• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Farmette Kitchen
  • Cook
    • Breakfast
    • Main Dishes
    • Side Dishes
    • Desserts
    • Drinks
  • Homestead
    • Goats
    • Bees
    • Essential Oils
  • Homeschool
  • How To
    • Freeze
    • Pantry Staples
    • Pressure Cooker
    • Air Fryer
  • About
    • Web Stories
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipes
  • Gather
  • How To
  • Homestead
  • Homeschool
  • About
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Old Fashioned Pound Cake

    Old Fashioned Pound Cake

    Published: Sep 14, 2019 · Modified: Nov 18, 2019 by Emily Bruno · This post may contain affiliate links ·

    Jump to Recipe
    9.4Kshares

    This Old Fashioned Pound Cake recipe is one my mother made often throughout my childhood.  Dense and buttery, this traditional pound cake is the perfect blank canvas for a fruit glaze or whipped topping.

    My mom is forever making treats for my dad to take with him to work.  She switches it up regularly between his favorite M&M cookies and various other sweets, like these Salted Caramel Blondies or her Classic Peanut Butter Cookies, but this Old Fashioned Pound Cake might be the most popular choice.  The dense cake holds up well in a sack lunch and retains its smooth, buttery flavor for days.

    pound cake made in a tube pan

    True Pound Cake, or Traditional Pound Cake, is a recipe that dates back to the 1700s.  It gets its name from its simple ingredients.  Originally, the recipe called for one pound each of flour, sugar, butter, and eggs.

    Throughout the years that recipe has been amended to include spices and flavorings such as vanilla, lemon, or almond extract.  Some even include dairy (such as buttermilk or sour cream) or additional leavening agents (like baking soda or baking powder).  My mom's Old Fashioned Pound Cake includes real vanilla extract for added depth of flavor.

    old-fashioned pound cake on a plate

    Tips for the Perfect Pound Cake

    • Use softened butter.  You should be able to pick up the stick of butter and bend it without it melting in your fingers or becoming glistening or sticky.  If the butter is too soft, it won't be able to hold the tiny pockets of air created during the creaming process that will eventually expand during cooking and help to lighten the cake.
    • Use room-temperature eggs.  Eggs are the only leavening agent used in traditional pound cakes and are important to incorporate air into the batter that will later expand in the oven and cause the cake to rise.
    • Do not overbeat the batter.  Overbeating the butter can soften it too much, making it greasy, which will diminish its ability to trap air.  Overbeating the eggs whips in too much air and creates tunnels in the finished cake.  Overbeating once the flour has been added promotes gluten formation and toughens the cake.

    Pound cake batter should be a beautiful, pale-yellow emulsion.  A well-emulsified batter will trap and hold air bubbles that then expand during baking.  This produces the rise and is a major factor in the final texture of the cake. 

    A cake baked from a poorly emulsified batter will be grainy and uneven and can sink.  If your emulsion breaks you might see what looks like curds or weeping.  If this happens, try gently adding flour one tablespoon at a time until the texture recovers.

    Before Baking the Pound Cake

    The cardinal sin of baking pound cakes is not properly preparing your pan.  Always grease cake pans with solid vegetable shortening, such as Crisco, and always dust with flour—a slippery surface keeps the batter from rising to its full volume. 

    This is the exact tube pan for pound cakes that I use- be sure to choose one that has a light colored interior.

    While the Pound Cake is Baking

    Resist the urge to take the pound cake out of the oven too soon.   You want to place the cake pan in the center of the oven and keep the door closed until the minimum baking time has elapsed.  If the cake requires more baking, gently close the oven door as soon as possible after testing to prevent jarring and loss of heat—both can cause a cake to fall if it’s not done.

    After the Pound Cake is Finished Baking

    Always allow the cake to cool in the pan, right side up, for about 10-15 minutes before attempting to remove it from the pan.  It should still be warm but not hot.  Cooling too long in the pan will cause the cake to be damp and stick to the pan. Remove the pound cake from pan to a wire rack and let cool completely.

    slice of pound cake

    A pound cake is the perfect "company" dessert because of its simplicity.  I almost always have the ingredients on hand and it doesn't require any fussy frosting.  It can be further embellished with a simple lemon or orange zest glaze, or topped with strawberries and homemade whipped cream, both of which can be made ahead of time.

