Old-Fashioned Blue Ribbon Pound Cake. Tall, buttery, moist, dense. This pound cake is classic and very close to an original pound cake recipe.

Old-fashioned desserts like this Old-Fashioned Blue Ribbon Pound Cake seem to be making a resurgence. My Pound Cake series has been very popular as well as other old-fashioned desserts that I’ve shared. My Old-fashioned Butter Roll, Old-fashioned Sugar Pie, Old Fashioned No Bake Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies, and Old-fashioned Rice Pudding are some of the most popular recipes on callmepmc.com.

A chart displays four types of pound cake recipes, including Old Fashioned Blue Ribbon Pound Cake, each with a photo, ingredient list, and source website.

1. Whipping Cream Pound Cake

2. Sour Cream Pound Cake

3. Miss Dot’s Pound Cake

4. Mile High Pound Cake

Table of Contents

Old–Fashioned Blue Ribbon Pound Cake

I started this series on reviewing Pound Cake recipes because pound cakes are my very favorite thing in the world to make. I dunno why, but they are. Pound cakes are delectable and unbelievably easy to make with a few basic tips. Overall, I’ve had very good feedback on this series, which makes me really happy. I’ve enjoyed baking and testing all the pound cakes and sharing the recipes with you.

I do sometimes get negative comments, and it makes me unhappy when a recipe doesn’t work out. I want to stress a few key points when attempting not only this Old-Fashioned Blue Ribbon Pound Cake and my other pound cake recipes, but any cake recipe in general. Review my post, Baking Cakes: Problems and Tips. Some quick tips are also listed below.

The Old–Fashioned Blue Ribbon Pound Cake recipe is correct as written. There is no baking soda or baking powder in it. Traditionally, eggs were the only leavening agent used in pound cakes. Baking soda and baking powder do more than aid in making baked goods rise; they also change the texture of them. To get that traditional pound cake texture that’s crusty on the outside with a dense, moist, soft inside, make the recipe as written.

I always use salted real butter in my pound cakes. It’s a personal preference. You can use either salted or unsalted butter. I do recommend using real butter, not margarine.

Pound Cake Tips

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. Adding more flour to a recipe will make it denser and drier.
Read all about how to Calibrate your oven in this post.
Use good-quality ingredients. Read some of the differences in name-brand and store-bought ingredients here.
Use real butter. Refer to number 3 above.
Allow your eggs and butter to come to room temperature.
I drizzled Lemon Sauce over the cake while the cake was still warm.
Read all my tips for Baking the Perfect Pound Cake
*PLEASE NOTE – COOKING TIMES VARY DEPENDING ON IF YOUR OVEN IS CALIBRATED AND IF YOU USE A LIGHT OR DARK PAN. TEST THE CAKE BEFORE THE RECOMMENDED TIME. IF THE CAKE IS TOO DRY, YOU BAKED IT TOO LONG.
I use this Tube Pan.
I just want to add again that the recipe is correct as written. There is no baking soda or baking powder in it.
Please refer to this article when changing pan sizes: Baking Times for Different Cake Pans

Recipe for Lemon Sauce {click here}

SHOP THIS POST

Equipment

How to serve Blue Ribbon Pound Cake

This Old-Fashioned Blue Ribbon Pound Cake makes a tall and impressive cake. It’s ideal for potlucks and parties. Serve it with in-season berries, whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

The following pound cakes are some of my most popular. You can get all my pound cake recipes here.

Butterbeer Pound Cake — Limoncello Pound Cake

Old Fashioned Blue Ribbon Pound Cake

Old-fashioned Blue Ribbon Pound Cake is dense, moist, buttery, and sweet. It has that outer crusty edge with a smooth, creamy, small crumb inside that makes pound cake distinctive. One taste and this will be your new favorite cake recipe!

Author: Paula

4.78 from 251 votes

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Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 1 30

Total Time: 1 45

Servings: 20 slices

Items in blue & underlined below can be clicked for more detail or to purchase.

