Aunt Sue’s Easy Pound Cake Recipe
Made famous by my Aunt Sue, here’s an easy pound cake recipe that’s guaranteed to deliver a deliciously moist and sweet vanilla pound cake.
I’ve lost count of how many folks have asked for this easy pound cake recipe after I posted a photo of it with Mama’s custard sauce last week. Made famous by my dear Aunt Sue, this one appeared in my first cookbook and is truly the best pound cake recipe I have ever tasted. It is an absolute must-have at our family Thanksgiving and Christmas and we serve it in thick slices with Mama’s custard sauce poured over it – sublime!
Now, when I say this is an easy pound cake recipe, I mean it. All you need are six ingredients and I bet you have most of them in your kitchen right now: eggs, butter, sugar, all-purpose flour, whipping cream, and vanilla extract. It takes about 20 minutes to prep this recipe and then you just need to pop it in the oven. The addition of whipping cream in this pound cake recipe ensures every slice is deliciously moist and tender.
Traditionally, old-fashioned pound cakes were baked in a loaf pan. However, if you don’t have a tube pan, no worries! I make mine in a bundt cake pan instead, anyway. It will turn out just as delicious but you will have the delicious crunchy crust on the bottom instead of the top.
Now, let’s get baking Aunt Sue’s famous pound cake and do her proud! Keep scrolling for lots of fun recipe variations too, so you can make this butter pound cake recipe your own.
Recipe Ingredients
- Eggs
- Unsalted butter
- Sugar
- All-purpose flour
- Whipping cream
- Vanilla extract
Grease and flour a tube or bundt pan and set out the eggs and butter to allow them to come to room temperature.
In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until smooth.
Add the eggs, one egg at a time, beating for one minute after each addition.
Sift the flour and add it to the creamed mixture alternately with the whipping cream.
Mix until fully incorporated.
Stir in the vanilla extract.
Pour into the prepared pan and place in a cold oven. Turn the oven to 300 and bake for 80 to 90 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool completely before removing from pan and turning the bundt cake out onto a wire rack.
Serve your butter pound cake with Mama’s custard sauce and some fresh berries.
Enjoy the best pound cake recipe ever!
Storage
Store your pound cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the fridge for up to 1 week. You can also freeze the entire cake or individual slices for up to 3 months. I recommend double wrapping in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil.
Recipe Notes
- Here are some fun recipe variations:
- Top your pound cake with a simple vanilla glaze. You’ll need 1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar, a teaspoon of vanilla extract, and a few tablespoons of milk. Mix together until it has a school glue-like consistency and sticks to the back of the spoon and then pour over the cooled cake.
- Swap the vanilla for lemon extract and lemon zest and top your pound cake with a lemon glaze. Use the glaze recipe above and swap the vanilla for lemon juice.
- Swap for almond extract and top your cake with a vanilla glaze, decorated with slivered almonds.
- Opt for peppermint extract and top your cake with a vanilla glaze, decorated with crushed peppermint candy cane pieces for a festive holiday dessert.
- For extra flavor and texture, add up to a cup of shredded coconut, mini chocolate chips, fresh berries, chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts are my picks), or dried fruit.
- Instead of a glaze, spread some creamy chocolate frosting on your sweet pound cake.
- Serve with whipped cream and fresh berries or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
- You can also use this recipe to make muffins instead. Follow the same instructions but pour the ingredients into a muffin tin and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. This post uses this exact recipe to make mini bundt cakes instead as well.
Recipe FAQs
Why is it called a pound cake?
Traditionally, a classic pound cake was made with a pound of each of the four main ingredients in this recipe: butter, eggs, sugar, and flour.
