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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.
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!
All you need is cake flour, sugar, 6 jumbo eggs, cream cheese, butter and margarine. This 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. I don’t cook or bake with margarine anymore, so I’ve been making this cake with all butter. I never have jumbo eggs, so I make it with 7 large eggs instead.
I’ve found that it bakes much faster when making an all butter cake. It also gets just a little darker brown on the crust.
Serve thick slices with fruit, ice cream, whipped cream or anything you have on hand.
Don’t forget to share with someone you love, or several someones – it serves a bunch!
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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
Perfect every time - great toasted or served with fruit. Also freezes beautifully
Course: Cake, Dessert
Servings: 12
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
- 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.
- Grease and flour (or use Baking Pam) a large (12 cup) Bundt pan or two loaf pans.
- Bake at 300 degrees 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, I 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.
Here are a few more Pound Cake Recipes you might enjoy:
- Perfect Every Time – Almond Pound Cake
- Blueberry Lemon Pound Cake
- Chocolate Pound Cake
- Blueberry-Lemon Icebox Cake
- Easy Lemon Ricotta Pound Cake
- Mini Coconut Pound Cakes
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
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.
Hi Eva. No I have not used a flour blend. I love almond flour and have used it successfully in many baked goods. Are you saying that you made this recipe and it did not turn brown like mine, or that other recipes you have tried in the past don’t brown well? I am happy to help if I can!
Easy cake to make! I added pure vanilla extract and I always add salt when baking with unsalted butter. Baked it for 95minutes because it’s dense and because oven temps vary. To be safe use toothpick test. other than it sticking to the pan around the middle, the cake turned out wonderfully.
Thanks so much for the feedback Gloria. Love your adaptations 🙂 Thanks for giving it a try!
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.
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.
Hi Tricia,
Thank you for sharing your grandmother’s pound cake recipe. Seeing the texture of the cake, from the picture, drew me to viewing the recipe.
Hope you’ll give it a try Elaine!
Can I use coconut oil instead of butter and margarine? If yes, would it be total of 1.5 cup? Does the bake time and temperature vary?
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.
Hello, what happens to the cake if you dont sift the flour?
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 🙂
Does your husband like it better with your revisions or his mom’s original recipe?????????
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.
love your site !!!!!!I like pound cakes && I collect pound cake recipes–
keed posted them
Absolutely Barb – me too! Hope you get the chance to try a few 🙂
My cake over flowed in bundt?
I’m sorry – you have to use the biggest, 12-cup bundt pan. Double check the recipe I believe I noted that in the instructions. Hope you were able to salvage part of it. If you only have a smaller bundt pan, bake part of the batter in a loaf pan next time. Or try to cut the recipe in half. Sorry you had trouble.
Hi Tricia, if I cut down on the amount of sugar, will the recipe still work and have the same texture? How much sugar can I reduce it by? Thanks so much!
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!
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!
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.
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.
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!
Does the baking time vary if using 2 loaf pans instead of the large Bundt pan? If yes, then what the baking time?
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!
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!
I’ve always made it the way my mother-in-law did and everybody loves it too. These must be old recipes! Thanks so much for stopping by and for commenting!
If I like I can add flavoring
Sure Donna – almond or vanilla – even orange would be great! Thanks so much for stopping by!
I will try your recipe.
Is the butter salted or unsalted? Or does it matter?
I don’t think it matters – I have used both. Over the last 6 years or so I went to just unsalted butter. For years prior to that time I used salted. No worries!
One last question. Is the oven to be preheated, or not preheated?
Preheated. I’ll check my recipe 🙂
I’m sorry yo bother you on the 4th of july. But I was trying to make the cake and while getting the ingredients I got crisco margarine, not knowing what parkay was. Is that fine or no?
I’ve not heard of Crisco Margarine – but if it’s margarine then I think it will be fine. If it is butter flavored Crisco – probably not. I think this cake will also work well with all butter. Sorry to be late in getting back with you – I haven’t been near my computer during the last day or so. Hope it turned out well for you and that you had a lovely July 4th!
Hi can you please tell me what 1 stick equals in grams for us Assie cooks
Yes I can! One stick of butter equals – 8 tablespoons, or 1/2 cup or 113.5 grams!
This cake has no kind of flavoring or extract??
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!
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!
Not that I know of – I always do the mixture of butter and margarine. Hope it turned out well!
I was going to ask the same thing. I won't eat margarine. I'll try it with just butter and see what happens 🙂
Hi, I have used three sticks of butter, no margarine, perfect every time.
I stumbled upon your blog through Tasty Kitchen. I am in love with this pound cake. I am going after the ingredients tomorrow.
That pound cake looks delicious, so golden and dense. This would be perfect with a dollop of whipped cream on it. I have a sweet treat linky party going on at my blog called "Sweets for a Saturday" and I'd like to invite you to stop by and link your cake up. http://sweet-as-sugar-cookies.blogspot.com
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.
Can large eggs be used instead of jumbo? If yes, how many large eggs in the place of 6 jumbo eggs? Will using large eggs change the taste of the cake?
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 🙂
hello I was reading the recipe this cake doesn’t require any flavor?
Hi Dorothy – no vanilla or anything but you are welcome to add some. This was the way my mother-in-law made it and we love it as is. However, I have tweaked the recipe a bit and republished with my changes HERE – https://www.savingdessert.com/perfect-every-time-almond-pound-cake/ either one is great but I adore almond flavoring so the updated recipe is my favorite. You can use all butter and add 2 teaspoons vanilla if you want and it will be terrific! Thanks so much for asking. Hope you give it a try.
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
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!
Tom loves Pound Cake!! I think this will be the 1st thing I make. Just need to get the cake flour next time I get groceries. Can't wait to make it!
I made it 2 x with regular u bleached flour. I sifted it 4x. It worked beautifully. Just as beautiful as my grandmothers pound cake!
Thank you so much Lori – I have often wondered how it would work with unbleached flour in place of the cake flour. Good to know and thank you for commenting and for being a reader – this is awesome!
Hello, can 10x sugar be used instead of granulated?
Hi Janice. I would not make this substitution. Granulated sugar melts when heated, as do other sugars. However 10x, powdered or confectioners sugar would not melt the same nor would it equal the same amount of liquid as granulated. I have not tested this and would be afraid to waste all that butter if it didn’t turn out. If you give it a go anyway, let us know how it turns out for you! Thanks
My cake fell in the middle. Any baking powder?
Hi Jennifer. I’ve never added baking powder to this recipe but you are welcome to. Pound cakes do not require leavening but I know some people add it anyway. Did you bake this in a loaf pan? Sometimes cakes will fall in the middle if they were over-beaten, adding too much air to the batter. Here’s a link to an article that I’ve always found helpful for Tips for Baking a Perfect Pound Cake from Southern Living. Good luck and sorry you had trouble.