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Granny’s Pound Cake

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Granny's Pound Cake - Tender and never dry, with a buttery taste and incredible texture. This Pound Cake is delicious toasted or served with juicy fresh fruit, ice cream or as a layer in a trifle. This cake also freezes beautifully. #savingroomfordessert #poundcake #margarinepoundcake #creamcheesepoundcake #cake #grannyscake #dessert

Granny’s Pound Cake – Tender and never dry, with a buttery taste and incredible texture. This Pound Cake is delicious toasted or served with juicy fresh fruit, ice cream or as a layer in a trifle. This cake also freezes beautifully.

Do you have one of those recipes?  You know the one that’s perfect every time you make it?  This pound cake is one of those amazing recipes. It’s so simple, always delicious and a consistent crowd favorite.  There are two recipes my mother-in-law gave me and I’ve made them for the last 32 years (as of 2018).  One is this Sweet & Sour Meatloaf (or Dutch meatloaf) I posted recently, and the other is this pound cake.  Everybody loves this cake.  It’s perfect, every. single. time.
You can make this in two loaf pans or one large Bundt pan.  It freezes beautifully and my husband even likes it sliced and warmed in the toaster.  I’ve served it plain, with strawberries, whipped cream and/or ice cream.  It’s a great cake layer in our Mixed Berry Trifle because the cake is like a sponge!  Let me know if you make it and how you serve it.  I hope you enjoy this one – it’s a keeper!
buttery cream cheese pound cake with strawberries

This easy pound cake is make with just a few pantry ingredients:

All you need is cake flour, sugar, 6 jumbo eggs, cream cheese, butter and margarine. The original recipe doesn’t call for vanilla but I’ve been adding it the last few years.
I’m posting the recipe as it was passed on to me but adding some suggestions in the notes. Personally, I don’t cook or bake with margarine anymore so I’ve been making this cake using all butter. I never have jumbo eggs on hand, so I usually make it with 7 large eggs instead.
I’ve found that this cake bakes much faster when using all butter. See my tips in the notes about the baking time. It also gets just a little darker brown on the crust.
sliced pound cake with strawberries

Can you freeze this pound cake?

This cake freezes beautifully! I often make two loaf pan cakes and freeze one to have on hand for company or for gifting to a sick friend, etc. You can also freeze slices of this cake. Just layer between wax or parchment paper and store in a well sealed, airtight container.
sliced pound cake with strawberries

Tips for serving Granny’s pound cake:

Serve thick slices with fruit, ice cream, whipped cream or anything you have on hand. One of our favorite toppings is a big dollop of homemade lemon curd. Sometimes all you need it a little dusting of powdered sugar! Don’t forget to try a slice in the toaster 🙂
a slice of cream cheese pound cake with strawberries
Don’t forget to share with someone you love, or several special someones. This cake serves a bunch!

Thanks for PINNING!

A sliced pound cake topped with powdered sugar

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PRINT THE RECIPE!

Granny's Pound Cake

Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 1 hr 45 mins
Total Time: 1 hr 50 mins
Yield: 12
Course: Cake, Dessert
Author: Tricia
PRINT RECIPE
Perfect every time - great toasted or served with fruit. Also freezes beautifully

Ingredients

  • 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
  • 1 cup Parkay margarine, room temperature
  • 3 cups granulated sugar
  • 3 cups cake flour, sifted after measuring
  • 6 Jumbo eggs

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 300°F. Grease and flour (or use Baking Pam) a large (12 cup) Bundt pan or two loaf pans. Set aside.
  • In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, margarine, and cream cheese until smooth.
  • Add the sugar and beat until very light and fluffy.
  • Alternate adding eggs and flour. Beat only until the yolks disappear and all flour is incorporated. Do not over-beat.
  • Bake at 300°F for 1 hour 45 minutes.
  • Allow the cake to cool 30 minutes before removing from the pan.

Recipe Notes

This recipe has also been tested multiple times using all butter (unsalted only) instead of the margarine and butter combo. The cake bakes more quickly when made with just butter and is a little darker around the edges. IMPORTANT: If using all butter instead of margarine, reduce the baking time to 90 minutes.
If you don't have jumbo eggs, use 7 large eggs.
My mother-in-law never added salt or flavorings but I've been adding 1 tablespoon vanilla to the recipe as well as 1/2 teaspoon salt, if using unsalted butter. 

