Have you ever put your time and effort into making a pound cake recipe only to end up with something that was dry, or maybe heavy, or perhaps fallen in the middle? Well, you’re not alone. Those problems are why I always trust my Never Fail Pound Cake recipe for a rich, buttery cake with a golden brown crust, a tender crumb, and just the right tang from buttermilk.
I’ve used this Never Fail Pound Cake recipe for as long as I can remember. The original recipe came from the Colquitt, Georgia, First Baptist Church cookbook. And, with all due respect to the ladies of the First Baptist Church, I made a few changes to the original.
To tell the truth, I think this recipe makes the best pound cake I’ve ever had. It’s moist. It’s buttery. And the buttermilk gives it an extra pleasant sumthin’-sumthin’ in the background.
The old recipes for pound cake, originating in the early 1700s in northern Europe, called for one pound each of flour, butter, sugar, and eggs and no leavening at all. Can you imagine how dense that cake was?! A pound of eggs is about 8 to 9 large eggs, and a pound of butter is four of our current day sticks. Wow.
Thankfully, bakers lightened the recipe over time but still kept the delicious flavor that everyone loves. I can’t think of many comfort food recipes that are better than a good pound cake!
I often serve this cake with a warm berry compote and have included the ingredients and instructions for that as well.
Recipe Snapshot
Cuisine: American
Cooking Method: Oven
Total Time: 1 Hour, 20 Minutes
Servings: 20
Primary Ingredient(s): Butter, sugar, eggs, flour, buttermilk
Skill Level: Easy
What You’ll Like About This Recipe
- It’s a time-tested recipe that really does live up to its name.
- The ingredients are simple and familiar, and produce a cake with an unbeatable flavor.
- Works for almost any occasion. It slices cleanly, travels well, and always gets compliments.
Ingredient Notes
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For the Pound Cake:
- Butter – have the butter, eggs, and buttermilk at room temperature before starting the recipe; sitting them out on the countertop for about 30-45 minutes is usually adequate.
- Sugar – white granulated sugar.
- Eggs – you’ll need large eggs.
- Baking Soda – the reaction between the baking soda and buttermilk is what provides the leavening for this recipe.
- Buttermilk – see the note for the baking soda above.
- All-Purpose Flour – I always use White Lily brand flour; it’s a southern flour that produces an exceptionally tender crumb in baked goods.
- Salt
- Vanilla Extract – choose a quality brand for best flavor.
For the Berry Compote:
- Frozen mixed berries
- Sugar
- Lemon
- Cornstarch
The complete ingredient list with detailed measurements is included in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How to Make Never Fail Pound Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350.
- Butter or grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan or bundt pan.
- Add the room temperature butter and the sugar into a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat for several minutes until the mixture looks light and fluffy.
- Add the room temperature eggs, one at a time, beating well after the addition of each egg.
👉 PRO TIP: I crack all the eggs into a small bowl and pour them from the bowl into the mixer. The butter, sugar, and egg mixture should be fairly smooth in texture and uniform in color.
- In a small bowl or measuring cup, dissolve the baking soda into the buttermilk.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour and salt.
👉 PRO TIP: One really important note: make sure your baking soda is fresh. Its reaction with the buttermilk is what makes this cake rise, so you don’t want to use the soda from that two-year-old box that’s been in the back of your refrigerator. Ok? You’ll know your soda is fresh if the volume of buttermilk increases pretty quickly from just 1 cup to about 1 1/2 cups.
- Now add the buttermilk-soda and flour to the creamed mixture alternately beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Mix well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla flavoring.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
👉 PRO TIP: The way I add the ingredients is one-third of the flour, one-half of the buttermilk, another third of the flour and the other half of the buttermilk, and finally the remaining flour. It doesn’t have to be exactly thirds and halves, just a rough estimate is good enough.
👉 PRO TIP: After the final addition of flour, mix until the ingredients are well combined but don’t over do it. Do be sure to scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl to get everything incorporated. It’s okay if you spill flour all over your mixer, too 😊.
