Heirloom Recipe: Grandma's Old Fashioned Pound Cake Recipe (2024)

Recipes

ByMerissa

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You’ll love this delicious old-fashioned pound cake recipe. It tastes just like the one your grandma used to make!

Heirloom Recipe: Grandma's Old Fashioned Pound Cake Recipe (1)

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Old Fashioned Pound Cake

I love all things vintage and old-fashioned, and as you might know, I collect old cookbooks that I find in antique stores. This old-fashioned pound cake recipe comes from a 1940s cookbook. It’s very moist and completely delicious!

A few notes about this recipe. First of all, I looked up several other pound cake recipes to compare, and this one wasn’t like any of the others. The more recipes I looked at, the more worried I was that this one would be a colossal failure! However, I followed the recipe and instructions (mostly), and it turned out to be lovely. In fact, it was a huge hit, and the whole family loved it.

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Heirloom Recipe: Grandma's Old Fashioned Pound Cake Recipe (3)

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Old Fashioned Pound Cake Recipe

You'll love this delicious old fashioned pound cake recipe. It tastes just like the one your grandma used to make!

CourseDessert

CuisineAmerican

KeywordOld Fashioned Pound Cake

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1cupbutter
  • 1cupsugar
  • 5eggsseparated
  • 1/4teaspoonnutmeg
  • 1tablespoonlemon juice
  • 2cupsflour
  • 1teaspoonbaking powder
  • 1/2teaspoonbaking soda
  • 1teaspoonvanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

  2. In a small bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.

  3. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter. Then add the sugar and beat well.

  4. Stir in beaten egg yolks and nutmeg.

  5. Alternately add dry ingredients and fold in egg whites, adding lemon juice with egg whites

  6. Stir in vanilla extract

  7. Add to a loaf pan or bundt ban and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour

Nutrition Facts

Old Fashioned Pound Cake Recipe

Amount Per Serving

Calories 455Calories from Fat 234

% Daily Value*

Fat 26g40%

Saturated Fat 16g100%

Trans Fat 1g

Polyunsaturated Fat 2g

Monounsaturated Fat 7g

Cholesterol 163mg54%

Sodium 344mg15%

Potassium 82mg2%

Carbohydrates 49g16%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 25g28%

Protein 7g14%

Vitamin A 858IU17%

Vitamin C 1mg1%

Calcium 57mg6%

Iron 2mg11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Heirloom Recipe: Grandma's Old Fashioned Pound Cake Recipe (5)

Strawberry Glaze Recipe

Typically, pound cake is served without icing because it is so rich. However, I had some strawberries that were calling my name, and I just couldn’t help myself, so I made a strawberry glaze to go with ours. You can find the recipe below if you’d like to add it to yours.

If you want to skip it but still want the pound cake to look pretty, you can just sprinkle some powdered sugar over the top.

This glaze would also be delicious drizzled over some Homemade Muffins! Get the Muffin Mix Recipe.

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Strawberry Glaze Recipe

This strawberry glaze is a perfect addition to your favorite snacks or desserts.

CourseDessert

CuisineAmerican

KeywordStrawberry Glaze Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Servings 8

Calories 223 kcal

Creator Merissa

Ingredients

  • 1/2cupbuttersoftened
  • 2cupspowdered sugar
  • 1/2teaspoonvanilla extract
  • 2-3tablespoonsmilk
  • 3large strawberriespureed

Instructions

  1. Cream the butter in a mixing bowl.

  2. Add 1 cup of powdered sugar, and mix well. Add remaining powdered sugar, alternating with milk until desired consistency is reached.

  3. Finally, mix in 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and strawberry puree. If the glaze is too thick, add additional milk 1 teaspoon at a time. If it is too thin, add additional powdered sugar 1 tablespoon at a time.

Nutrition Facts

Strawberry Glaze Recipe

Amount Per Serving

Calories 223Calories from Fat 108

% Daily Value*

Fat 12g18%

Saturated Fat 7g44%

Trans Fat 0.5g

Polyunsaturated Fat 0.4g

Monounsaturated Fat 3g

Cholesterol 31mg10%

Sodium 93mg4%

Potassium 17mg0%

Carbohydrates 31g10%

Fiber 0.1g0%

Sugar 30g33%

Protein 0.3g1%

Vitamin A 361IU7%

Vitamin C 3mg4%

Calcium 9mg1%

Iron 0.04mg0%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Enjoy this delicious pound cake with your favorite fruit, strawberry glaze above, or plain with whipped cream!

Heirloom Recipe: Grandma's Old Fashioned Pound Cake Recipe (8)

More Old Fashioned Recipes

  • Old Fashioned Sour Cream Cookies Recipe
  • Old Fashioned Rhubarb Bars Recipe
  • Old Fashioned Cheese Squares Recipe
  • Old Fashioned Meatloaf Recipe
  • Old Fashioned Bread Pudding Recipe
  • Old Fashioned Chocolate Pie
  • Old Fashioned Green Beans: Using the Garden Veggies
  • Old Fashioned Baked Beans Recipe
  • Old Fashioned Potato Salad Recipe

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What is your favorite cake recipe?

Heirloom Recipe: Grandma's Old Fashioned Pound Cake Recipe (9)

Merissa Alink

Merissa has been blogging about andliving the simple and frugal life on Little House Living since 2009 and has internationally published 2 books on the topic. You can read about Merissa’s journey from penniless to freedom on the About Page. You can send her a message any time from theContact Page.