Here are a few more Pound Cake Recipes you might enjoy:

This is my favorite Bundt pan for making delicious pound cakes!  (Click the photo for more information)

The small print: If you decide to purchase something at Amazon after following my affiliate link, I receive a small commission, at no additional cost to you, which I use to pay for web hosting and services for this blog.

Enjoy!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Tricia

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67 Comments

  3. Diedre Smith says

    Hi Tricia,
    My husband’s granny passed away one week ago at 99 years old. Her pound cake was legendary, though never documented. From what I remember when I watched her make it, your recipe is the closest. And it’s called Granny’s Pound Cake, so maybe that’s the real secret—it has to come from Granny. It’s in the oven now so I’ll let you know how it turns out. Thanks for posting and giving the credit to Granny.

    reply to this comment >

  4. Eva says

    Hi! Have you ever used a flour blend? IE., almond flour combined with a cake flour? I chose almond flour for texture and moisture it provides. Also, my cakes (pound cake) are not brown (I use a bunt /tube pan) after taking from oven and turning right side up…please advise.

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  5. Bianca says

    I assume when you say you use “all butter” you’re referring to replacing only the margarine…not the cream cheese also. Is this correct, or are you truly using one pound of butter.

    Your photo looks so similar to mine, but I’ve been having problems getting it to rise like I used to, and I’m thinking it’s the eggs. I don’t see jumbo eggs as much as I used to. And thanks the the tip about the top crust separating and the cake falling slightly. I’m going to try bearing the eggs and then asking them to the mixture to keep from over mixing.

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    • Tricia Buice says

      Hi Bianca – You are correct about substituting butter for the margarine – not the cream cheese. I recently picked up a different brand of eggs from another grocery store I don’t usually visit. I made a cake that completely flopped because the egg white were so runny – I couldn’t believe what a difference it made. I picked up my normal eggs and the cake was a success. If you can’t find jumbo eggs, I would use 7 large eggs. Good luck and thanks for the feedback – I’ll check the recipe to make sure it is easy to understand.

      reply to this comment >

    • Tricia Buice says

      Hi Tony. I really don’t know if this will work. I’ve never tried substituting coconut oil for all the fat in a recipe. Not sure it the whole cake would be more crisp on the exterior. I would be interested to hear how it turns out if you try it. Good luck.

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    • Tricia Buice says

      Hi Tameka – great question. Nothing bad will happen if you don’t sift the flour in this recipe. If the recipe calls for you to measure already sifted flour, that would make a big difference. However, sifting flour adds air and lightness to cakes and baked goods. It’s not the end of the world if you don’t, but it may be more dense. Click HERE to read a good article about when and why we sift 🙂

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    • Tricia Buice says

      Great question Joy – he said he likes them both. I guess that’s him being politically correct 😉 Personally, I’m very fond of the margarine version. It’s bakes up lighter, even though it takes longer in the oven. I never have margarine on hand, only butter. So in a perfect world I would say make the one with the combination of margarine and butter, use jumbo eggs and add plenty of vanilla 🙂 Hope that helps.

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    • Tricia Buice says

      Hi Jennifer. I think it’s fine to cut down on the sugar, but I have not tested it and can’t be sure the texture will be the same. Remember that sugar becomes liquid so the cake may end up dry. I would think up to 1/2 cup may work, but again I cannot be sure without testing. If you decide to reduce the sugar by say 1/2 cup, I would also reduce the flour by 1/4 cup. Just a thought. Good luck!

