Pound cake is made from butter, eggs, flour, and sugar, and is baked in a loaf pan. Pound cake got its name from having a pound of each of these ingredients, but apparently Elvis Presley’s favorite recipe didn’t. Either way, this is the best pound we have ever made.
Whipping Cream Pound Cake Recipe
This pound cake reminds me of the Sara Lee pound cakes I ate when I was a kid. Dense but moist, sweet and a perfect crumb. My favorite way to eat it was slathered in creamy, spreadable butter or with a smear of lemon curd of homemade jam. I’ve made this countless times since I discovered it over a decade ago.
Tips for Making Homemade Pound Cake
- The trick to this batter is beating it the full length of time specified. So when it says 5 minutes, set a timer for 5 minutes.
- Be sure to sift the flours as indicated in the recipe. Sift them 3 times as directed.
- Butter should be softened to room temperature. This means take the butter out of the fridge 20 minutes before you will need it. You should be able to make a small indent in the butter, but your finger should not go “into” the butter.
- We use 8×4 sized loaf pans. If you want to make these in 9×5 loaf pans, reduce the baking time by ten minutes.
Pound cake ingredients
- I use unsalted butter whenever I bake. If you use salted butter you likely won’t notice a difference, but if you’re tastebuds are sensitive you may taste a hint of salt.
- This recipe uses sifted cake flour, which means you will sift before measuring it out.
- Other standard ingredients include table salt (which you might want to cut back if you use salted butter), granulated sugar, and large eggs.
- Use pure vanilla extract, imitation has a completely different flavor and will alter the results of this pound cake.
- The reason this pound cake is so good is because of the heavy cream. Instead of a pound of butter, cream makes up for using less butter.
Helpful baking tools
How to make Elvis Presley Whipping Cream Pound Cake
Start by positioning your oven rack in the middle position, but do not preheat your oven. Generously butter two 8×4 loaf pans and dust them with flour, knocking out any excess flour.
- Sift together the sifted flour and salt into a bowl. Repeat sifting into another bowl (flour will have been sifted 3 times total).
- Beat together the softened butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. This will take about 5 minutes in a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment or 6 to 8 minutes with a handheld mixer.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Afterward beat in vanilla.
- Reduce the mixer speed to low and add half of flour, then all of the heavy cream, then the remaining flour, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down side of bowl, then beat at medium-high speed 5 minutes. Batter will become satiny and creamy.
- Spoon batter into loaf pans and rap the pans against the counter once or twice to eliminate air bubbles.
- Place pans on a baking sheet and place in the cold oven and turn the oven temperature to 350°F.
- Bake until golden brown and a wooden pick or skewer inserted in middle of cake comes out with a few crumbs sticking to it, about 75-85 minutes.
- Cool pound cakes in pans on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Run a thin knife around inner and outer edges of cake, then invert rack over pan and invert cake onto rack to cool completely.
Other cake recipes you will enjoy
- Lemon Curd Poke Cake
- Pistachio Cake
- Chocolate Texas Sheet Cake
- Pound Cake Cupcakes
- Orange Poppy Seed Pound Cake
- Chocolate Pound Cake
Elvis Presley's Whipping Cream Pound Cake
IMPORTANT - There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!
Print It Pin It Rate It Text ItIngredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened, plus additional for buttering pan
- 3 cups sifted cake flour not self-rising; sift before measuring plus additional for dusting
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups sugar
- 7 large eggs at room temperature 30 minutes
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
Things You'll Need
Instructions
- Put oven rack in middle position, but do not preheat oven.
- Generously butter two 8x4 loaf pans and dust with flour, knocking out excess flour. (Be sure to read NOTES if using 9x5 loaf pans)
- Sift together sifted flour and salt into a bowl. Repeat sifting into another bowl (flour will have been sifted 3 times total, once by itself and twice with the salt).
- Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes in a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, or 6 to 8 minutes with a handheld mixer.
- Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in vanilla.
- Reduce speed to low and add half of flour, then all of cream, then remaining flour, mixing well after each addition.
- Scrape down side of bowl, then beat at medium-high speed 5 minutes. Batter will become creamier and satiny.
- Spoon batter into pan and rap pan against work surface once or twice to eliminate air bubbles.
- Place pan in (cold) oven and turn oven temperature to 350°F. Bake until golden and a wooden pick or skewer inserted in middle of cake comes out with a few crumbs adhering, 75-85 minutes.
- Cool cake in pan on a rack 30 minutes. Run a thin knife around inner and outer edges of cake, then invert rack over pan and invert cake onto rack to cool completely.
Expert Tips & FAQs
- The trick to this batter is beating it the full length of time specified. So when it says 5 minutes, set a timer for 5 minutes.
- Be sure to sift the flours as indicated in the recipe. Sift them 3 times as directed.
- Butter should be softened to room temperature. This means take the butter out of the fridge 20 minutes before you will need it. You should be able to make a small indent in the butter, but your finger should not go "into" the butter.
- We use 8x4 sized loaf pans. If you want to make these in 9x5 loaf pans, reduce the baking time by ten minutes.
Nutrition
This post originally appeared here on Aug 24, 2009.
Amanda Davis
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Laura says
Hello….your photo shows a sugar crust on the loaves. I followed the recipe faithfully but mine never developed the crackly sugar crust. It was just a smooth normal crust. Any ideas?
Amanda Formaro says
It’s actually just the way that the batter reacts to the heat in the oven, there’s no additional topping such as sugar. Is the texture of your finished loaf tight like pound cake? Be sure you set a time for the mixing, for example in step 4 of the recipe card is says beat 5 minutes. Step 7 is similar. Be sure you are beating the batter for the full amount of time in the recipe as it beats air into the batter.
Mari says
So… what if you have an oven that MUST be preheated? That is, both of my last two ovens are designed to preheat quickly and turn on the broiler and bottom gas at full blast to preheat… which I sadly know from experience scorches the tops of cakes. Is like to make this, but I can’t start it in a cold oven…
Amanda Formaro says
The only thing I can suggest is following the recipe and place the cake in as instructed, then start your oven. I’ve never heard of an oven like you describe. Is it an older oven?
Christa says
Could you add some seedless raspberry jam to this recipe?