OLD FASHIONED BLUE RIBBON POUND CAKE
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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 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, and Old-fashioned Rice Pudding are some of the most popular recipes on callmepmc.com.
Old Fashioned Blue Ribbon Pound Cake
I started this series on reviewing Pound Cake recipes because pound cakes are my very most 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 things 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 I have also listed below.
The recipe is correct as written. There are 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
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. More flour in a recipe will make it dense and dry. - 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 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
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.
- Million Dollar Pound Cake
- Trisha Yearwoods Lemon Pound Cake with Glaze
- Best Triple Lemon Pound Cake Recipe
- Famous Ritz Carlton Hotel Lemon Pound Cake
- Whipping Cream Pound Cake
- Amaretto Pound Cake
- Sour Cream Pound Cake
Old Fashioned Blue Ribbon Pound Cake
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Save To Your Recipe BoxIngredients
- 2 cups butter, no substitutes salted or unsalted, at room temperature, I use this
- 3 and 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 10 large eggs at room temperature
- 4 cups all-purpose flour sifted (always sift, then measure)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract I use this
Instructions
- Allow butter and eggs to come to room temperature.
- Grease and flour a tube (I recommend this one.)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 grease and flour, use non-stick spray, or I absolutely love this cake release product from Wilton! You may need to line the sides of the tube pan with waxed paper so that 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 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.
- 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.
Do I have to use the lemon Glaze? Can I just go without it?
You don’t have to use it.
This recipe is spot on, made it twice… The second time I added a tbsp of fresh squeezed lemon juice to the batter, and lemon glaze on top once it came out of the oven…Game changer….Loved it…. My go to for now….
My 90 year old mother said that this is the best pound cake she has ever had! Now, that surpasses my grandmother’s and beyond! Follow the recipe as written. It’s perfect!!!
Is this recipe in error? It doesn’t call for milk!
It’s correct as written
OMG, I have never attempted a pound cake before. So, for a first timer, I got to say, this was awesome! The batter was SO easy to make, even though I donʻt have a mixer and did it by hand. Also, I donʻt have a conventional oven, I have a counter top toaster oven. I also have a 3yr old allergic to eggs and used meringue powder to substitute for eggs. I also used a pie tin with a foil covered aluminum can I cut down to fit in my toaster oven as the center placer filled with rice, all for a homemade bundt look. The batter was tasty, and during baking, filled my studio with the most lovely smell. I halved the recipe and did not use all the batter because I thought it was going to rise high. It did only slightly, so, next time I know I can use all the batter. And, besides the changes I made mentioned above, I followed the recipe instructions exactly. Then, I melted some store bought frosting to drizzle on top and added some chocolate sprinkles with some candles. It made the PERFECT birthday cake for my husband tonight. My 3yo had a blast making it and DH loved it too. Will definately make it again. Thank you, Paula, for sharing 🙂
If you place a cake pan with water on the rack below the pound cake, the results are amazing!!
Hi Paula
Pound cake is one, if not the one, of my fav cake to bake (and to degust). In France, where I come from, we call it Quatre quart (means 4 quarters), and it is even a speciality from the Britany area. As a kid I used to spend my holidays in Britany, so I can say I have been feed with pound cake. I love it so much, it is so adaptable, and there is a orange version I love above all. You add the juice of one orange in the dough, and when you take out your cake from the oven, you pour on it a syrup made with the juice of three oranges and sugar (about 1/3 cup) and let it cool down.
Yes, I have 2 Orange Pound Cakes that I just love
https://www.callmepmc.com/scratch-made-orange-zest-pound-cake-with-orange-curd/
https://www.callmepmc.com/old-fashioned-buttermilk-orange-juice-pound-cake/
Delicious! I made this for my family last night and they loved it! Such amazing texture and crust. Thank you for sharing!
This looks like a great recipe. I look forward to trying it. I’m curious, what do you think adding cream cheese (4-8 oz) to this? I LOVE the taste of a cream cheese pound cake but I’m not sure how that’s going to affect things. Any ideas?
Try it first without adding the cream cheese. It’s a spectacular pound cake as is. You may also like this pound cake is you like cream cheese>> https://www.callmepmc.com/coconut-cream-cheese-pound-cake/
The old blue ribbon pound cake is the best pound cake I have ever made. It remind me of the cake my grandmother prepared many years ago. Thanks 😊 Paula
Great recipe. I halved the recipe and it was perfect for a loaf pan. My only problem was the middle was gooey. What did I do wrong.
I rarely bake pound cakes in loaf pans because I have the same problem. Even my sweet potato bread does that. I don’t know the solution. I’ve tried light pans versus dark pans. I can’t get the center done before the outside gets over-cooked. 😣 I may experiment with the temperature. I’ll let you know if I find a solution.
I imagine in might be the shape? It’s SUCH a dense batter and I think the tube/bundt pan allows the hot air to flow through the center for thorough baking. I would think a loaf pan just can’t provide that.
I only use a loaf pan and never have any problems. Try baking at 325 degrees for 1:40. Also make sure the cake is on the lowest rack in the oven. I hope this helps. You can pretty much be assured that the cake is good in the middle once all 4 sides pull away from the cake pan — and don’t forget the toothpick test. I use wooden skewers. I hope this helps
Use a cake heating rod when you bake it.
I would drop the temp and cook longer
Hi, I am South African. I have always loved pound cakes and since I started baking them recently again the whole family goes gaga over them.
The question of the pound cake not cooking in the middle. I have used a pound cake recipe that has abit more flour, so in a 250f butter and half cup oil recipe, the flour is 3 cups and sugar 2 1/2 cups and 5 eggs.
It has always cooked well.
I think the recipe I use is Southern Californian pound cake.
The slownthw baking to allow the Centre to cook through when not using a bundy pan, use broelwn paper to line the cake pan and then baking paper over and then pour in the batter.
Hopefully this helps sort your issue of the Centre not baking well.
I do this for fruit cakes as well.
Thanks ladies.
.
Try decreasing the baking temperature from 350 degrees to 325 or 300. I bake all my pound cakes between 300 and 325 and it comes out perfect every time and doesn’t get dark on outside. It just takes almost 2 hour to cook around 1hour and 45min
For the load pan, Bring your temperature down From 350 to 325 for 1:30 Minutes. It’ll be perfect.
For the loaf pan, Bring your temperature down From 350 to 325 for 1:30 Minutes. It’ll be perfect.
If I wanted to half this recipe and make this into cupcakes (customer requested pound cake cupcakes) how long would the cook time be for a dozen?
The cake is really good, but the nutrition facts are inaccurate. It shows 25g carbs per serving, yet 35 g sugar. So I checked the carb contents for flour and sugar for 20 servings. It is 54 carbs. 216.3 calories from carbs. I haven’t checked protien and fats yet. Just fyi. Might be good to know since it is so tasty. 🙂
I’m going to try this right now. Traditionally we ate a slice of cheddar cheese with our slice 😊
Really? Cheese? I have never heard of that before. I’m going to try that!!!
Hin
I love cheese with pound cake and apple 🥧
Hello Paula,
Could I use steva or another sweetener instead of sugar and if I can how much would I use. Also could I put fruit on the top before baking the cake. I would like to know if I could use almond flour.
I can hardly wait to try this receipe.
Donna Scarlett
I have never baked using artificial sweeteners. And haven’t had success using almond flour in pound cake. I happy you found my site and like this recipe, I recommend making it as is for a special splurge. I don’t think it’ll be successful changing 2 main ingredients and adding fruit.