MILLION DOLLAR POUND CAKE
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Million Dollar Pound Cake has a fine, rich, smooth texture with a classic vanilla flavor. It’s a classic for a reason and you’ll understand the title ‘million dollar’ after one taste! The cake recipe is always a crowd-pleaser!
Welcome back to my Pound Cake series!!! Are you tired of Pound Cake recipes yet?
So far I’ve tested the Whipping Cream Pound Cake, Sour Cream Pound Cake, Cream Cheese Pound Cake, Amaretto Pound Cake, and Chocolate Pound Cake. Let me just tell you they are all good!
I’m becoming quite the Pound Cake expert. I have tested almost all the basic Pound Cake recipes that I’m going to test. But, the series isn’t going to end. I have kicked up versions with add-ins and unusual flavors for you next. Just wait!!
This Million Dollar Pound Cake is buttery with a soft texture and small crumb. It’s very dense and moist. It is very, very similar to the Sour Cream Pound Cake, but ever so slightly more moist with a crusty top, not all Pound Cakes have that crusty exterior. Something about that crusty top makes it for me, it just seems more like the old-fashioned authentic pound cake.
Million Dollar Pound Cake
A bonus of the Million Dollar Pound Cake recipe is you probably have all the ingredients on hand to make it at any time. There are no random ingredients, so if you have a well-stocked pantry you can whip this up without trudging to the store.
The popularity of Pound Cakes in part is their versatility. You can enjoy them plain, with ice cream, caramel sauce, chocolate, or a fruit sauce. I really enjoy this tart Raspberry Sauce (or strawberry sauce) and vanilla ice cream. If you’re going to splurge, splurge big, right?
Tips…
I want to stress a few things when attempting my pound cake recipes, or any cake recipe in general. Review my post Baking Cakes: Problems and Tips. Some quick tips I have also listed some below.
- As with most baking, make sure your
butter is at room temperature and soft. It will indent easily when mashed with your finger, but not be oily. - Your eggs and other dairy ingredients also need to be at room temperature. They will incorporate much easier into the other ingredients at room temperature, making for a lighter, fluffier cake.
- Measure your flour correctly using the ‘spoon and level’ method. I wrote this post on how to measure flour correctly, you may want to refresh yourself if needed. Measuring flour incorrectly can result in as much as 150% more flour than is called for! #ThatsALot
- Use good quality ingredients. Read some of the differences in name-brand and store-bought ingredients here. Use real
butter , not margarine. I use saltedbutter . You can use salted or unsaltedbutter depending on your personal preference.
Check out my Old Fashioned Blue Ribbon Pound Cake, the process for mixing is the same as this Million Dollar Pound Cake.
More…
- Traditionally Pound Cakes were leavened with only eggs. The recipe is correct as written, there is no baking soda or baking powder in it.
- When baking cakes especially pound cakes, cheesecakes, and souffles, I’ve found it super important to use the correct temperature. Now, you may think you have your oven set at the right temperature, but you need to calibrate your oven to be certain. It’s may read correctly on the outside, but the actual temperature on the inside be way off! All you need to do is use an oven-safe thermometer. Set it inside your oven. Set your oven at 350 degrees F, when the oven beeps that it’s up to temperature does the thermometer inside reading 350 degrees? Now repeat this at 450 degrees? If your oven doesn’t read correctly, use your owner’s manual or research your oven brand and model online to determine how to reset the temperature controls.
- I recommend a 10×4-inch, 12-cup bundt pan (that’s larger than a typical bundt pan) or a tube pan.
- To change the pan size, read this to determine the baking time.
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Million Dollar Pound Cake
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Save To Your Recipe BoxIngredients
- 1 pound butter at room temperature
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 6 large eggs at room temperature
- 4 cups all-purpose flour sifted then measured
- 3/4 cup whole milk or 2% milk
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat and bake at 350 degrees F.
- Grease and flour a 10×4-inch, 12 cup bundt pan (that's larger than a typical bundt pan) or a tube pan.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until fluffy.
- Add eggs one at a time until well incorporated.
- Slowly add flour and milk alternately beginning and ending with flour.
- Mix until blended after each addition.
- Stir in almond and vanilla flavorings.
- Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees 1 hour and 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
- Cool cake in the pan on a wire rack for 20-30 minutes before inverting and removing from the pan onto a serving tray.
- Store covered on the countertop for 3 days or in the refrigerator for 5 days. Freeze in an airtight container up to 3 months.
Notes
- You can use salted or unsalted butter. Use what you prefer the taste of. Do not substitute margarine.
- You can substitute Crisco solid vegetable shortening instead of butter. I don’t recommend using generic or other brand.
