Old Fashioned Pound Cake

Southern pound cake is dense, yet soft, buttery, full of incredible flavor and just like grandma’s recipe. This pound cake recipe uses simple ingredients, the perfect easy to make dessert and ready in about an hour!

Pound cake from scratch is moist and has a buttery crumb exterior from baking it in a cold oven. The cold oven ensures the pound cake stays dense while making the outside golden browned while not overbaking.

While we typically recommend preheating the oven for baking recipes, some baked goods are the exception, such as this old-fashioned pound cake recipe. Baking this cake in a cast iron fluted cake pan also ensures that gorgeous crumb that’s a trademark of pound cakes.

It’s delicious and easy to make dessert. It’s delicious plain, dusted with powdered sugar or served with fresh berries and whipped cream. This pound cake recipe has been in our family for over 60 years!

Be sure and try Lemon Bundt cake, Lemon blueberry bread, and Red velvet marble cake.

Why this recipe works

• Made with simple ingredients – This pound cake recipe uses ingredients readily available at most grocery stores.
• Prep ahead of time – Southern pound cake is one of the type of cake that’s better the second day!
• Ease – Simple steps ensure the perfect pound cake each and every time. Made in one bowl with either an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer.
• Flavor – Full-fat buttermilk, along with pure vanilla extract and almond extract give this pound cake incredible flavor.
• Easy dessert – Old fashioned pound cake is the perfect dessert recipe for any occasion.
• Baking in cold oven – Baking pound cake in a cold oven, without preheating the oven ensures a perfect golden crumb on this cake recipe!

What you’ll need

• Butter – For optimum flavor, be sure and use a high-quality butter brand (such as Kerry Gold) and take it out the night before so it’s room temperature.
• Shortening – This pound cake recipe uses a combination of butter and vegetable shortening. Shortening helps the cake stay more moist.
• Sugar – Add gradually and beat until fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
• Eggs – With all of our baking recipes, we use large eggs. Be sure and bring eggs to room temperature for this cake recipe, as they will incorporate into the batter better.
• All-purpose flour – We prefer a good-quality unbleached all-purpose flour. You can also use cake flour if desired.
• Buttermilk – Use full-fat buttermilk. This helps the pound cake stay super moist and have a tangy flavor.
• Baking powder and salt – Salt is always added to baking recipes to enhance flavor. Baking powder reacts with the buttermilk to help the cake rise properly.
• Vanilla extract and almond extract – We highly recommend using a high-quality brand of pure vanilla extract and almond extract. Almond adds a really unique flavor to this pound cake recipe.

I used a vintage 1930’s Lodge fluted cake pan for this pound cake recipe. Lodge is recreating this baking pan in their Legacy series. Order it here!

You can also bake homemade pound cake in a traditional Bundt pan. While I prefer to bake in cast iron, either will work fine. (Baking in cast iron helps distribute the heat better, which helps cakes and baked goods rise better and bake more evenly!)

How to make Old Fashioned Pound cake

• Do NOT preheat the oven! – Baking a pound cake in a cold oven will achieve a better rise, help it bake more evenly and give a wonderful exterior crumb.
• Mix dry ingredients – In a large mixing bowl, combine sifted flour, salt and baking powder.
• Cream butter and shortening – In either a large bowl or bowl of a stand mixer on low speed.
• Add sugar – Gradually add the sugar and beat until fluffy.
• Add the eggs – Add the eggs one at a time, be they are at room temperature so they easily incorporate into the cake batter.
• Add vanilla, almond extract, buttermilk and dry ingredients – Mix only until the batter is smooth and combined. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl occasionally.
• Place into baking pan – Scoop cake batter into the greased and floured cake pan.
• Bake – Place the cake pan into a COLD oven! Bake at 350 degrees F.

How to keep a Pound Cake moist

Southern pound cake is one of our favorite dessert recipes for barbecues, potlucks and for holiday desserts.

• My secret ingredient to keeping pound cake moist and super fresh is dough conditioner. Professional bakers, such as my mom add this to all of their baking recipes. Add 1 teaspoon of dough conditioner to 1 cup of flour.
• Cream together butter and shortening at low speed. Vegetable shortening is a key ingredients to helping cake recipes stay moist.
• Don’t over mix the cake batter. Overmixing cake batter can cause cakes to be tough.
• Add room temperature eggs one at a time and only until combined.
• Use full-fat buttermilk and fresh ingredients.
• Don’t overbake the pound cake! Check if your cake is done with a toothpick when inserted comes out mostly clean, with a few moist crumbs.

Recipe FAQs

More easy dessert recipes

• Lemon Bundt Cake
• Banana Bread
• Homemade Brownies
• Berry Trifle Recipe
• Old Fashioned Strawberry shortcake
• Raspberry Bars
• New York Style Cheesecake

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