The Best Pound Cake EVER!!!

The best pound cake EVERSo this is by far the BEST pound cake that you will ever have… I have no idea of the origins of this recipe except to say that it came from my great-grandmother and she was a southern woman who knew her cooking!!

The pound cake got its origins when people did not write down their recipes and needed easy ratios to remember. The pound cake was one pound each of: butter, sugar, eggs and flour. Pretty simple.. only that much cake would take a regular size family forever to eat! So the recipe has been sized down to smaller portions and modern ingredients have been added (like baking powder) to make the cake lighter.

Keep in mind that this is still a large cake and you need up use at least a 12 cup fluted or bundt pan to prevent it spilling over. A good rule of thumb is to never fill your pan more than 2/3 full. Use the extra batter in a loaf pan or cup cake pan just monitor the time because they will cook much quicker! 

PoundCakeIngredientsHere is what you will need:

3 cups Sugar
1 cup butter
1/2 cup crisco (or add an extra 1/2 cup butter)
6 eggs, room temp
1 cup milk (I use whole milk)
3 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp vanilla (or 1 tsp vanilla and 1 tsp cooking sherry)

So lets get started! First, preheat your oven to 325 degrees and set your eggs and butter out on the counter so they can come up to room temp. When I know that I am making the cake that day, I set the eggs and butter out at breakfast time. It is SO much easier and makes a lighter cake when you can really cream the butter and sugar together and it is so much easier when they are soft.

PoundCakeButterSugarStart off with the butter, crisco and sugar in the mixer. I use a stand mixer but a hand held one will do just fine. You need to beat them on medium-high speed for 3-5 minutes to get them to where they are creamed. Stop the mixer at least once to scrape the bowl with a spatula, to get any forgotten clumps mixed in.

PoundCakeCreamedWhile they are mixing, put your remaining dry ingredients (Flour, salt, baking powder) in a bowl and mix together, set aside.

If you still have a few minutes left, grease and flour your baking pan (I am using a 12 cup fluted pan in these pictures). I like to use the wrappers from the butter to grease the pan. I add a small pad of butter, as necessary to cover the entire pan. Then, sprinkle a tablespoon or two of flour into the pan and shake it around to make sure all the butter is coated.

PoundCakeFlouredPanAfter the butter and sugar are creamed, add the eggs, one at a time and make sure they are mixed well in-between each egg (about 30-45 seconds). For this recipe I used 7 medium eggs rather than 6 large ones, use your judgement, thats how my Nana did it!

PoundCakeAddingEggsOnce all the eggs are mixed in, add a quarter of the dry flour mixture and allow it to mix, followed by a quarter of the milk and allow it to completely mix. continue adding until flour and milk is all mixed, I usually give it 30 seconds between additions. Stop and scrape the bowl again with a spatula.

PoundCakeScrapingBowlAs you are mixing the batter one last time, add the vanilla. Allow it to incorporate for at least one minute. Scrape with a spatula one last time and now pour it into your greased, floured pan.

PoundCakeVanillaBake at 325 for one hour, 20 minutes (80 minutes). I check mine after 70 minutes and adjust the time as necessary. When it is done, the cake will be golden brown on top and might have some cracks in the surface, it will be slightly pulling away from the edges of the pan.

Another good way to check if it is done is to insert a toothpick into the center, it is done when the toothpick comes out clean with no gooey batter on it.

PoundCakeFinishedDo you have a favorite family recipe? Share it or a link to it!

