When we think of ‘cake’, this is the cake that we’re thinking of. That yellow slab of rich, buttery goodness that is the old-fashioned ‘pound’ cake. The pound cake was named after the classic 1:1:1:1 pound of flour, butter, sugar and eggs, but the recipe has been refined over time and the doorstop slabs of cake that probably went to a war or two are now absolutely delicious.
The beauty of a pound cake is that most of us have most of the ingredients just waiting in the pantry to come together in simple style. Pound cakes are easy to make but, as my pictures show, they are notorious for sinking in the middle! CWA material mine is not, but it went like hotcakes once the kids got their hands on it and all of them agreed it was a delicious afternoon treat.
Lovely old-fashioned pound cake
250 gm butter, cubed and at room temperature
1 cup caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
4 large free-range eggs at room temperature
1 2/3 cup of plain flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
Icing sugar for dusting
Preheat oven to 170°C. Take the butter and eggs out of the fridge and bring them to room temperature. This is really important as cold eggs or butter will affect the texture of the finished cake. Prepare a 13.5 x 23.5 loaf tin by lightly spraying with oil and lining the base with baking paper. You could also grease with butter.
Use an electric mixer to cream the butter and sugar until very pale and creamy. Add the vanilla essence and beat further until the mixture is almost white.
Add the eggs one at a time, mixing each egg through before adding the next egg.
Double sift together the flour and baking powder and use a large metal spoon to gentle fold the flour through the butter mixture. Mix only until combined, do not over mix or the cake will be stodgy (same rule as for muffins).
Spoon the mix into the prepared tin, smoothing the top down with the back of your metal spoon (this helps the cake rise evenly).
Cook on the middle rack of the oven for about 55 minutes. Cake is ready when it starts to come away from the sides of the tin (and the good old skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean – I have actually never done this, perhaps that’s why my cake sank in the middle!).
Once baked, take out of the oven and let sit in the tin for about 5 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack to cool.
Dust cooled cake with icing sugar and serve to hungry hoards. The pound cake also freezes very well – just allow to cook complete, don’t dust with icing sugar, wrap carefully in cling film and put into the freezer. You can also cut the cake and wrap individual slices before freezing – perfect to pop into the lunch box… if there are any leftovers…
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What’s your favourite old-fashioned cake? Should I tackle a sponge? (I’m not ready for a sponge!)
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Sammie @ The Annoyed Thyroid says
Yum! I might have to give this a go in the Thermomix! It looks butterylicious! I love old fashioned cakes, I think they are the cakes of the best kind, although I steer away from sponge because I have bad sponge karma. I think my favourite old skool cake is a pumpkin and date one, it’s super yum and it’s a doddle to throw together. It’s packed full of yummy stuff and it never sinks, so it looks like a prize winning show piece every time!
Maxabella says
Recipe please, Sammie! Lately I am having a date love-affair (which is only fitting as they ARE called dates after all!). x
Sammie @ The Annoyed Thyroid says
Here it is – so much nom! And you can put butter on it! #winning
Maxabella says
Did you forget to paste the link, Sam?
Maxabella says
PS – butter = double win!!
Sammie @ The Annoyed Thyroid says
Doh! Here it is http://www.theannoyedthyroid.com/2011/09/29/pumpkin-and-date-cake/
Maxabella says
It’s a ripper! x
Sonia Life Love Hiccups says
Oh that look on her face as she eats the cake – that is so me… but a far cuter version of me when I get my gobs on pound cake xx
Maxabella says
Hahahaha, “gob” made me laugh!!! x
Gael - The Vinyl Edition says
My go-to cake recipe is a weird rich chocolate cake recipe with oil and vinegar in it. Have used it for many a birthday cake.
Apart from that, I frequently make choc-chip and walnut cookies from a really old (decades) Women’s Weekly Cook Book. The book falls open at that page and there are so many marks on the page because I’ve used it so often.
I’m really hungry now – that Pound Cake looks so good.
Maxabella says
Oh my goodness, the choc chip and walnut bickies sound delicious! It’s so rare to find a dedicated walnut recipe these days. And do share the weird oil and vinegar chocolate cake recipe… I’ve never heard of such a thing! x
Reannon @shewhorambles says
I love old fashioned baking. Its the best!
I made a butter cake the other week for the first time in my life & it was delicious! I think I want to tackle a sponge too, if only to use up our abundance of eggs!
Maxabella says
I’ve gotta do a sponge soon too, Reannon. I reckon I can hardly call myself a baker until I’ve mastered a sponge and a loaf of bread!! x
Reannon @shewhorambles says
I feel the same! I am OBSESSED with bread making right now. So far they’ve all been failures,well not failures but not good either. I’m going to try again over the weekend & might tackle a sponge too. Fingers crossed x
Maxabella says
I am also hopeless at bread but really want to make it properly. I have a bread maker, but it’s ancient and makes the crust funny (I am very particular about my bread). I have found that bread rolls are a little easier than a big loaf in the oven, so I am perfecting those and moving my way up! x
Lauren @ Create Bake Make says
This looks wonderful and I really want to make this now for our morning tea! My favourite cake is my great Nan’s chocolate cake. It’s nothing fancy, but tastes delicious and turns out a treat every time.
