The perfect sweet treat, Copycat Sara Lee Pound Cake Recipe is moist, buttery, has a hint of lemon, and melts in your mouth. This recipe makes one loaf.
I have tested A LOT, and I mean A LOT, of pound cake recipes for my Pound Cake Series. I am confident in the fact that I can make the best pound cake and provide you with the best pound cakes assuming you follow my directions to the letter.
That being said, I tested other Copycat Sara Lee Pound Cake recipes. I found a couple of different recipes for it. Basically, the same recipe kept popping up that used 1 cup cake flour, 1/2 cup of flour, and 3/4 cup sugar…. and it was baked in a 9×5-inch loaf pan. This recipe did not work for me. These quantities didn’t fill a 9×5-inch loaf pan and be 3-ish inches tall like the store-bought Sara Lee Pound Cake.
After testing multiple times, I’m happy with the ingredients and ratios here. I think you’ll find it’s really close to the premade Sara Lee Pound Cake.
Another positive I like about this recipe. It makes one loaf. I always get questions asking if my pound cake recipes can be cut in half. (By the way, I prefer not to cut them in half. However, you can divide the cake and freeze part of it. Pound cakes do freeze really well for up to 3 months in an airtight container.)
Another first, and I’ve been wanting to test this for a while. This Best Copycat Sara Lee Pound Cake Recipe uses cake flour. All my other recipes use all-purpose flour. The cake flour was ‘fine’ for this recipe. I wasn’t blown away with it and I don’t think cake flour is necessary for a great pound cake. (I’m still a fan of traditional methods for making pound cakes and using all-purpose flour.)
Copycat Sara Lee Pound Cake Recipe Tips
- Read through your recipe completely, once or twice before beginning. Prep any ingredients that need special attention, like chopping fruit, toasting nuts, sifting flour.
- I baked my cake in a 9×5-inch loaf pan. You can use an 8×4-inch loaf pan, but you’ll need to bake it slightly longer.
- Bring all the cold ingredients to room temperature before beginning.
- Use real butter.
- Measure carefully, especially the flour. How do you measure flour? To correctly measure flour, first, sift the flour. Then using a spoon or scoop lightly scoop flour out of its container into a measuring cup. Continue filling the cup until it is overflowing, then using the back of a butter knife level the flour. Scooping the measuring cup directly into the flour to fill can result in up to 25% more flour than lightly spooning the flour into the measuring cup. More flour in a recipe will make it dense and dry.
- Read all about how to Calibrate your oven in this post.
- Read all my tips for Baking the Perfect Pound Cake
- I use this Tube Pan.
Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary based on products used.
Copycat Sara Lee Pound Cake Recipe
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Ingredients
- 1 cup butter real butter, no substitutions, at room temperature
- 1 and ¼ cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs at room temperature
- 2 cups cake flour sifted and measured correctly
- 4 tablespoons powdered milk
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract almond or coconut extract can be used
Instructions
- Line a 9x5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper and spray with non-stick spray. Preheat the oven to 325° F.
- Cream butter until soft and there are no lumps. Add granulated sugar and mix until light and fluffy.
- Add one egg at a time, beating just until it is mixed into the batter before adding another egg.
- In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and powdered milk. Stir to combine.
- Lower speed on mixer to low and slowly add the flour mixture.
- Add vanilla and lemon and stir.
- Spoon batter into prepared pan. Bake at 325 degrees F for 40-45 minutes.
- Test for doneness with a wooden pick. Insert pick in the center of the cake, if pick comes out clean or with dry crumbs, it is done.
- Allow the cake to cool 10 minutes in the pan before removing the cake from the pan to cool completely on a wire rack. Once cooled completely transfer to a serving platter.
- Store in an airtight container on the countertop for 5 days. You can freeze the cake in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
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mofonga says
This might be a stupid question, but is the powdered milk just the powder, or the mixture with water?
Paula says
It is just the powder.
Charlie Daniels says
Hi, any chance you have the coffee cake version?
Beverly Mae Nisbeth says
I baked this cake and it came out beautifully! I did have to bake it for 65 minutes to reach fully cooked at 325F in a conventional oven using a 9 x 5 loaf pan. Nevertheless, patience is a delicious virtue well acquired!
chris dick says
I just made this recipe and was so looking forward to it. But, as Chen has already stated the time of 40-45 minutes at 325 is WRONG! I followed this recipe to the letter and at 325 in a convection oven on bake for 45 minutes, the cake was like Silly Putty in the middle! Wasted ingredients, frustrating.
Anna Olson’s pound cake and others call for 65-70 minutes at 325
Paula says
You can’t bake a pound cake in a CONVECTION oven. It will never work. Yes, a regular size pound cake does take 70 to 85 minutes as you’ll see in my other pound cake recipes. However, this is a smaller (loaf size) pound cake
Emily says
Got metric?
John says
Hi, can you use “instant” powdered milk instead of powdered milk. It seems that there are some differences. Thanks!
Chen says
What could I have done wrong with the recipe? Cooked for 50 min and toothpick isn’t coming out clean. Is the 325 degree correct?
Paula says
It is correct, but your oven may not be calibrated https://www.callmepmc.com/how-to-calibrate-your-oven/
your pan may be lighter, deeper
rebekah lee says
Can you substitute powdered milk for low fat milk?
Paula says
You can, just use the amount called for in the recipe.
Brenda says
do like your web site, but I have one gripe. Whenever I copy your recipes, there is always part of it is blocked by an ad so that there is part of the recipe hat has to be hand written
Paula says
Are you using the ‘print’ button or doing a screenshot? I don’t have an ad come up when I use the ‘print’ button.