4.3 from 8 reviews
The Best Pound Cake EVER!!!
Author: 
Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 12
 
Ingredients
  • 3 cups sugar
  • 1 cup butter
  • ½ cup crisco (or add an extra ½ cup butter)
  • 6 eggs, room temp
  • 1 cup milk (I use whole milk)
  • 3 cups flour
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • 2 tsp vanilla (or 1 tsp vanilla and 1 tsp cooking sherry)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 325
  2. flour and grease a fluted pan, a bunt pan or two loaf pans
  3. Cream butte, crisco and sugar
  4. Add eggs one at a time incorporating fully after each one
  5. mix dry ingredients in a separate bowl
  6. Alternate adding ¼ of dry ingredients followed by ¼ milk
  7. After fully mixed, add vanilla
  8. Bake for 1 hour, 20 minutes (80 mins) or until edges start to pull away from the pan
  9. Cool for at least 15 minutes before removing from pan

Don’t miss out on any new posts or recipes, sign up for our email list here! Don’t worry we don’t sell your address or give it to anyone, and you will only get emails when a new post goes up. :)




signature

Comments

  1. That is an amazing looking cake and your tutorial is great too! Have fun with your new adventure here!

    • Ashley says:

      Thanks Connie! And Thanks for stopping by, I just started into the new world of blogging and am still trying to figure things out :)

      • jill geroy says:

        I want to start a blog, but haven’t got any idea of how to do it????

        • Ashley says:

          Jill, I just started blogging about 4 months ago and I knew NOTHING about blogging. I first read this article then I read two e-books I read Ruth’s book from Living well, spending less but I would save that one for last. Read this book first by abby at Just a Girl and her blog, it walks you through everything then move on to Ruth’s book
          Both of them are e-books and can be downloaded instantly. Both of them really helped me. If you start a blog, send me an email and let me know, i would love to check it out!! Ashley

      • This is truly the best cake ever! My family loves the cake. I add fresh lemon juice from my neighbors lemon tree, in addition to the vanilla, I also add the zest of one lemon. Now I have neighbors leaving bags of fresh lemons on my steps!
        Thank you!!

  2. Hi, Ashley! So glad to have found you. :) This cake looks AMAZING! Pinned!

    • Ashley says:

      Thanks for stopping by Blair! I spent some time on your blog earlier and loved the Fuzzy Jar post!!

  3. It looks like one delicious pound cake, Ashley!

  4. I love a good pound cake, and grandma recipes are the best! Thanks for sharing it with us! :)

  5. Debbie Caraballo says:

    Very good recipe! I’ve been making pound cakes for years and years – this one is spot on!

  6. This looks so delicious! Thanks for sharing!

  7. Hi Ashley ~ I’m popping on over to see what your blog is all about and I must say this pound cake looks AMAZING!!! I just love good pound cake so I’m going to give yours a go for one of our Mother’s Day desserts. I’ve had fun looking around your blog and I like the photo of you sitting on the boom. We’re sailors, too, so we have a bit in common. Good luck with your blog, I’m subscribing so I can follow you. Have a great day.

    • Ashley says:

      Lori, Thanks for stopping by! I’m glad I found your blog earlier this week through your link up! I love cooking but I love our little adventures even more, the picture is when my husband, Tavis, and I helped my father-in-law sail is cat around the the tip of Florida to relocate it when it was first purchased. Thanks for giving the pound cake a try, it was my great grandmothers recipe and it has been a favorite of mine since I was a little girl. :)

  8. knmeier says:

    I LOVE poundcake – I could seriously eat the whole pan of the sara lee one…but a homemade one? even better! Pinned so I can make this recipe sometime soon…and eat way too much of it :)

  9. This recipe sounds just like my great aunt’s! Pinning and making… one day very soon!

    Thank you so much for sharing your creativity with us at Show-Licious Craft & Recipe Party! I hope you will join us again this Saturday at 8:00 am EST!

    ~ Ashley

    • Ashley says:

      Ashley, Thanks for stopping by. I enjoyed the Show-Licious Party a lot! I am still really new to blogging so there is a lot to figure out but so far I am loving it! I should be back on saturday, thanks again for hosting!!

  10. Ashley says:

    Ashley, Thanks for stopping by. I enjoyed the Show-Licious Party a lot! I am still really new to blogging so there is a lot to figure out but so far I am loving it! I should be back on saturday, thanks again for hosting!!