Maxabella says
A good chocolate cake is a keeper. I have heard that old-fashioned choccy cake recipes usually have a little vinegar in there with the bicarb to make them moist and fluffy. I am trying to track down a recipe… I’m hoping Gayle comes through (see above!) x
Gael - The Vinyl Edition says
Yes, yes, I will share the weird vinegar chocolate cake recipe. I just need to re-write it because the original had a few misleading errors in it, and measurements/weights need converting.(I have all of the amendments scribbled all over the original and I’ve always meant to re-write it so it is easier to follow (especially if kids are ‘helping’). Bear with me, I haven’t forgotten!
Maxabella says
NO pressure, lovely! Just mentioning you. x
Lauren @ Create Bake Make says
I’m intrigued, I would love to have a go at the recipe 🙂
Gael - The Vinyl Edition says
Oh yeah hi I’m still here. Sans chocolate cake recipe. Sorry, I will get there soon, lol.
Maxabella says
Relax – good things come to those who wait! x
Gael - The Vinyl Edition says
Haha, thanks Bron. School holidays here, and I’m also doing the April A-Z blogging challenge. Anyway, I know there’s no pressure, lol, just letting you know i haven’t fogotten.
Vicki @ Boiled Eggs & Soldiers says
Oh yum, I’m adding this to my “to make” list and you’ve just inspired me to pull out a CWA cookbook I have hidden away some where. I love the photo of your daughter – so cute. So how about we have a sponge cake off? I will if you will??? – I don’t think I’ve made a sponge since Home Economics at school and I’m sure that they don’t even call it that these days it was that long ago!
Maxabella says
There is NO WAY I am taking you on in a sponge-off, Vicki!!! BUT… what if we made it a THING and EVERYONE made a sponge and posted it on the same day as a homage to our grandmas on Mother’s Day or something?! That could be fun (and would nicely put some distance between my sponge and your sponge!!). x
Michelle - jarrahjungle says
Yum this look so good! Save me a slice pleaseeeeeeee!!!
Maxabella says
The kids had the whole cake demolished in about 3.5 seconds. Which is why I like to take photos of my baking!! x
Vicki @ Knocked Up and Abroad says
I’ve not made this before but it looks simple and very inviting!
Maxabella says
It’s super easy to put together but quite hard to get ‘right’. Mine always sink a bit in the middle and apparently that’s a big no-no for show-quality (which is, of course, what we are all aiming for when we bake a cake…) x
vegeTARAian says
Oh my goodness, that looks so gloriously good! Love the simple dusting of icing sugar.
Maxabella says
Cake is SO MUCH nicer without icing, I think. Unless it’s cream cheese icing on carrot cake or orange and poppy seed, in which case I’m all for it!! x
Nicole- Champagne and Chips says
That picture of Badoo is magnificent. I haven’t had a pound cake in years- probably not since my Nanna was alive and made one. I think my favourite old fashioned cake is an orange cake- not that different from a pound cake and it always makes me think of afternoons at Lennox Heads with my grandparents. I must make one.
Maxabella says
Orange cake – yes! You’ve reminded me how much I love them. x
Dianne says
ahhh, the magnificence of the pound cake. Im cooking tonight for my schools bake sale. I think I will cook this!. Thanks for the inspiration.
Maxabella says
Perfect cake stall fodder, Dianne!! x
Nancy | Plus Ate Six says
My pound cakes always split/crack right down the middle so I wouldn’t worry about a little sinkage. By the looks of your appreciative audience you have a winner of a recipe.
Maxabella says
I’ve never had a crack… I feel much better now! Mind you, this one hasn’t sunk half as much as some of them do! It’s never a good thing when the ‘little piece’ is in the middle of your loaf!! x
Malinda @mybrownpaperpackages says
Ha – I always wondered why it was called a pound cake and have honestly never made one because (this sounds so stupid) but I always thought it was a really heavy dense brick of a cake and it just didn’t sound nice. But looking at your photos and reading that recipe has just changed my mind. #FFF
Maxabella says
LOL, now that you mention it, it does sound like the kind of cake they made during the Depression. I can assure you it’s yummy! x
Leanne - Lime & Mortar says
Oh yum i love a good traditional cake
Maxabella says
Me too! x
tracie @ beets+birch says
i haven’t had pound cake in decades!!!! that look delicious!
my gram used to make it with a little orange rind. so good!
one of my old fashions depression era cakes are banana cake and oatmeal cake.
Maxabella says
Banana and oatmeal sounds fascinating, Tracie. Have you blogged the recipe before? x
Kim @landofzonkt says
Oh that cake has my name written ALL over it so my kinda cake.
I love old school cakes so much more then all the decident cakes full of icing & toppings.
I like them simple, like tea cake, maderia & sponge. They just go so darn well with a cuppa & good company. xx
Maxabella says
Me too – I’m not an icing fan at all. I bet if you made this pound cake it would not sink in the middle, Kim… x
Clare @ Checks and Spots says
Oh my lord! I could think of nothing better than a nice big slab of this Pound Cake and a cup of tea. Will def give it a whirl.
xx
Maxabella says
I’m absolutely amazed at how the pound cake has gone off… but then, it’s just so CAKE, so I’m not surprised. Looking at it makes me crave a cup of tea too!! x