- Bake at 350 for 50 to 60 minutes or until a tester inserted halfway between the center and outside edge comes out clean.
- Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes.
- Remove the cake from the pan and let it cool completely on a rack.
By the way, those cracks on the top are completely typical of pound cakes. They form because with a dense batter the exterior cooks first, rises and causes a crack in the center. I actually think they’re kind of pretty myself.
- If you’d like to serve your pound cake with a warm berry compote, you’ll simply place the berries, sugar, lemon juice, and cornstarch in a small saucepan. Bring it just to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer for a few minutes until thickened. A little scoop of vanilla ice cream never hurt anything either!
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Troubleshooting Tips
- The type of flour you use in this recipe does matter. You want to use plain all-purpose flour and not cake flour. Cake flour is too delicate to support the dense batter of a pound cake.
- And then there’s the question of whether or not to sift your flour. You certainly can if you want to, but most modern flours don’t really need it. They’re manufactured to be ready to use right out of the package.
- Cake too brown? That means you probably cooked it a little too long, or your oven was too hot. You should regularly check your oven with a thermometer to make sure it’s cooking at the correct temperature. Start checking the cake at the 50-minute baking point and be ready to remove it from the oven when it’s done.
- Cake too dry? Well, that’s happened to all of us at one time or another, hasn’t it? But don’t despair; all is not lost! To perk up a too dry cake, moisten a paper towel and place it on a plate with a slice of cake on top. Microwave for 10 seconds and serve immediately. Or alternately, place the entire cake in a plastic bag with a couple of slices of white bread. After a few hours, the cake will have absorbed the moisture from the bread. And, if all else fails, just top it with plenty of ice cream or whipped cream.
Serving Ideas
You can do lots of different things with my Never Fail Pound Cake. You can serve it with the compote as I’ve shown, use it for the base of a fantastic strawberry shortcake, or make my 1960s Flashback Baked Alaska.
Or, you can do like BeeBop and I do sometimes and slice and toast it (with a little butter on top) for breakfast. What? You never heard of pound cake toast? You really should try it.
Cake Storage
For the short term–and let’s be honest, this cake never makes it past three days in our house–store the cake at room temperature in an airtight cake keeper. If you do need to freeze it, wrap it very closely in plastic wrap first and then in a layer of aluminum foil. Freeze for up to three months.
More Recipes You’ll Like
- How about something light and citrusy? My Lemon Pudding Cake with Cherry Coulis combines a delicate lemon cake with a sweet cherry sauce for a delightful finish.
- For something a little different, try this Flourless Walnut Cake. It’s a sophisticated dessert choice that’s rich with walnuts, chocolate, and coffee.
- My Glazed Pumpkin Pound Cake is moist and full of warm spices, topped with a sweet glaze that makes it a favorite for fall.
- If you want to go all-in on Southern tradition, my Old Fashioned Southern Caramel Layer Cake delivers deep caramel flavor your grandmother would have been proud to serve.
Even More Delicious Desserts!
Questions About Never Fail Pound Cake
While you could technically substitute margarine or butter substitutes, I strongly recommend using real butter for the best flavor and texture.
Tube pans have a central tube with straight, high sides, while bundt pans have decorative fluting and a central tube. Either can be used for this recipe, but make sure to grease and flour them thoroughly.
It’s best to stick with regular buttermilk for this recipe. Low-fat versions will alter the cake’s texture and flavor.
Yes, it’s entirely normal for pound cakes to crack on top. The dense batter causes the exterior to cook first and rise, which results in cracks. They just add character to the cake!
Have a question or thought to share?
If you have a question about the recipe or if you’ve made it and want to share how it turned out, I would truly enjoy hearing from you. Just scroll down to leave a comment or add your star rating.
Thank you for stopping by. It means a lot to have you here.