  11. This looks so yummy! Pinned! Thank you so much for being party of our party. Please stop by next Tuesday, I love to see what you have been working on. Happy Friday! Lou Lou Girls

  12. Joy @ Yesterfood says:

    Ashley, this really DOES sound like the Best Pound Cake Ever! It’s beautiful, and I’m so glad you shared it with us at Treasure Box Tuesday- pinned! :)

  13. Can you tell me how to print the recipe? I don’t see the print button. Recipe sounds great and love the site.

  14. Great tutorial Ashley! Thanks for sharing this post at Good Food Friday, I appreciate it!

  15. Wow that’s one giant pound cake :-) I love pound cake, but haven’t been able to find a recipe that I like. I’ll give this a try. Thanks for sharing on Merry Monday.

  16. Susan. McMillan says:

    Hi your cake sounds great but could I ask you if you could send me the original recipe from your grandmother I have a big 45th wedding coming up and need a large cake if I could give you my
    Email address Thank you Susan

    • Ashley says:

      Susan, this is the only version of the recipe that my mom or I have ever had. It is a large cake but not as big as what you a re looking for. You could always pour the cake into two 12 or even 14) inch round pans (and adjust the cooking time) and make it a layered cake. That way you could make two batches and end up with 4 layers tall and 12 inches round. You would need to ice it but there are tons of delicious options for that. Let me know what you end up choosing. Thanks for stopping by!!

      • Alice Stevens says:

        I was interested in using this recipe for the bottom tier of a wedding cake I am baking, so I did a trial run with 1x the recipe and baked it in a 14″ round pan at 325 for about 50 minutes. It turned out amazing! The cake was thick enough to tort, so I’ll do it a second time for a total of 4 layers which should be 5 or 6 inches tall once filled and frosted.
        So pleased I found your nana’s recipe!

  17. susan mcmillan says:

    thank your for your reply i will do that and see if is enough thank you once againt

  18. adrian@lifewithgarnish.com says:

    OMG! I wish my pound cake would turn out this purty:) I’m going to give your recipe and instructions a go to see if maybe this time it will. My husband loves pound cake but I can’t seem to get it right. It’s really frustrating because I can cook everything under the sun BUT pound cake…we’ll see if I can make it happen this time! Thanks for sharing!

  19. Kate Haley says:

    Wondering if this recipe will work for cupcakes?

    • Ashley says:

      Kate,
      I have used a smaller pan for the cake so I put the leftover batter in cupcake tins. I ended up over baking them a little so I would suggest reducing the heat by 25 degrees and checking them every 5 minutes after 35 minutes so that you don’t over cook them like me. 😉
      With a little trial and error I’m sure they will make great cupcakes!!

  20. Ann Barr says:

    Love, love homemade pound cake! Your recipe is similar to the one I have used for so many years. I use 3 sticks of butter and no Crisco, 8 oz. block cream cheese, softened, but no milk. I often add some butter & almond flavoring. Bake at 250 for 2+ hours. Thanks for sharing!

    • Ashley says:

      Ann, that sounds delicious!!! I’ll have to try that sometime with cream cheese. Also, when I don’t have crisco on have I will just use an extra stick of butter. I just wanted to post this recipe as my Nana made it

  21. Thanks for putting this recipe out there. I had an amazing recipe that I got from my Mommom, who got it from her Nanna. I lost it years ago, but this looks similar. I’m going to give it a go and see how it turns out.

  22. Sarah says:

    This may be a silly question but do I have to use a bunt pan to make this cake? Or can one use any type of cake pan

    • Ashley says:

      Sarah, you don’t have to use a bunt pan but it tends to turn out the best that way. I have used 2 medium size loaf pans and reduced the baking temp by 20 degrees and the baking time increased by 15-20 mins and they have turned out ok (sometimes still a little raw in the middle and the bottoms burned).
      A bunt pan (or fluted pan) works best because the hole in huge middle allows the batter to cook more evenly.
      I did put some extra batter (after the loaf pans were full) into cupcake tins and that seemed to work out pretty well but they were done really quickly (30-40 mins)
      Experiment with different pans and the temp and time and let me know how it turns out!!