    Serve this classic pound cake with this fresh fruit salad for a quick and easy dessert!

    Continue to Content
    pound cake made in a tube pan

    Old Fashioned Pound Cake

    Yield: 12 people
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 1 hour
    Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

    This Old Fashioned Pound Cake recipe is one my mother made often throughout my childhood.  Dense and buttery, this traditional pound cake is the perfect blank canvas for a fruit glaze or whipped topping.

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened, (2 sticks)
    • 2 cups all-purpose flour
    • 2 cups granulated sugar
    • 6 large eggs (room temperature)

    Instructions

    1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
    2. Grease and flour a tube pan.
    3. Cream the butter and sugar. The mixture should be light in color, like a pale yellow.
    4. Add the eggs one at a time. Continue to mix until the egg disappears completely into the mixture.
    5. Slowly incorporate the flour into the mixture one ½ cup at a time.
    6. Bake for 60 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
    7. Allow to cool in the pan 10-15 minutes. Remove from pan to a wire rack and let cool completely.

    Notes

    If adding vanilla extract, use 1 teaspoon.

    Nutrition Information:
    Yield: 12 Serving Size: 12 people
    Amount Per Serving: Calories: 371

    Did you make this recipe?

    Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest

    © Emily Bruno
    Cuisine: American / Category: Desserts

    About Emily Bruno

    Hi, I’m Emily- a wife, mom, and home cook. I believe in simple family favorites, flavorful shortcuts, and teaching the next generation to cook with recipes from the past. Come make delicious memories with me in my Farmette Kitchen!

    Want More Recipes?

    Receive the latest recipes straight to your inbox!

    Thank you!

    You have successfully joined our subscriber list.

    Previous Post: « Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs
    Next Post: Easy Cream Cheese Frosting »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Amy

      November 29, 2018 at 3:50 pm

      5 stars
      Great tips! I love pound cake.

      Reply
      • Sandy

        October 16, 2020 at 5:03 pm

        I put Carriebean Rum and vanilla, and Mac nuts? We’ll see how it comes out! Love rum cake!??

        Reply
    2. Tam

      May 01, 2019 at 4:59 pm

      What kind of flour to us?

      Reply
      • Emily Bruno

        June 14, 2019 at 10:26 pm

        All-purpose

        Reply
      • Sarah

        November 16, 2019 at 9:36 am

        Why don't recipes say what kind of flour? I have never made a pound cake. Thanks for asking. All Purpose Flour

        Reply
    3. Kat

      June 24, 2019 at 12:08 pm

      Vanilla flavoring?

      Reply
      • Emily Bruno

        June 25, 2019 at 10:39 pm

        Vanilla extract

        Reply
    4. Pam Tyrone

      August 13, 2019 at 12:37 pm

      Salted or unsalted butter?

      Reply
      • Emily Bruno

        August 14, 2019 at 7:23 pm

        I used unsalted

        Reply
    5. Betty King

      October 19, 2019 at 4:26 pm

      you don't have the amount of vanilla extract to use. Please let me know asap I am making this tomorrow. Thanks so much! Betty

      Reply
      • Emily Bruno

        October 20, 2019 at 12:42 pm

        Hi Betty, the vanilla is optional. I would use 1 teaspoon. Hope this helps!

        Reply
    6. Suzanne

      May 08, 2020 at 2:40 pm

      This looks so good! I love that the ingredient list is so simple and pound cake is so versatile. You can serve with a few options!

      Reply
    7. Vanessa

      May 08, 2020 at 2:41 pm

      Thanks for sharing! Does it keep long?

      Reply
    8. Kimberley Spraggins

      December 26, 2020 at 5:23 pm

      Hi! This recipe looks very easy. What size tube pan to use, 10 or 12 cup? I find most pound cake recipes don't specify. It would really help. Can't wait to try your Gramma's recipe! My go-to is Betty Crocker's pound cake recipe.

