From outward appearances, all pound cakes are created equal. When prepared properly, a pound cake’s exterior should precisely mirror the pan in which it was baked, with a lovely combination of sharp peaks and soft mounds. Problem is, without slicing, it’s hard to know what’s inside each pound cake. That’s why, with this recipe, I took a photo after half if it was already devoured by family and friends.
I’ve made pound cakes for years, but this is the first recipe I’ve attempted from scratch: not a box cake mix anywhere in sight. It was one of two desserts I served on Christmas Day, and my goal was to have an option for guests who didn’t want an overwhelmingly sugary treat after dinner.
And let me tell you, the end result was a dense cake with just a hint of sweetness. Time got the better of me, so I wasn’t able to prepare a vanilla glaze to drizzle on top. The pound cake, however, tasted just perfect on its own, soft on the inside and firm on the outside. When warmed in the microwave for a few seconds with a drift of butter spread upon top, the pound cake nicely transforms from dessert to breakfast the very next day.
Southwest Georgia Pound Cake
Recipe courtesy of Paula Deen
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
3 cups sugar
6 large eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Generously grease and flour a 10-inch Bundt pan. Do not preheat the oven.
Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Alternately add flour mixture and heavy cream to the butter-sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Stir in vanilla extract.
Pour batter into prepared Bundt pan. Put into a cold oven and set the temperature to 325 degrees. Bake for one hour without opening the oven door. Bake for an additional 15 minutes if necessary. Remove from the oven and cool in the Bundt pan for 15 minutes.
*I don’t own an electric mixer, but simply used my hand mixer. It took a little longer, but did the trick.
Well, a hand mixer is an electric mixer (as opposed to a stand mixer), unless you used the hand-crank variety. :)
Looks absolutely delicious! Another absolutely wonderful topping is freshly whipped cream: whisk together chilled heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla (with at least 4:1 cream to sugar; vanilla to taste, usually no more than a teaspoon per cup of cream, it’s powerful stuff) in a chilled bowl until it’s the consistency you want. Serve immediately, or store in the chill chest covered (not for more than a few hours).
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Wendy-that looks fabulous!! I’ve tried pound cake mixes and they don’t turn out well at all. This recipe is going in my “to try” soon! :)
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Wendy-Your pound cake looks amazing and makes me hungry even after all the treats I have been eating! I love to bake and think this recipe looks great!
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