I was given this recipe as part of a wedding gift and have used it over and over through the years. It is a family favorite and I am often asked to make it for events. Its perfect and has never come out wrong. I cook it at 300F, though, for 99 min and 99 seconds. Not sure how I came up with that but it my oven it is always perfect that way. I can’t wait to try some of your other pound cake recipes!
1 hour 40 minutes and 39 seconds lol 😆 it’s cute how you wrote it!
Do you remove cake from cake pan to cool on wire rack or leave in pan?
Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 20 to 30 minutes, then invert on serving platter on wire rack to cool completely.
I tried the Million Dollar pound cake, Just the taste I was looking for, tasted like my grandmother’s, very good.
I followed your recipe as written but my cake was dry. I used half & half milk & measured the flour after sifting so I not sure what to do to correct the problem. In comparison to some of my other recipes, I will try it one more time and hope for the best.
Measure then sift. It says 4 cups flour sifted. Otherwise it would say 4 cups sifted flour.
Paula says :
Sift then measure.
Right on Jillie! I am bewildered by how challenging this seems to be. She even has a helpful video that the article directs you to if one is in need of flour measuring guidance.
Best wishes.
Can you use can milk instead of whole milk
Whole milk, 2%, heavy cream or half & half is what I recommend
Can I start with a cold oven on this? I love the cold oven crunch on a pound cake.
Also should the eggs be at room temperature? I usually do eggs at room temp to avoid being to dense.
I haven’t started this cake in a cold oven. It does have the crunch on top. Yes, all refrigerated ingredients need to be at room temperature
Is there a way to add lemon to this?
For a lemon flavor, I’d add the juice and zest of 1 lemon along with 1 tablespoon lemon extract. Omit the 1 tablespoon of almond extract
Please tell me what dId I do wrong I went by your recipes and the cake did not bake in side 10 eggs. And 4 sticks of butter to make a cup 3 cups sugar and a half of cup a lots money going down the drain and mix like you said and not over beat it. So sad I really want this to be my only cake recipe
Hi Mae, first, calibrate your oven to make sure it’s cooking at the correct temperature. https://www.callmepmc.com/how-to-calibrate-your-oven/
Next, I test every cake before taking it out with a long wooden skewer to make sure it done inside.
reading our recipe,where is the baking powder?? what makes the cake rise?? is it the eggs??
Yes, the eggs are the leavener. It will rise with just the eggs and on baking powder.
Can you put the million dollar pound cake into mini bundt pans?
Yes, refer to the baking instructions on your pans for how long.
….I followed your recipe EXACTLY, beat in each item one at a time until fluffy (I even watched and studied the video before starting) and the cake was a BIG disappointment. It came out weighing a ton; never cooked enough in the middle (it was pudding like, I even tried to leave it in a while longer to cook more); it was way too dense and oily (from what I believe may be way too much butter) and the crust turned out very hard and dark. I believe your butter amount and eggs are way too much….sorry.
I’ve had hundreds of readers have good results with this cake. As well, I’ve made it hundreds of times myself. I don’t think the ingredients are incorrect. Possibly you measured the flour inaccurately. Additionally, it sounds like your oven is calibrated correctly. https://www.callmepmc.com/how-to-calibrate-your-oven/
Can this recipe be modified to fit into a loaf pan instead of a tube pan? There are only 2 of us at home and having such a large pound cake is sometimes too much.
I love all your recipes and helpful tips!
Thank you!
It can be baked in loaf pans. It also freezes well.
Will this recipe work well to divide into the mini loaf pans? I’d like to make them as Christmas gifts.
Yes
Is it unusual to not have any salt in this recipe.
I wish you would give your recipes in weight instead of just volume. It makes it so much easier, especially in a recipe where getting the ratios right is paramount.
I am confused now. I made the Million $ cake recipe that used 10 eggs, 3 1/2 cups sugar & no milk. You said it was a tall cake, & indeed it was; added wax paper to tube pan & batter almost overflowed in mixing bowl. It was a good cake, but apparently my oven is hotter, or I made the mistake of cooking it on bottom rack, as the outside was way too brown. My mistake & I’ll check calibration or move rack up. Now I see this Million $ recipe with only 6 eggs & 3 cups sugar; why the changes?
Sounds like the Mile High Pound Cake you’re referring to> https://www.callmepmc.com/mile-high-pound-cake/
or the Old Fashioned Blue Ribbon pound cake https://www.callmepmc.com/old-fashioned-blue-ribbon-pound-cake/
Is the recipe missing salt?
No, it’s correct as written. You can use salted butter or add a pinch if you prefer