Recipe
Never Fail Pound Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 1 cup butter room temperature
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 eggs room temperature
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the Warm Berry Compote
- 2 cups frozen mixed berries
- ¼ cup sugar
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
Instructions
For the cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan or bundt pan.
- Cream butter and sugar, beating until light and fluffy.1 cup butter, 2 cups sugar
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.4 eggs
- In a small bowl or measurig cup, dissolve soda in buttermilk. In a medium bowl, combine the flour and salt.½ teaspoon baking soda, 1 cup buttermilk, 3 cups all-purpose flour, ⅛ teaspoon salt
- Add buttermilk and flour to creamed mixture alternately beginning and ending with flour mixture. Mix well after each addition. Stir in vanilla flavoring.2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Pour batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and cool in pan for 10-15 minutes.
- Remove from pan and cool completely on a rack.
For the (optional) Warm Berry Compote:
- Place all ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring just to a boil over medium to medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for a few minutes until thickened.2 cups frozen mixed berries, ¼ cup sugar, Juice of 1/2 lemon, 1 teaspoon cornstarch
Notes
- Make sure the baking soda is fresh. Its reaction with the buttermilk is what makes this cake rise.
- Storage – For the short term, store the cake at room temperature in an airtight cake keeper. If you do need to freeze the cake, wrap it very closely in plastic wrap first and then in a layer of aluminum foil. Freeze for up to three months.
- The type of flour you use in this recipe does matter. You want to use plain all-purpose flour and not cake flour. Cake flour is too delicate to support the dense batter of a pound cake.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information is calculated by software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
— This post was originally published on March 15, 2009. It has been updated with new photos and additional information.
Looking forward to making this. Usually use Vanilla Paste. looked for the company you use Albany Drug Co with no success. Please let me know what i am doing wrong? Thank you in advance.
Carol – Albany Drug Company was sold a few years ago and their bespoke vanilla is no longer being made. I thought I had removed any references to the business from this post and, indeed, can’t find any in the currently published version.
Perfecto! Best pound cake ever
Thanks! I’m so glad you liked the recipe!
i made this cake and it came out beautifully. I also sprinkled vanilla sugar on top before baking. It added that extra hint of sweetness so no glaze or anything else is needed
I’m glad to know you enjoyed the recipe!
Good afternoon I’m getting ready to make your pound cake but which AP flour is best bleached or unbleached?
Either would work. If you can get it, White Lily all-purpose flour, which is bleached, is my favorite for any baked goods.
It is so true about the name never fail pound cake. I made and we have eaten a piece every two hours or a pinch just walking pass it. This is the best one I have made question do use salted butter or unsalted because a lot the other people recipes say unsalted??
I use salted butter. You can use unsalted if you prefer that, though.
I’m looking forward to making this. The past two I have made have double the butter and sugar and It doesn’t seem to cook all the way. It always passes the clean knife test but I can physically see a color difference between uncooked batter vs cooked. Thank you for another option. I will be sure to comment back after I make it.
I hope this one works out well for you, Keisha. I’m looking forward to knowing how you like it.
For the butter, do you use salted butter or unsalted butter?
Like most traditional Southern cooks, I use salted butter for everything including baking and desserts.
Ten star plus ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
So glad you like it!!
I’m going to bake this no fail pound cake . Just from the ingredients I know it’s going to be the bomb. I am a Baker/Cook in my home . If I may I’ve always believed there are 3types of food handlers .My believe & my believe ONLY! They are Home Cook , Commercial Cook & a Chef. I call my self a commercial cook .
I hope you enjoy the pound cake. I’m definitely a home cook myself. I don’t do any commercial food work.
Do you have a recipe for an Almond Pound Cake? I use to have one that I loved but I haven’t been able to locate it.
Sorry, I don’t. You could probably make this recipe into an almond pound cake by using almond flavoring instead of vanilla. However, I haven’t ever tested that so I can’t guarantee the results would be what you want.
This sounds great. Can’t wait to try it. I make all my grandkids there birthday cakes. I’m a baker on the side.