Buttermilk Pound Cake – If ever there was a classic dessert recipe, this is it. This pound cake is moist and buttery, with just a hint of tang. It’s equally delicious on its own, slathered with whipped cream and berries, or under a hearty scoop of ice cream. Coffee, get ready to meet your perfect match. 🤎
Seriously, there is so much to love about pound cakes. The fact that they’ve been around for literally centuries speaks for itself. And it makes sense. Nothing is more comforting than flour, butter, sugar, and eggs whipped together into a warm baked good.
There’s also the ease factor. Pound cakes are just so easy to make! Truly, all you need is basic ingredients and a few simple baking techniques, and you’ll have the perfect dessert to enjoy with your friends every single time. 😍
Buttermilk in a Pound Cake?
Yep, you read that right. And if you’re familiar with pound cakes, you know that they can come in a lot of different flavors. This recipe features that classic buttery taste that isn’t too sweet, with a delicate hint of tang from the buttermilk. Not only is the flavor spectacular, buttermilk interacts with the gluten in the flour and the baking soda to make a pound cake that is less dense, super moist, and slightly fluffy. Trust me when I say this cake is heaven! Buttermilk FTW! 😇
Recipe Ingredients
- Buttermilk – The tangy star of the show, buttermilk is what makes this pound cake really shine.
- Wet Ingredients – Butter, sugar, and eggs are decadently delicious for a moist pound cake.
- Dry Ingredients – The beauty of a pound cake is its simplicity. Simply pull out the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and a pinch of salt for the perfect bake with a good rise.
- Glaze – Confectioner’s sugar, lemon juice, buttermilk, and confectioners’ sugar come together to make a bright, citrusy glaze.
How to Make a Buttermilk Pound Cake
Cream the Butter
- Prep the Pan – Generously grease a tube pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Cream the butter and sugar with a hand or stand mixer at high speed until it’s fluffy and looks white, 5-7 minutes. (Photos 1-2)
- Add Eggs – Add the eggs one at a time, beating the mixture well between each addition. (Photos 3-4)
Make the Batter
- Dry Ingredients – In a medium bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well combined. (Photos 5-6)
- Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients – Then mix the dry ingredients into the creamed butter, alternating with the buttermilk. Start with ⅓ of the dry, then ½ of the buttermilk, and mix for a while. Add another ⅓ of the dry ingredients, followed by the rest of the buttermilk, and mix. Then add the last ⅓ of the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined. As you mix, scrape down the sides of the bowl. (Photos 7-8)
- Flavor – Add the vanilla and gently fold into the cake batter. Do not overmix. (Photos 9-10)
- Pour the batter into the greased cake pan. (Photo 11)
- Tap the pan on your work surface to eliminate any large air bubbles.
Final Stretch
- Bake at 300°F/150℃ until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 50-60 minutes or more if needed. (Photo 12)
- The Glaze – Whisk the powdered sugar, buttermilk, and lemon juice until smooth.
- Serve – Transfer the pound cake to a wire rack and let it cool. Drizzle it with the glaze, slice, and serve. You could also add some whipped cream and fresh strawberries. Enjoy!
Recipe Variations
- Lemon Buttermilk Pound Cake – The glaze for this pound cake has a subtle lemony taste already, but you can turn this into a full-on lemon buttermilk pound cake by simply adding two teaspoons of lemon zest to the batter before you bake. Don’t forget to zest the lemon before you juice it for the glaze! 😅
- Powdered Sugar – Skip the glaze entirely if you’d like. You can dust this pound cake with powdered sugar, which looks and tastes just as delicious.
- Fruity Pound Cake – Add a cup of your favorite fruit, strawberries, blueberries, pineapple, you name it, for a decadent fruit experience. Just chop them and throw them in the batter with the vanilla extract.
- Mocha Pound Cake – Replace ½ cup of flour with ½ cup of unsweetened cocoa powder and add a tablespoon of instant coffee. Yum!
Tips and Tricks
- For best results, make sure that all your ingredients are at room temperature. Simply let the butter, eggs, and buttermilk sit on the counter for about 20 minutes before starting. The ingredients will mix together better, and your cake will have a better overall texture.
- To prevent cracking and breaking, let the cake cool first before transferring it to a cooling rack for about 10-15 minutes. And while we’re talking about cooling, always cool pound cakes completely before slicing them with a serrated knife to conserve that beautiful fluffy texture.
- No bundt pan? No problem! Use two 9×5″ loaf pans instead.