  23. Jane says:

    I had a sweet Aunt Mary that we would visit in South Carolina, she made the best pound cake! I am hoping this is it. As a young girl I loved getting up at her farmhouse and getting a slice of moist pound cake & sweet tea for my breakfast. Can’t wait to try yours.

    • Ashley says:

      Jane, hopefully this recipe is close!! Let me know after you give it a try!! :)

  24. Alicia Tafua says:

    This recipe sounds so Delicious! I have it in the Oven now. I hope mine comes out as Beautiful as yours! Thank you for Sharing :-)

  25. Wanda Coleman says:

    Thank you thank you thank you for this amazing recipe!!! This is a keeper and I am so glad I finally found a blog recipe I can trust! Thanks again! xxx

  26. Brigitte says:

    Mmm, just made this today! 2/3 size because my pan is smaller, and being lazy, I put everything in the bowl before I used my mixer. Still awesome, especially with strawberries and nutella.

  27. Angel says:

    I just made this pound cake and i must say this is the best recipe i have came across and out of many pound cakes i have made this came out the best love it

  28. Tina says:

    Please, help….Do I use all purpose flour or self rising? And also do I sift the flour before I measure it? Thank you so much!:)

    • Ashley says:

      Tina, I have always used all purpose flour and I have never sifted it. I’m sure that the sifting would make the wake a little lighter but since pound cakes are dense by nature, I’m not sure it is worth there extra effort. Good luck and let me know how it turns out!! Ashley

  29. deb reynolds says:

    When I saw the carton of Crowley’s Milk I had to smile…I know you are a local… 😎 I am in Bingo-town….making your cake…

  30. Theola says:

    Hi If I use cake flour do I leave out the baking powder and salt. Thanks

  31. Karen says:

    I made this yesterday for my family and guests who were over for a small gathering and it’s almost all gone! I opted for the extra 1/2 lb of sugar instead of the crisco. So good! So moist! So pretty! My 70 year-old aunt loved it. It’s a new “family” recipe. :o) Thank you so much for sharing it!!!

  32. WATCH OUT!!!! Too much batter for a standard bundt. Mine is spilling over as I write this.

    • Oh my god, like REALLY REALLY REALLY spilling over. Not a critique on flavor but I think it’s important to know that this recipe will give you A LOT of batter. If I was a more experienced baker I would not have put the whole batch in the pan…I just thought it was a dense, non-rising cake. If I had known this cake rises A LOT I would have spread the rest of the batter into a loaf pan or some cupcakes. You can make TWO BUNDT PANS with this recipe. Sigh. The oven is a mess.

      • Ashley says:

        So sorry that your oven got so messy!! I didn’t specify in the post (and I probably should have!!) but I use a 12 cup fluted pan, my bundt pan is only 8 or 10 cups, I can’t remember but it is too small for this recipe. Until a few years ago, the major bundt pan makers were not making the 12 cup pan which is why I got the fluted one rather than a pretty bundt pan. The 12 cup bundt is back on the market due to popular demand and you can pick one up on Amazon for relatively cheap.
        Again, sorry that you wound up with a messy oven but I hope that you got to enjoy the portion that was left in your pan!! I will add the pan size to the recipe to prevent future mishaps! 😉

  33. Julia Brayboy says:

    I use the same recipe only I use buttermilk. And one cup self rising flour and 2 cups all purpose flour so no extra salt and baking powder.

  34. Anita Hawkins says:

    I got this recipe from my mother who got it from her sister…it was called Cocoa Pound Cake. I leave out the Cocoa and add some butter flavor. I dust the pan with 10X sugar instead of flour. I’ve gotten more compliments and requests for this cake. It is an amazing recipe.

  35. Patrice Hickman says:

    I made this cake and it turned out great. It is a family hit, I come from a family of 8, everyone loves it. I now have to make it for every family gathering. Thanks for sharing!

  36. Ghanima says:

    I’m doing it right now With my girls they are 9 and 6, I added cocoa to 1/3 of the batter to make a marble pound cake .

    The taste of the batter is so yummy can’t wait o eat it .