Here are more fantastic cake recipes:
Cheesecake Toppings & An Easy Cheesecake Recipe
Ole Fashioned Southern Sugar Plum Cake
Old Fashioned Hummingbird Cake Recipe
Peach Dump Cake Recipe (3 Ingredients Only)
Pumpkin Praline Cake With Cream Cheese Icing
Vegan Sweet Potato Cake With Maple Cashew Icing
Ingredients
- 6 eggs
- 1 cup butter 2 sticks
- 3 cups sugar
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup whipping cream also known as heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Grease and flour a tube or bundt pan and set out the eggs and butter to allow them to come to room temperature.6 eggs, 1 cup butter
- In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until smooth. Add the eggs, one egg at a time, beating for one minute after each addition. Sift the flour and add it to the creamed mixture alternately with the whipping cream. Mix until fully incorporated.6 eggs, 1 cup butter, 3 cups sugar, 3 cups all-purpose flour, 1 cup whipping cream
- Stir in the vanilla.1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pour the vanilla cake batter into the prepared pan and place in a cold oven. Turn the oven to 300 and bake for 80 to 90 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely before removing from pan.
Notes
Nutrition
“How many slams in an old screen door? Depends on how loud you shut it. How many slices are in bread? Depends on how thin you cut it. How much good inside a day? Depends on how good you live ‘em. How much love is inside a friend? Depends on how much you give ‘em.”
~Shel Silverstein. Submitted by Jenny. Click here to read more or submit your own.
Hi Christy, I was wondering if you have ever used this recipe in a 3D mold (i.e., lamb)? I have used the Imperial Pound Cake recipe for years, but really want to try one with real butter. Hopefully, you can advise if I have to make any adjustments to make this work.
Thanks and looking forward to trying this cake recipe.
Hi Janelle, I haven’t ever used a 3D mold to make this cake. The main things you would have to figure out is how much of the batter to use to keep it from over-flowing the pan and the cooking time. I imagine the 3D pan would be much more shallow and the cooking time would need to be decreased to compensate for that. Hope that helps a little and I would love to know how it turns out.
Thanks, Christy, I will definitely let you know how it turns out. Happy Easter.
Janelle
Hi Christy, I wish I could tell you that my 3D lamb cake turned out well. The cake is delicious and I will definitely make it again. However, the batter stuck to the top and the bottom of the mold and I literally had to shovel out the cake with a spoon. Luckily, my family doesn’t care as long as it tastes good. So, next time, I will bake the cake in a tube pan and decorate it as an Easter basket. Thanks, though, for the recipe…it is definitely a keeper.
Oh no, so sorry to hear that it didn’t turn out of the pan well. I am glad to hear that everyone liked the taste though!!
PERFECTION……. Thanks for sharing this recipe, the family loved it!!
I am so glad everyone liked it!!!
Up making this exact recipe right now! Can’t wait to see how it turns out…
I hope you enjoy it!!
Great recipe! First pound cake I ever made. Had help from my girlfriend’s 11yr old twin boys. We had so much fun making a cake from scratch…and a lot more fun enjoying the final result. Yum Yum! Thanks for sharing.
I am so glad you enjoyed it Maurice!!
I need Gluten Free and love Domata gluten free recipe ready flour. Recipe ready leads me to believe I could use it interchangeably but I wanted your opinion before I tried it.
Thanks so much for your help!
Just made this cake! It came out perfect! Beautiful crunchy top, dense, and light golden brown. I did use 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. It took a little longer to cook (about 20 more minutes) but my oven generally takes a little longer on most recipes. I used a cold oven on 300. I will make this again!
I’m so glad! I hope you will take the leap and make it according to the recipe sometime. I promise it still works! I understand your hesitation and fear as most of us are used to modern cake recipes, but this is an old fashioned one that has worked for hundreds of years and you’ll find you absolutely can do it without the extra stuff – you might just have to be brave though! 😀 😀 😀
The cake pictured was made exactly according to the recipe, no added anything 🙂 I’m glad your happy either way though!
i want to know what will happen if i used a warm oven instead of a cold oven? I made a pound cake in a cold oven before and it fell.
I’m afraid you’ll have to try it and see because I’ve never veered away from Aunt Sue’s recipe and it has turned out perfect ever time.
I wouldn’t ever dream of using another pound cake recipe – or baking it any differently. It’s just that good 😉
I just baked this cake. It turned out just right, crunchy top and all. In fact it looks better than the picture. I can’t wait to try a piece. I baked it for my birthday tomorrow.
This cake turned out great! I made it for Valentine’s Day tomorrow but couldn’t wait. Just had a slice, delicious!
I am so glad you liked it Bonnie!!! It is one of my favorites!!