Make-Ahead Instructions
Pound cake lasts 4-5 days at room temperature, so feel free to make it ahead. Just be sure to keep it in an airtight container. You can also slice pound cake up and store slices (or the whole thing) in the freezer for up to 3 months. Give individual slices a quick trip around the microwave whenever the craving for cake and coffee hits you! ✨
Serving and Storage Instructions
Serve pound cake in slices after it has cooled completely. Store it in a cake carrier at room temperature for 4-5 days. You can also store it in the fridge if you’d like. It can last up to a week that way.
Too much cake for you to eat in a week? (Doubtful, but some of my friends claim it’s possible.) If so, freeze leftover cake slices for up to three months. As I mentioned above, you can thaw them in the fridge or nuke them.
FAQs
Pound cakes are notoriously sticky, so thoroughly grease the pan. This is especially true if you have a fancy bundt pan with lots of grooves for decoration. Greasing with a spray can help you get in all the cracks, and flouring the greased surface can help the cake release well too.
It’s possible it was overbaked. 😢 If that happens, get some moisture back by poking the cake in a few places with a skewer and pouring a simple syrup over it. Glaze it after the soak, and voila! You’ve successfully added some moisture back.
I use all-purpose flour and find that it works just right, but some bakers swear by cake flour for a light pound cake. Either one will work fine if you ask me. 😉
What Goes With Buttermilk Pound Cake
Fresh fruit and whipped cream seem to be everyone’s favorite pairing, but there are a few creative ways to gussy it up that I always enjoy. Next time, why not try it with creme anglaise and a sprinkle of candied pecans?
And, of course, don’t forget a cozy drink to go with your buttermilk pound cake. Hot coffee is always a winner, or you could try ginger tea or a chai tea latte. Yum!
More Crazy Good Cake Recipes to Try
Conclusion
A classic buttermilk pound cake recipe for the classic baker in you! No one will turn their nose up at this deliciousness. For more delicious and easy dessert recipes, give me a follow on Facebook and Instagram. See you there! 😃
Watch How to Make It
[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”H9vPw7ri” upload-date=”2023-06-16T16:19:11.000Z” name=”BUTTERMILK POUND CAKE NO TITLE.mp4″ description=”Buttermilk Pound Cake – If ever there was a classic dessert recipe, this is it. Moist and buttery, with just a hint of tang. ” player-type=”collapse” override-embed=”false”]
Buttermilk Pound Cake
Ingredients
- 1½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups sugar
- 6 large eggs, room temperature
- 3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon (15ml) vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoon lemon zest (optional)
- 1½ cups confectioners sugar
- ¼ cup buttermilk
Instructions
Buttermilk Pound Cake
- Preheat the oven to 300°F/150°C. Grease a tube pan generously with cooking spray and set aside.
- Cream the butter and sugar at high speed in a stand mixture until it’s fluffy and starting to look white, about 5-7 minutes.
- Stir in the eggs, one at a time, beating the mixture well between each addition.
- In a medium bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and mix until well combined.
- Next, add the dry ingredients to the creamed butter, alternating with the buttermilk. Start with ⅓ of the dry ingredients, then stir in ½ of the buttermilk, then add another ⅓ of the dry ingredients, followed by the rest of the buttermilk, and mix. Then add in the last ⅓ of the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl between mixes.
- Add in the vanilla and gently fold into the cake batter. Do not overmix.
- Pour batter into the greased cake pan. Tap the pan on the work surface to eliminate any large air bubbles.
- Bake at 300℉/150℃ until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 50-60 minutes or more.
Lemon Glaze (Optional)
- Whisk the lemon zest, confectioner's sugar, and buttermilk in a small bowl until smooth.
- Transfer the cake to a wire rack and let it cool before slicing and serving. When the cake has cooled, drizzle it with glaze or serve it with whipped cream and fresh strawberries. Enjoy!
Tips & Notes:
- For best results, make sure that all your ingredients are at room temperature. Simply let the butter, eggs, and buttermilk sit on the counter for about 20 minutes before starting. The ingredients will mix together better, and your cake will have a better overall texture.
- To prevent cracking and breaking, let the cake cool first before transferring it to a cooling rack for about 10-15 minutes. And while we’re talking about cooling, always cool pound cakes completely before slicing them with a serrated knife to conserve that beautiful fluffy texture.
- No bundt pan? No problem! Use two 9×5″ loaf pans instead.
- Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.
Pat says
I don’t see the icing part of the recipe the ingredients are there
Imma says
Thank you for catching that. I have fixed it.