This pound cake has been a constant in my life and it has been my birthday cake many times. Our family holidays would not be complete without it. The best part is the crisp, brown sugary edges. Much to my mother’s consternation, more than once, little pesky elves raided the opaque Tupperware cake container and nibbled away those tasty bits.–Virginia Willis
LC Gluten-Free Goodness Note
Recently, after this recipe had been on the site for years, we received the following plea from a dear longtime reader: “Would you, could you please, figure out how to make a crispy-crackly-crusted GLUTEN-FREE pound cake? Oh, please…” How could we not go straight into the kitchen? You’ll find the gluten-free, crispy-crackly-crusted results of our labor (actually, it was quite easy—and we got our just reward) in the variation beneath this recipe. As for our dear reader? We’re not certain, but we think she’s pretty pleased based on what she wrote later that day: “Thank you, you wonderful people!” Aw, shucks. Just doing what we do best.
Special Equipment: 16-cup Bundt pan
Meme’s Pound Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for the pan
- 3 cups White Lily or other Southern all-purpose flour (or substitute gluten-free all-purpose flour; see variation below)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup whole milk, at room temperature
- 5 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 vanilla bean split and scraped, or 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening, preferably Crisco, at room temperature
- 3 cups sugar
Directions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C).
- 2. Generously butter a 16-cup (measure to the rim) Bundt pan with butter. In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large liquid measuring cup, combine the milk, eggs, and the scraped vanilla seeds.
- 3. In the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer fitted with the paddle, cream together the 1 cup butter, vegetable shortening, and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the flour and milk mixtures to the butter mixture in 3 batches, alternating between dry and liquid, occasionally scraping down the sides of the mixing bowl, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Fill the prepared pan with batter (it should be no more than 2/3 full).
- 4. Bake for 15 minutes. Increase the oven temperature to 325°F (160°C) and bake an additional 45 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown and pulls away from the sides of the pan. Place on a rack to cool for 10 minutes. Invert the cake onto the rack to cool completely. This cake will stay moist in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Gluten-Free Variation
- Follow the recipe above, substituting gluten-free all-purpose flour for the all-purpose flour. (The pound cake may only rise about 3/4 of the way up the sides of the pan, and may be slightly moister and denser than traditional pound cake. This is common with gluten-free flours. And don’t be surprised if the cake turns a slightly darker shade of golden than you expect yet it may take just a few minutes longer to bake completely through. This, too, is common with gluten-free flours. Always test doneness with a wooden skewer inserted into cake; it’s done when the skewer comes out with nary a glob of batter but perhaps just a stray crumb.)
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Mmmmm, this looks totally delicious! Love the photo. :)
A stupendous cake! I am always looking for beautiful pound cakes and this is perfect. One question for Virginia (or an expert)… I can’t get Crisco here in France. Could it be replaced with butter?
jamielifesafeast, let me see if I can get Virginia to answer.