      Reply
      • Emily Bruno

        December 27, 2020 at 10:12 am

        Hi Kimberley, I believe mine is actually a heavier 16 cup shown in the pictures, but a 12 cup would also work!

        Reply
    9. Ann Garrity

      December 30, 2020 at 11:10 am

      5 stars
      I used to make a pound cake like yours, with no leavening agents, but lost my recipe after years of not baking desserts. . A quick search led me to your site. I tried your recipe yesterday and it came out perfectly to my liking!
      I actually made cupcakes which I gave away to neighbors as "Poundcake Mini's" .
      I've printed your recipe and will make it again soon. Thank you so much for your website, Emily!

      Reply
      • NickiDE

        January 02, 2021 at 4:37 pm

        How long did you bake the pound cake minis?

        Reply
    10. Kathleen

      January 01, 2021 at 10:46 pm

      5 stars
      This recipe was so easy to follow and my cake tasted delicious! I did use the vanilla extract in mine and we topped with strawberries. I will definitely be making this again.

      Reply
    11. Angelica

      January 02, 2021 at 3:55 pm

      5 stars
      I have made this several times. Today I decided to add cocoa to it and make it a chocolate pound cake and it was so good. Thank you for sharing!

      Reply
    12. Najia

      February 03, 2021 at 7:54 pm

      Hello. Mt question is no baking powder. Without baking powder.?

      Reply
      • Emily Bruno

        February 23, 2021 at 10:09 pm

        Correct- the eggs are the leavening agent. No baking powder necessary.

        Reply
    13. Mary

      February 20, 2021 at 9:25 am

      This sounds like my husbands moms cake that I have been trying to duplicate for years. I have not mastered it yet! He keeps talking about the holes in the cake which I know from reading is air pockets. You said not to over beat the eggs or batter. Is there a certain time for beating the eggs and batter? I don’t have a large mixer. I don’t think I will ever duplicate it like hers, but maybe I can get close. I wanted to make it for his birthday. Hope for you to reply soon.

      Reply
      • Emily Bruno

        February 23, 2021 at 10:08 pm

        Hi Mary- the time will depend on your mixer and ingredients, but it should be a couple of minutes at least. The batter will turn a pale yellow color. I hope this helps and I hope your husband loves the cake!!

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Welcome to my Farmette Kitchen

    Emily Bruno of Farmette KitchenI love to share classic recipes you will make again and again to nourish your family. Join me in creating a life made simple where good food doesn't have to be complicated. Read More

    • Email
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube

    Stay Updated

    Receive the latest recipes straight to your inbox!

    Thank you!

    You have successfully joined our subscriber list.

    Latest Posts

    Natural Dyed Eggs on top of tan Easter grass

    How to Dye Easter Eggs - Natural Dyed Eggs

    100+ recipes for soup in the Instant Pot including chicken, beef, pork, and vegetarian. Tenderize meat and infuse flavor in no time with the pressure cooker!

    Instant Pot Recipes for Soup - The Ultimate Guide

    Traditional Thanksgiving Menu that our family serves every year, pairs perfectly with fried turkey or honey-baked ham.

    Traditional Thanksgiving Menu

    instant pot popcorn, instant pot oatmeal, instant pot chicken noodle soup, instant pot mashed potatoes

    Instant Pot Recipes for Beginners

    chocolate chocolate chip cookie with sea salt on a baking sheet

    Double Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

    cranberry salsa over cream cheese next to crackers

    Cranberry Salsa

    Footer

    Connect with Me

    • Email
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube

    What is a Farmette?

    Picture of a small farmette

    What is a Farmette?

    Inside of the Farmette Kitchen Studio

    Farmette Kitchen Studio

    Nigerian Dwarf Baby Goat

    Meet Grover and Sonny

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • What is a Farmette?
    • About Emily

    Family Favorites

    • Weeknight Dinners
    • Easy Instant Pot Recipes

    Videos & More

    • Cooking Videos
    • Web Stories

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2020 Farmette Kitchen® | Privacy Policy