Equipment

Ingredients

2 cups butter salted or unsalted, at room temperature
3 and ½ cups granulated sugar
10 large eggs at room temperature
4 cups all-purpose flour sift then measure
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Instructions

Allow butter and eggs to come to room temperature.
Grease and flour a tube pan or bundt pan. The cake is too large for a regular bundt pan. You need a 10-15 cup bundt pan like this which is larger than a standard bundt. If you don't have a tube pan or large bundt pan, you can make cupcakes with the extra batter. Don't fill the pan closer than 2 inches from the top, or it may overflow. You can use shortening and sugar or use cake release from Wilton! You may need to line the sides of the tube pan with waxed paper so that it is above the top of the pan 2 to 3 inches as shown in the photo. This is a very tall cake.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cream 2 cups butter until soft and there are no lumps.
Add 3 and 1/2 cups granulated sugar and cream until light and fluffy.
Add one at a time, beating until just mixed in before adding the next egg.
Lower speed on mixer to low and slowly add 4 cups sifted all-purpose flour.
Add vanilla and mix in completely.
Spoon batter into prepared tube or bundt pan. (If using a bundt pan, make sure it’s large enough for batter to double in size.)
Bake at 350 degrees F for 1 hour and 20 minutes.
*PLEASE NOTE – Cooking times vary depending on several factors: if your oven is calibrated and cooking accurately, if you use a light or dark pan, and if you set the cake pan on a cookie sheet to cook. TEST the cake before the shortest recommended time and adjust from there. This is a wonderfully moist cake but it will be dry if you cook it too long.
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.
Remove cake and allow to cool on a wire rack 30 minutes before inverting onto a serving platter.
The recipe is correct as written. There are no baking soda or baking powder in it.

Video

Notes

Also, try this classic Cream Cheese Pound Cake.

Nutrition

433 Comments

My cake is still in the oven and I’m looking forward to trying it, but didn’t you mean to use parchment paper instead of waxed paper? It started smoking and set off the smoke alarm.

I make a buttermilk pound cake that everyone loves, I love baking cakes from scratch because you will never find a boxed mix that will be as good. I also use fresh eggs from my own chickens.

I have searching for a sour cream pound cake recipe. The lemon sauce recipe didn’t appear when clicked on the link, is there another way to receive the recipe? 5hank you.

Can you use unsalted butter?

I think you have done an excellent job with your recipes. Keep on posting your goodies and “no” worries about the “this and that” from others because people should know that some adjustments “might” need to made based upon their climate(s) and other factors. I will give you my “WOW FACTOR” for all your efforts.. Congrats to sure a nice web-site and the recipes contained within.

My widowed grandmother supported her 6 children during the Depression baking this cake and others in a wood stove and selling them. It will always be my favorite “real” pound cake. I never got to know my grandmother, but baking cakes mashes me feel like I did.

In this recipe I haven’t see baking powder. It don’t need it? Thank’s so much.

Paula,
My hubby loves pound cake and I can’t wait to make this for him. Pinned.
Annamaria

Love pound cake especially with a dollop of fresh whipped cream topped off with some fresh fruit.
Was wondering what kind of glaze that you put on this cake

Jane Johnson says:

01.25.16 at 3:29 pm

I would like to also know the glaze used on this cake. Thank you

Reply
1. Paula says:
  
  01.25.16 at 6:42 pm
  
  I’m not sure if ou get the email when I reply to the other comment or not so I’m replying to you as well, Jane. The lemon sauce is this recipe https://www.callmepmc.com/easiest-lemon-dessert-sauce/
  I drizzled it over the cake while it was still a litle warm.
2. Sonya says:
  
  10.04.17 at 8:00 pm
  
  How do you line the pan with waxed paper?
3. Paula says:
  
  10.07.17 at 8:22 pm
  
  See photo in this post https://www.callmepmc.com/mile-high-pound-cake/
Paula says:

01.25.16 at 6:41 pm

I am so glad you asked I meant to put that in the post. I drizzled this lemon sauce over the cake while the cake was still a little warm. https://www.callmepmc.com/easiest-lemon-dessert-sauce/

Reply
1. ColleenB.~Texas says:
  
  01.26.16 at 3:53 am
  
  Thank You Paula and yes, did receive your email on the lemon sauce.
  Thank you so very much
  I know what I will be baking this weekend :}
  Have a wonderful and enjoyable week
2. FiSi says:
  
  11.06.16 at 5:01 pm
  
  Hi, so I made this cake today for my father’s birthday and it was the worst cake I’ve ever made. I’ve been baking for years so I’m not an amateur. I followed the recipe exactly how it’s written and the final steps and I’m trying to figure what went wrong. It was dry, the top of cake was cracked, and it tasted very doughy; as if it was under baked but my toothpick came out clean when inserted into cake, therefore I’m confused on the great results of comments everyone has mentioned.
3. Paula says:
  
  04.22.17 at 10:05 am
  
  It’s hard to figure out what’s wrong without being there. I have made this cake hundreds of times and had it turn out wonderful. I’m sorry it didn’t work for you.
4. Blue ribbon cake- Cecy says:
  
  06.14.17 at 10:06 pm
  
  I think it was the huge amount of sugar. I just did one, and it was super sweet and doughy in the middle too.