Old Fashioned Pound Cake Recipe

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This Old Fashioned Pound Cake Recipe is going to lead to so many beautiful dessert possibilities. A moist and dense loaf cake is the start of something awesome.

Some witches like a lot of bells and whistles in their craft and in the kitchen. They're definitely in the camp of more is more, and sometimes I'm right there with them. But there's also something to be said for stripped down simplicity. A few ingredients, a clear intention, clean flavors, and strong energy. That can be just as powerful.

I love having a few strong but simple base recipes in my repetoire. I know that they're beautiful all on their own, but they're also the vehicle for other flavors or the springboard for new possibilities. They're the ideal canvas on which to work a bit of kitchen magick.

What makes this Old Fashioned Pound Cake recipe so awesome?

This old fashioned pound cake recipe is one of those. It's a simple loaf cake made with butter, sugar, eggs, flour, vanilla, and buttermilk. It couldn't be more basic, but it's deeply satisfying. The buttermilk ensures that it stays moist for days and gives it just the slightest hint of acidity to really make the flavor pop. I would quite happily eat this plain right out of my hand.

But when you serve a slice of this cake with fresh fruit, chocolate sauce, lemon curd, sweetened cream, or some other awesome topping, it goes right over the top. The possibilities are essentially endless. It's a great way to use up stray sweet condiments hanging out in your fridge. You could also use this cake to make ice cream sandwiches or a trifle. How awesome is that?

Old Fashioned Pound Cake with blackberries and lemon curd

Butter in Mythology

Butter is pretty magical when you think of the way it's made, simply by agitating cream. It's a symbol of transformation, and it's been important in spiritual practices for centuries. Ancient Sumerians left offerings of butter to the goddess Inanna, while fires for the Indian god Agni were fed with butter or ghee. It plays a role in many Hindu myths, and even today, ghee finds a place in traditions and celebrations of deities such as Krishna. (Source: Wonders & Marvels)

For the magical properties of the ingredients in this recipe, check the Kitchen Magick page.

Old Fashioned Pound Cake slice cut on a wooden board

Tips for making Old Fashioned Pound Cake

This cake is simple to make. Start with all your ingredients at room temperature and make sure everything is well mixed, and everything will be fine. Start by creaming butter and sugar by beating until it's pale and fluffy. Then work in the eggs. From there, you'll alternate mixing in your dry ingredients with buttermilk laced with vanilla extract until you have a thick batter.

Add this to your loaf pan and flatten it out as best you can. A little trick I learned is to run the knife or spatula you used to smooth the top right down the center of the cake, right down to the bottom. They say it helps the center of the cake bake more evenly. It seems to help, but it's not necessary.

It'll be ready a few minutes after your house starts to smell like cake. Check it with a toothpick to make sure it's baked through in the center. Let it cool completley before slicing, topping, and enjoying.

What makes a cake moist and fluffy?

Fluffy cakes start with good mixing, so beat your butter and sugar together for a good five minutes at the start to create tiny bubbles in your cake batter that will then expand in the oven.

This Old Fashioned Pound Cake Recipe is going to lead to so much delicious magic. You've just gotta give it a try.

Looking for more awesome cake recipes? Try this Citrus Bundt Cake or a 5 Minute Microwave Lemon Cake.

Old Fashioned Pound Cake

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Author: Renee Rendall
Prep Time: 20
Cook Time: 45
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Yield: 8 servings 1x
Category: Dessert
Method: Baked
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegetarian

Ingredients

Units Scale

4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1-½ cups all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons buttermilk
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350F (175C) and butter and flour a loaf pan. You may also want to line the bottom with parchment paper for extra insurance.
In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and the sugar by beating them with an electric mixer on medium high for about five minutes. You want the mixture to be pale and fluffy.
Turn your mixer down a notch and beat in the eggs one at a time until combined.
In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Also measure out your buttermilk in another container or measuring cup, and add the vanilla extract to it. If you have a stand mixer, you can do this while your butter and sugar are being creamed.
With your mixer on it's lowest setting, tip in a third of your dry ingredients, followed by half of your buttermilk, beating each time until everything is just combined. Keep going with another third of the dry stuff, the rest of the buttermilk, and then the last of the dry ingredients until everything comes together.
Ditch the electric mixer, being sure to scrape off as much of the batter as you can. Give the bowl one last scrape and gentle mix with a rubber spatula, and then transfer your thick batter to your waiting loaf pan. Smooth out the top, and bake for 40-45 minutes or until it's golden on the top and a cake tester comes out clean.
Allow your cake to cool in the pan for about ten minutes, then gently turn it out of the pan and allow it to continue to cool on a wire rack.
Slice and serve with your favorite accompaniments.