Vanilla Butternut Pound Cake
Submitted by madly
A Southern cold-oven pound cake with both vanilla and butternut flavoring, baked low and slow in a tube pan. Dense, buttery crumb with a golden crust that needs no frosting.
YIELD
16 servingsPREP
15COOK
105 minREADY
2 hrsDown South, a proper pound cake starts in a cold oven. No preheating. No peeking. Just faith and patience.
This one gets its richness from a double dose of fat: butter AND shortening creamed together with three cups of sugar until fluffy. Five eggs go in one at a time, then flour and evaporated milk alternate in until you’ve got a batter so thick your arm will know it worked.
The secret weapon is butternut flavoring mixed with vanilla extract, folded in by hand at the very end. It gives the cake a warm, nutty sweetness you can’t quite place but absolutely can’t stop eating.
Kitchen Tips
- Start in a cold oven. This isn’t a shortcut or a mistake. The slow rise as the oven heats gives pound cake its signature tight, even crumb.
- Do NOT open the oven door during the entire bake. Cold air causes pound cakes to fall, and there’s no fixing a sunken center.
- Room temperature eggs are non-negotiable. Cold eggs will curdle the creamed butter and break the emulsion.
- Remove the cake from the pan immediately after it comes out of the oven. Letting it sit creates condensation that makes the crust soggy.
Ingredients
Directions
Cream shortening, butter, sugar and salt.
Add eggs one at a time beating well after each.
Add flour and milk alternately beginning and ending with flour.
Fold in flavoring by hand. Bake in greased tube pan.
Put cake in COLD oven then turn oven on to 325 degrees, do not preheat oven.
Bake 1 hour 45 minutes
Do not open door while baking.
Remove cake from pan immediately after removing it from oven.
Comments
Recipe ingredients should say one six ounce can milk to elimintae 12 oz being purchased or used in the cake by mistake also 2 stcks margerine for people that are first time bakers...
It will eliminate a failed cake
Thanks for your comment, and I just edited the recipe according to your comment, now it looks much easier for people to understand and follow, thanks and enjoy our recipes!
I have made this for 40 years. I use the smallest can of evaporated milk and add water to make one cup. I only use 1 tablespoon of the Superior Vanilla Butternut flavoring and not the additional regular vanilla. I put mine in a 325 degree preheated oven for about 1 hour and 30 minutes. Always turns out great. Keep tightly covered. Great to wrap and freeze.