I have a cute little story to share with you: When we were young, we had a neighborhood grocery store. My mother sent my sister (she was probably about seven or eight years old) to the store to get a pound cake. She was gone quite a while; and when we checked on her, she was weighing every cake in the store to find one that weighed exactly one pound! We submitted this story to the local newspaper's magazine section, and it was printed along with a cartoon drawing of her weighing the cakes...which we felt looked just like her, ponytail and all!
I adapted this pound cake from a recipe I found in the newspaper many years ago, and it has quite a history. The Reverend Beverly Asbury named his cake The Bishop Asbury Pound Cake. There was a Bishop Francis Asbury; however, Reverend Beverly Asbury was unaware of any family connection. This is as close as I've seen to a true pound cake, which would actually have one pound each of the main ingredients. It's tender and buttery and definitely the tallest and richest pound cake I've made...so, if you want to wow everyone with your pound cake, this would be it!
Oh, Wow!
That's One Tall Cake!
Approximately 12 large servings
Ingredients
- Non-stick baking spray
- 1 lb. butter with salt (4 sticks - or - 2 cups), room temperature
- 4 c. sugar
- 2 c. eggs (about 10 large or 8 extra large), room temperature
- 2 TB fresh lemon juice
- 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 1/8th tsp. ground mace spice
- 4 c. all-purpose plain flour, sifted (In the South, we use White Lily--it is ideal for creating light and fluffy baked goods, as it is milled from only 100% pure, soft, red winter wheat.)
Oh, What a Pretty Texture!
Mother Would Be Proud!
Directions
- Grease and flour a 10" tube pan (not a Bundt pan...the batter will overflow) with the non-stick baking spray. If you use a tube pan with a removable insert, please see my Very Happy Birthday Pound Cake with Rich Chocolate Frosting with photos on how to line the pan with wax paper.
- Lay a sheet of aluminum foil on the rack below the one you will bake the cake on, just in case your pan leaks a little grease and/or cake batter.
- Preheat the oven to 325ยบ.
- Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Scrape the bowl.
- Using a medium mixer speed, add the eggs one at a time just until the yellow disappears...be careful not to over mix! Scrape the bowl again.
- Add the lemon juice and vanilla.
- Whisk the mace into the flour and incorporate about 1 c. of the dry ingredients at a time to the batter.
- Scrape the bowl one last time and give the batter a little extra mix.
- Pour the batter into the pan* and bake for approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted and the cake springs back when gently pressed with your finger.
- Cool overnight. (For a moist cake, Mother instructed me to cover it with a clean dish towel and let "sweat" while cooling.)
- Gently run a very thin-bladed knife around the edges and tube of the pan, then invert the cake onto a serving dish. Carefully remove the tube and wax paper, if used.
Having a good pound cake around is a Southern must...it's so versatile and perfect for drop-in guests!
Have a Piece of Cake!
And Enjoy Mother's Day!
Printable Recipe
Love the little story, how cute and sweet it is! And this pound cake does look awesome, it must taste buttery and delicious. I think it will definitely make every mom feel proud of! Thanks for sharing the cute story and this beautiful cake :-)
ReplyDeletePound cake is a favorite of mine, but -- I've never attempted to make one this big. It really looks wonderful. Thanks for sharing the cute story and beautiful as the above reader expressed.
ReplyDeleteThat is one gorgeous pound cake Bonnie! I don't think I have ever seen one that big and tall! And I LOVE the story about your sister weighing the cakes--how cool that the newspaper printed the story with a cartoon!
ReplyDeleteAnd Happy Mother's Day to you too Bonnie! I can't believe I forgot to post that!!
DeleteThat is one beautiful and very tall pound cake, so tall..I bet it could play in the NBA ;) Seriously though..I wish I could come over and have a slice! Happy Mother's Day, Bonnie!
ReplyDeleteHi Binnie, this is a must try cake.I love the fact that you can freeze it. Thanks for sharing your sisters story. Regina
ReplyDeleteI'm a huge fan of pound cake and your towering version looks amazing! The texture is picture perfect...and I love story about your sister :)
ReplyDeleteSuch a cute story! And wow, does that cake look delicious served with strawberries - beautiful! :)
ReplyDeleteBeautiful texture, moist, dense, and buttery. Baked this yesterday, and I had to add 30 minutes to the 1hr-45min for the pick to come out clean. Oven temp was right, checked it with two thermometers. It's a mystery. But this cake is the closest to the pound cakes I remember from my youth as any I have tried. Thanks for sharing it.
ReplyDeleteHi Marsha! That is odd about the length of time your cake took to cook. My sister made it with perfect results. I'm not a food scientist; but when I had my house, I had the ovens calibrated by a technician. I see you used two thermometers...I know some are more accurate than others. I'm so glad you liked it, even though it took longer for yours to cook. Thanks for sharing your experience...please visit often!
