Old Fashioned Pound Cake

This is a true Southern-style pound cake built on the bones of the original recipe: lots of butter, lots of sugar, lots of eggs. A full 1 ½ cups of butter and 3 cups of sugar get creamed together until light and fluffy, which is the foundation of that dense, velvety crumb.

The lemon flavor comes from three sources: lemon extract, fresh lemon juice, and grated zest. That triple hit gives the cake a bright, citrusy perfume that cuts through the richness without making it taste like a lemon cake. It’s subtle but essential.

Six eggs go in one at a time, each fully incorporated before the next. Rushing this step traps less air and gives you a heavy, flat cake instead of one with a fine, even texture. The dry ingredients get sifted together and added alternately with evaporated milk, which is richer than regular milk and contributes to that tight, moist crumb pound cake is known for.

Bake low and slow in a tube pan for 70 to 80 minutes. The low temperature lets the center cook through without burning the edges. Cool in the pan for 20 minutes before turning out.

Pro Tips

• Cream the butter and sugar for at least 5 minutes. This step is not optional. Under-creamed butter gives you a dense, greasy cake.
• Add sugar ⅓ cup at a time as directed. Dumping it all in at once prevents proper aeration.
• Don’t open the oven for the first 45 minutes. Pound cake is sensitive to temperature drops and can fall.
• Use a wooden pick to test for doneness. It should come out completely clean, not just mostly clean.

Variations

• Replace lemon with orange extract, juice, and zest for an orange pound cake.
• Fold in a cup of fresh blueberries tossed in flour for a fruit-studded summer version.
• Drizzle a simple lemon glaze (powdered sugar + lemon juice) over the cooled cake for extra sweetness and shine.