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
Elvis Presley's Whipping Cream Pound Cake
Ingredients
- 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 Formaro
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Evelyn says
Can this recipe be made in a tube cake pan? It looks delicious and I want to make it for Thanksgiving.
Amanda Formaro says
Disclaimer – I have not tried it in that size pan, so I would suggest making it a day or two ahead just in case you have issues. Here’s a guide for converting to different pans https://www.allrecipes.com/article/cake-pan-size-conversions/
Evelyn says
Thank you. I looking forward to making this pound cake. Thanks for the recipe.
audrey says
soso good, the best pound cake i’ve ever made
Michelle says
This pound cake came out beautiful. Was going to cheat and buy one, but guess what you still can’t get at the store due to covid? So I made my first pound cake. It turned out much better than store. Popped right out of the pan. The flavor was great and the whipping cream added so much moisture. I needed a cake that could hold up to all the moisture in parfaits that I made with whipping cream and lemon curd and cherry compote, so a lot of moisture, glad I picked this one, it’s my go to now and in my tried and true recipes. Thanks Amanda!
Amanda Formaro says
Hooray! Thanks so much Michelle, glad you love it as much as we do!
DAISY says
Message to the chef,: Dear Amanda just reading some of your recipes I wish I could be in your kitchen watching you cook and bake, I really do. You make everything sound so interesting and yummy.
Will enjoy trying all your recipes, thanks so much for sharing, oh and one more thing you have a lovely family, it was nice that you shared that with everyone.
Happy Baking
DAISY
Amanda Formaro says
Thank you so much Daisy, that was so nice of you! :)
Audra LeNormand says
This pound cake is wonderful I have the Elvis cookbook and my Mom loves this Pound cake best. I made 4 for a Family Reunion they was gone before lunch.I Made two by the recipe and 2 with Splenda( we have several who are Diabetic including myself.) They said it was a wonderful treat!
Amanda Formaro says
I love it too Audra! Thanks for stopping by!
Reginald says
Made this cake 2017to celebrate his birthday it was eaten up in 1day still getting complements on this awesome cake Reggie in
Amanda Formaro says
Oh awesome, thank you for sharing Reggie! :)
Mildred Adams says
I made this cake over the weekend. Although I followed the recipe to a tee, it didn’t come out quite like I expected. The flavor was on point but it was too dense. I know pound cake is supposed to be more dense than a regular cake but it took all I had to swallow it. I don’t know what I did wrong but I’m going to try it again this weekend.
Amanda Formaro says
Hmm not sure without being there with you :/ Let me know if you try again!
Amanda says
So glad you enjoyed it as much as we do!
Lis says
So delighted with the cake – a snap to put together and large enough to share! Pairing with Maker's Mark Chocolate Sauce, Homemade Ice Cream and a few berries for an over the top Birthday! Thank you for your posts!
Elle says
I adore pound cake! I also like the old and the new photos. :)
Megan says
I like every word in the title. I know I would consume this whole cake. ;)
Grumpy and HoneyB says
Oh I really hate when I follow a recipe exactly and it doesn't turn out right!
Your pound cake looks really awesome – and now you've given me a hankering for one….and if I had enough eggs in my house today I'd be making this! I will be bookmarking however! Maybe for mother's day :)
Heather Davis says
That looks amazing Amanda. Pound Cake always reminds me of my grandmother except she use to buy the Entenmann's version. Will have to give your recipe a go. Love the title of it.
5 Star Foodie says
That pound cake looks so soft and delicious! Excellent recipe!
Amanda says
Barbara – LOL about Elvis haha!
Barbara @ moderncomfortfood says
Now I too have a hankering for pound cake that I might find hard to resist. This looks fabulous and quite addictive — thus perhaps explaining Elvis' chubbiness in his later years? Well done, Amanda!
Maria says
Looks good! I want a slice with fresh berries:)