This Old Fashioned Pound Cake Recipe was originally published on Little House Living in July 2014. It has been updated as of March 2024.

Heirloom Recipe: Grandma's Old Fashioned Pound Cake Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What makes a pound cake turn out dry? ›

Extra sugar or leavening causes a cake to fall; extra flour makes it dry.

What is a secret ingredient for cakes? ›

To summarize, applesauce is a secret weapon for creating moist and healthier cakes. Its natural sweetness and moisture make it a great substitute for high-fat ingredients like oil or butter. So go ahead, embrace the power of applesauce and elevate your cakes to new levels of deliciousness!

How do I keep my pound cake from being dense? ›

Add Sour Cream

To help prevent a dry, dense cake, let's add a creamy and light wet ingredient. Milk is usually required in a cake recipe to thin out the batter and lighten up the crumb, but sour cream is often overlooked. In addition to milk, add a Tablespoon or 2 of sour cream.

What is the difference between English cake and pound cake? ›

Sponge cake is basically a foam cake, comprises egg, sugar, and flour as its primary ingredients. On the other hand, pound cake is classified as butter cake. It uses the same three main ingredients as sponge cake, but with the crucial addition of butter.

Is it better to bake pound cake at 325 or 350? ›

A steady 325-350 degrees is ideal when it comes to baking pound cake. Position the pan in the middle of the oven, and rotate it once, halfway through the baking time, as it bakes to account for any hot spots.

How do you make pound cake moist again? ›

The most common cake soak is simple syrup, equal parts sugar and water cooked until the sugar is dissolved. This added bit of liquid and sweetness help make the cake more moist, and stay moist longer. Professional bakers also use a milk soak, which is milk or cream dabbed onto the cake.

What is the main ingredient that makes a cake moist? ›

USE VEGETABLE OIL. While butter undoubtedly imparts excellent flavor, vegetable oil can really elevate a cake when it comes to moisture. Replacing butter with vegetable oil in your cake recipes typically yields moist results.

What is the secret to baking a moist cake? ›

How to Keep Cake Moist
  1. Use cake flour. Making a moist cake starts with the cake mix. ...
  2. Avoid overmixing. ...
  3. Maintain the right baking temperature. ...
  4. Avoid overbaking the cake. ...
  5. Soak the cake. ...
  6. Add moisture between the cake layers. ...
  7. Frost the cake right away. ...
  8. Store the cake properly.
Dec 20, 2021

What ingredient makes cake Fluffy? ›

Cakes and pastries are fluffy and light in nature due to the presence of baking soda in it. When baking soda is combined with both an acidic ingredient and a liquid, it becomes activated. Upon activation, Carbon dioxide is produced, which allows baked products to rise and become light and fluffy.

Is it better to use cake flour or all-purpose flour for a pound cake? ›

Use cake flour in recipes where you want an extra-light, extra-fluffy texture, like Angel Food Cake, Cream Cheese Pound Cake, or Buttermilk-Chocolate Cake. You can also use cake flour to bring a more tender crumb to other sweets, like Chocolate Crinkle Cookies.

How can pound cakes be made lighter and smoother? ›

Pound cake typically gets all its lift from the eggs, so if you want a lighter cake, try beating the yolks into the creamed butter and sugar, then whipping the egg whites to stiff peaks and folding them into the batter after stirring in the flour and flavorings.

Should I cover my pound cake? ›

I would suggest wrapping 2-3 times in plastic wrap and foil and stick it in a plastic grocery bag and tie it up. I don't ice pound cakes with anything other than a glaze, made with powdered sugar and a couple tablespoons of milk or lemon juice.

How many eggs is a pound of eggs? ›

How many eggs are in a pound? Eggs vary in weight since not all eggs are the same. Large eggs tend to weigh just short of 2 ounces each. It takes between 8 and 9 large eggs to equal one pound.

Is angel cake the same as pound cake? ›

No, angel food cake and pound cake are not the same thing. Angel food cake is made with egg whites, flour, and sugar. Pound cake is made with butter, eggs, flour, and sugar. Cloud-like angel food cake has no fat and no cholesterol.

What is Angels cake? ›

Angel food cake is a low fat cake recipe made mostly from egg whites, cake flour, and sugar. It's pristine white on the inside with a chewy light brown crumb around the exterior. What it lacks in butter makes up for in texture. This tall, tender, and timeless cake has a cloud-like crumb and ultra light flavor.

Why does my cake come out so dry? ›

If you use a cup rather than a scale there's a good chance you're using too much flour: up to 20% too much, if you use the measuring cup as a scoop then tamp the flour down. Any baked good — especially cake —with too much flour will be dry, hard, crumbly … take your unhappy pick.

Why is my pound cake still wet in the middle? ›

A cake that's wet in the middle, in most cases, has not baked long enough. Put it back in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes. Be sure to check every 5 minutes with the toothpick test for any changes. If sliced, cover with aluminum foil to prevent the top from browning even more.

How do I make my cake more moist? ›

Try switching out any water in your recipe for full-fat milk or buttermilk for a moist, decadent texture. Another ingredient that can enhance the moisture of your cake is mayonnaise. Adding a dollop of mayonnaise to your batter can help make your freshly baked cake softer with an added boost of moisture.

What makes pound cake tough? ›

If your pound cake is turning out tough or rubbery and the texture isn't what you expected, overmixing is often the issue. Recipes call for adding the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients in stages, beginning and ending with the dry ingredient. Why? It's a good way to prevent over-mixing your batter.

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