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  11. Tonia A says

    Hi Tricia, I absolutely love this recipe. I have made this cake several times this year with great success. Lately, I’ve been having a problem with the cake sticking to the pan. That’s never happened before. I’m using the same pan and same ingredients. I even bought a new pan and I’m getting the same results. PLEASE HELP!

    reply to this comment >

    • Tricia Buice says

      Hi Tonia. I have been thinking about your question and am not really sure why this is happening. Are you greasing and flouring the pan yourself or using a baking spray? If using the spray canned stuff, I would make sure to spray the pan just before adding the batter. If greasing yourself, make sure each of the crevasses are well floured. Could it be a change in humidity or something off with your oven? As stated in the post, I’ve been making this for 30 years or more. I seem to remember having a problem like that once, but not with any consistency. I purchased a really Nordic bundt pan and have never had problems with it. It’s a non stick pan but I still grease and flour it anyway. Here’s a link to the pan I use – NORDIC WARE PRO CAKE PAN -12 CUP. I am very sorry you’re having problems. I would keep trying and make sure it is cooled a little longer before removing from the pan. I recently posted another version of this cake – PERFECT EVERY TIME ALMOND POUND CAKE. I also did a blueberry lemon version HERE. Thanks again for your comment and feedback. I hope the issue resolves itself soon. Southern living has a great article about how to make the perfect pound cake. It addresses mixing, etc. I’ve always found it helpful. You can find that article HERE. Thanks again and good luck – hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

      reply to this comment >

  12. Gemma says

    I have also made this pound cake for my nephew many times. I sometimes get a line through the batter, don’t know what causes this. I use all butter and extra large or jumbo eggs. The texture varies, I wonder if I am not beating the eggs long enough, I add them 1 at a time as per my recipe.

    reply to this comment >

    • Tricia Buice says

      Hi Gemma. I always make sure to beat the butter and sugar very well, but only mix the eggs until the yolk disappears. So I don’t think it is under-beating the eggs. This recipe makes a lot of batter so be sure you are scraping the bowl very well, digging up from the bottom to make sure all ingredients are incorporated … top to bottom. When you over-beat the eggs, it may cause the cake to have a crust that separates and the batter to sink. Hope that makes sense and hope it helps. Take care and thanks for reading SRFD!

      reply to this comment >

    • Tricia Buice says

      Hi Staci – I do not vary the cooking time if divided into loaf pans. It has worked for me but if you want to check about 15 minutes early, that may be the safe route to take. Good question – thanks for reading and for trying the recipe!

      reply to this comment >

  14. Marguerite says

    This is almost my pound cake recipe that everyone LOVES!! I had not heard of alternating 1egg and some flour, just add the eggs one at a time beating after each. I do sift my cake flour, and I add 1 Tbsp of vanilla and 1 1/2 -2 tsps of butter nut flavoring and 3 sticks of butter. My recipe calls for starting in a cold oven 325 for 90 mins. I shared one with my Aunt Ethel one time that ended up with a sad spot and when my cousin Barry had a piece he said look she uses Grandma’s recipe! Sweet memory of family. Happy baking!

    reply to this comment >

    • Tricia Buice says

      That is correct – the original recipe never called for vanilla or anything so this is how I always make it. We never missed the extracts but feel free to add your favorite – I don't think you would mess it up – maybe just make it better. Enjoy!

      reply to this comment >

  20. Anonymous says

    Has anyone tried this delicious looking pound cake with all butter and no margarine?<br />Please reply with your results. I love pound cake, too, and this fine-textured one looks like the gold standard of pound cakes. My current favorite is "Elvis Presley's Favorite Pound Cake", but this looks like a contender!

    reply to this comment >

  23. Brenda says

    Ok – I made the pound cake! It wasn't very hard and it is delicious!! the pan I used was evidently kinda small so it overflowed… 🙁 but it still tastes good. I will make it again with a different pan. Thanks! Look on my FB site to see my photos.

    reply to this comment >

      • Tricia Buice says

        I am not sure how large eggs will change the cake because I have not tested it. However, if using “large” (not “extra-large”) I would add one more egg to the recipe. If using extra-large I would just leave it the same. Eggs vary in size anyway – I don’t think it will turn out bad at all. Good luck – hope you love it as much as we do 🙂

        reply to this comment >

  24. Mary says

    Tricia, this is an absolutely gorgeous pound cake. I'm new to your blog but have been browsing through some of your earlier entries. I really like the food and recipes you feature here. I'll definitely be back. I hope you have a great day. Blessings…Mary

    reply to this comment >

  25. Rich says

    That's a great story about Eliza! It really puts things in perspective when I think about how old I'm getting – she's seen a lot more than I could even imagine!<br /><br />And this pound cake looks fantastic; I can imagine it brightening anyone's day!

    reply to this comment >
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