    All the best on your blog from Kuwait ,middle east .

  37. Can this recipe be halved, if so, how long should it be baked? Recipe looks good but much to big for a family of three.

  38. Mia Jackson says:

    I am making my 3rd pound cake right now. It is very delicious.
    Thank you for such an aamazing recipe.

  39. Alicia says:

    Great recipe. Pretty simple and straightforward for even the novice baker. The results are consistently good. Definitely a keeper!

    • Morgan Myers says:

      Oh, I’m so glad you liked it! I agree – The simplicity makes it easy to make year round!

  40. Dee says:

    The ratio of flour to moist ingredients is off. The cake is far too soupy for just 3 cups of cake flour at that. 7 eggs and cream over powered the flour and way too much sugar. The batter was sticky. This recipe did not work for me at all. I will not be trying it again. Sorry

    • Ashley says:

      Dee, sorry to hear that the recipe didnt work for you. That might be because the recipe only calls for 6 eggs and it looks like you added 7. One less egg might help that ratio. Let me know if you give it a try again, i would love to hear how it turns out. -Ashley

    • Julie Sadler says:

      Also, she does not say to use cake flour which is much lighter in protein than all purpose flour.

  41. Christine says:

    I have been a cook for years and I can honestly say that out of all the pound cakes that I have cooked, this is the best one, and I’m sixty years old. Thanks for sharing it.

  42. Nedaa says:

    Thank you for the recipe I made it today , it was good but very sweet.

  43. Laurie K says:

    This definitely is “THE BEST” pound cake I’ve ever made! Thanks so much for sharing your family recipe with us all.

  44. Denise says:

    NOT going to lie —

    I LOVE CAKE!

    I especially love good frosted cakes!

    I’ll eat pound cake but it really isn’t my favorite …. WELL IT WASN’T until today!

    ❤️❤️❤️ this recipe — my cake is divinely delicious!

    Thank you!

  45. Mamie Test White says:

    I made this cake because it reminded me of a recipe i found on line my family loved it . it is in the oven now fater 80 mi8nutes it was near done. are you certain about that 325 temperature? do not want to go to 350 but i am worried it will dry out if it takes longer to cook. i thought ut was the recipe I lost but now I don’t this so. I have a XL tube pan,

  46. Mamie Test White says:

    Sorry Ashley I spoke to soon, the cake did take about 15-20 more minutes to finish. when i walked down stairs I opened the oven the cake was a beautiful golden brown and the sides had pulled away just as you described. it was done, tooth pick in came out dry. it looks amazing and taste amazing. thanks

Trackbacks

  1. […]  Who can pass up The Best Pound Cake Ever!!!?  Not I. Especially when it’s been around as long as this recipe. Ashley at Leaving the […]

  2. […] not a food post, I will not be linking it up below but instead I want to share an oldie but goodie, The Best Pound Cake Ever!! It was my Great-Grandma’s recipe and will not disappoint! Be sure to stop back by after you […]

  3. […] Best Strawberry Shortcake Ever has to start with The Best Pound Cake Ever… or things just wouldn’t work out right, your strawberry shortcake would turn out […]

  4. […] week I am sharing a post from earlier that uses the Pound Cake that I shared last week the Best Strawberry Shortcake EVER!! It is such a simple recipe with just […]

  5. […] I usually bake my pound cake in an angle food cake pan because my angle food cake pan is much larger (10-12 cups) and my pound cake recipe needs a bigger pan. Check out my Great-Grandma’s hand me down recipe here.  […]

  6. […] red. Fitting, don’t ya think? When you google pound cake recipes, sometimes you do find the Best Pound Cake recipe It is pretty darn good, so you should check it out. And no, it’s NOT part of the Fitness […]

  7. […] red. Fitting, don’t ya think? When you google pound cake recipes, sometimes you do find the Best Pound Cake recipe It is pretty darn good, so you should check it out. And no, it’s NOT part of the Fitness […]

Speak Your Mind

*

Rate this recipe:  

Privacy & Disclosure