INGREDIENTS
3 sticks salted butter
3 cups sugar
6 large eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup of whole milk
2 tsp real vanilla extract
a dash of salt
(Also an extra tablespoon of flour and sugar, and 2 tablespoons of coconut oil for greasing the pan)
INSTRUCTIONS:
Assemble all ingredients. Allow butter and eggs to come to room temperature.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Coat the inside of the tube pan with coconut oil or shortening. Mix a tablespoon of flour and a tablespoon of sugar and coat the greased pan with this. Be generous with this coating. It forms a delicious crust.
With a hand mixer, cream the butter till smooth. Add sugar about a cup at a time, and continue creaming till fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Put the vanilla into the cup of milk, and put the salt into the 3 cups of flour.
Now alternate adding the flour and milk, mixing well after each addition. The batter should be thick. Spoon into prepared pan.
Bake 1 hour, or until wooden toothpick comes out clean/dry on doneness test.
Cool in pan 10-20 minutes.
Start checking for doneness after an hour, or earlier if you suspect it’s done. Don’t overbake.
How to get it out of the pan:
To make sure it doesn’t stick, before inverting cake try to loosen it a bit. Just gently turn the tube pan on its side with the top of the cake facing you. Make sure you are holding on to the pan. Inside the pan, the cake will start to pull away a little from the upper side of the pan, just with gravity. Turn and roll the pan slowly until all sides are loosened, also working it away from the center tube. You can slip a knife gently into the space between the cake and the pan if it sticks. When it’s fully loose, invert onto one plate, let it sit a few minutes, then invert again onto final serving plate.
Enjoy your baking!
Click the square image (“Pound Cake or Muffins Recipe”) to get the printable page.
POUND CAKE MUFFINS
There’s more! You can make this as muffins. Does that diminish the beauty of cake?
Cake is made to be sliced and served. It’s a real dessert, not just a snack. Some people have made serving cake an art form, and I admire it. There’s something about watching practiced hands cut a perfect piece of cake and serve it to you on a pretty plate. It’s almost like a ceremony, isn’t it?
But sometimes you don’t have the right setting to do that. Maybe a picnic, or a self-serve buffet.
And for that, there’s this!
Pound cake muffins. That’s right, the same recipe, baked in muffin tins instead. I like to use the larger muffin tins, about 3.5 inches for each “well” instead of the usual 2.75 inches.
Here’s your instruction for making muffins instead of a cake: The same recipe, the same temperature, shorter cook time. Mine were perfectly done in 20 minutes.
Why muffins?
- To have a a single-serving dessert ready to pick up and eat.
- For people who like crunchy crust.
If you don’t have time for pound cake today, pin this, or print the recipe and save it. Or come back for it later.
I’ve got lots of snacks and desserts here at Grammye’s Front Porch.
I love old recipes. Like these:
Check out any of the recipes to get your cravings satisfied.
Thank you for visiting! At GFP company is always welcome!
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Are you on Pinterest? That is a crazy fun place! You can find so many helpful things. Take a look at what I’ve saved for you! A lot of things that never make it to the blog. Here are my Pinterest pins, and I have lots of categories/boards if you’re looking for something specific.
-Grammye
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