DeleteHi, I'm new to baking. I have a question, you didn't have to add baking powder or salt to your all purpose flour? Can't wait to try this one!
ReplyDeleteHi Cheryl! This is a classic, true pound cake. There is no need to add baking powder or salt (I use butter w/salt anyway). The eggs are the raising agent in this cake (and it calls for a lot).
DeleteI do hope you try it...it's so fantastic and versatile! If you have any more questions, please let me know. I try to write my recipes as if my daughter were standing beside me.
Thanks so much for visiting, and sweet success!
Does cake have to sit in the pan overnight
ReplyDeleteI just feel better if it sits overnight. I know then that it will be completely cooled and will release without coming apart. Also, it will not be gummy inside. I would say that it should be cooled a minimum of two hours. If you release a pound cake too early, it might taste good (warm), but differently. However, it may not release well, or it could crush easily and perhaps be a little gummy. Always cut a cake with a serrated knife, taking care not to smash the cake as you slice it! Thanks for your inquiry and reading my blog...good luck and enjoy!
DeleteWhere do you find a bundt pan that high
ReplyDeleteI used a 10" tube pan with a removable insert. Normally, this pan would be used for angel food cakes. Some angel food cake pans are one piece and don't have a removable insert. In my recipe, I recommended not using a Bundt pan, as the batter would overflow. If that's the only tube pan you have, you might try removing some batter (obviously, the cake would not be as tall as the one photoed). I've not made this cake in a Bundt pan, so I can't recommend how much batter to remove. Thank you for visiting my site and your inquiry. Please visit often, and I hope you enjoy!
DeleteWith all those eggs it will not over flow
ReplyDeleteNot if you use the pan size recommended. Thank you for your inquiry, and please visit often! Enjoy!
DeleteCan’t wait to make this pound cake!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Becky! Truly appreciate your visiting my blog and your nice comment! It's a marvelous pound cake...enjoy!
DeleteYou mentioned covering the cake with a clean Dish towel to make moist. Covering it in the pan doesn't make it sweat and stick?
ReplyDeleteI plan to try this cake for a reunion next week
Hi Dee! Yes, it will help make the cake more moist, and it will not stick if you prepare the pan as I suggested. It will release easier if completely cooled overnight. Thank you for your question and have fun at the reunion! Please visit often!
DeleteWould you leave this cake in the pan overnight if you don't use a removable tube pan?
ReplyDeleteYes, I would! Please see my reply to "Anonymous" dated July 20, 2017. I would also encourage you to read my reply to "Anonymous" 9/20/17. Thank you for your question and visiting my site...I hope you visit often. Enjoy your cake! :)
DeleteHello-
ReplyDeleteAn you substitute almond or vanilla extract for the mace and still have the same results?
Hi! I like to use mace spice in a lot of my recipes. It has a subtle flavor that some would find difficult to identify, yet it very pleasantly flavors the recipe. I prefer mace in this cake, but you could substitute ground nutmeg for something similar. The recipe already calls for vanilla and lemon juice. Thank you for your inquiry and enjoy!
DeleteWhat does mace look like? Is it similar to vanilla flavoring?
ReplyDeleteHi B-Rob! It is a brownish, dry powder spice and generally comes in a small can or jar. Thank you for your inquiry and hope you visit often. Enjoy!
DeleteI love this cake! The texture and flavor is awesome. Loved your story, too! Reminds me of when we had 3 children under 5 & husband's employ was bragging about how clean his wife kept their house. He said she kept it so clean you could eat off the floor. My husband said yea, you could eat off his wife's floor, too and even the ceiling, too. I never saw any cake, tho. Hahahaha...
ReplyDeleteHi! So glad you love this cake and got a kick out of the story! I imagine his wife may have insisted on eating out a lot! Mother would say that lady's house didn't look lived in! Thanks for sharing such a delightful comment...it was fun to hear your story too! �� Enjoy the cake and come back again real soon! ��
DeleteBonnie, I noticed that you didn't use any milk. Are the 8 eggs taking the place of the milk?
ReplyDeleteHello! Milk is not used in a classic pound cake. Some other pound cakes do use milk. Thank for your inquiry and enjoy!
DeleteI love baking and get requests for pound cakes all the time. Have been wanting a tall cake recipe and you came through! Will try this one this weekend. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteHello Johnnie! So happy you share my love of baking! This indeed is the pound cake recipe to use if you really want a tall cake, plus it's so scrumptious! Thanks so much for your comment and visiting. Have fun baking this weekend and enjoy!
DeleteI really don't like the cooking spray. I like to prepare my pans with crisco shortening and dust with flour.
ReplyDeleteI have had very good success with the non-stick baking spray and find it easier to use. However, if you prefer the using the shortening and dusting with flour, I say go for it! Thanks so much for visiting and your comment. Please visit often and enjoy!
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