Try the bourbon cake with pecans next!
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❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
This easy buttermilk pound cake recipe is always moist, dense, and delicious! It's the perfect base for berries or other fruit because it's not too sweet.
It's also flavorful enough to stand on its own with or without the glorious brown butter glaze that I've included here.
This is a classic southern cake recipe that you'll want to keep handy for those moments when you just need an awesome dessert.
🧾 Ingredients
- Butter
- Sugar
- Large eggs
- Vanilla
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda
- Buttermilk
- Confectioner's sugar
🔪 Instructions
Note: This is an overview of the instructions. The full instructions are in the green recipe card below.
- Cream butter and sugar.
- Add eggs.
- Beat in vanilla.
- Combine all purpose flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
- Add the dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk.
- Pour batter into a bundt cake pan, using a rubber spatula to get all of the batter into the pan.
- Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
- Turn the pan over and let the cake slip out onto the wire rack to finish cooling.
Brown butter glaze
- Melt the butter in a saucepan, watching carefully until it turns golden brown.
- Mix the butter and vanilla extract with the confectioners sugar until smooth.
- Add a little milk if you need to thin it down.
- Spoon glaze over the warm cake.
🥫 Storage
Store the pound cake at room temperature in an airtight container. It should be fine for 4 days or so. Freeze for longer storage - up to 3 months.
👩🏻🍳 Frequently asked questions
Here are the questions I am most frequently asked about this recipe.
It originally called for a pound of each ingredient. Even though the recipe changed over the centuries the name didn't!
A heavy bundt pan or angel food cake pan is perfect. I've linked to my favorite below.
10 minutes unless otherwise directed in the recipe.
Don't use butter to grease the pan. Either use a cake release spray or vegetable shortening dusted with flour and make sure to grease ALL inside surfaces, including the center tube. Flip the pan over and tap the bottom and sides to release the excess flour. The milk solids in butter can cause the cake to stick .
It gives it a delicate, tangy flavor and a moist crumb.
💭 Tips for success
This classic southern recipe is absolutely one of the simplest desserts you can make. There aren't many ingredients and you probably have all of them in your pantry right now.
Expert tip: If you have a fancy pan with a lot of carved edges it's better to use the baking release spray - it's easier to get all the surfaces covered.
- It is imperative that all ingredients are at room temperature before beginning!
- Use a heavy bundt cake pan. It will bake more evenly and have a better texture.
- Add a little lemon zest if you like.
- Grease the bundt pan well, whatever you use.
- You can use 2 loaf pans instead of the bundt pan - start checking for doneness at 50 minutes.
- Butter is not the best thing to grease the pan with. The milk solids in the butter can cause sticking.
- Make sure the cake is all the way done. The center will register 210F on a insta-read thermometer or you can stick a toothpick in it to see if it comes out with just a few crumbs clinging to it.
- Let cool in the pan at least 10 minutes, or as directed in your recipe.
- Slow ovens for longer periods usually work better than hotter temperatures.
- Bake a day ahead of time so that the flavors have a chance to mellow and blend.
You can slice it and place softened ice cream between the layers (or jam or mousse). You can cube it and use it in a punch bowl cake. Really, so many possibilities!
📚 Related recipes
I used to hate buying a quart of buttermilk for a recipe and then just using a cup or two. Here are some recipes to help you deliciously use up the rest of the buttermilk.
- Honey Buttermilk Bread is a reader favorite! It's a light, slightly sweet loaf that rises beautifully. A good one for beginners.
- Buttermilk Banana Bread is so moist and delicious!
- Buttermilk Blueberry Muffins are so tender with big juicy blueberries!
- Southern Buttermilk Biscuits are light and flaky - these are the real deal, y'all.
- White Texas Sheet Cake is moist with a delicate coconut flavor - so good! Nothing like it.
- Chocolate Buttermilk Bundt Cake with Port Wine is absolutely one of my favorite cakes. SO delicious!
📞 The last word
If you are reminiscing with someone about the southern desserts of your childhood this one will just about always make the list. There's something so comforting about this no-nonsense cake that it plays a role in almost every southern cookbook ever written.
And really, it deserves to be there. It is as equally comfortable swathed in plump, fresh berries or juicy ripe peaches as it is served with a sweet glaze or scoop of ice cream.
This is the cake equivalent of a worn quilt and a favorite movie with thunder rumblings and rain spattering against the window - pure comfort.
If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need. Don't forget that you can click on "add to collection" to save it to your own, private recipe box!
If you love this recipe please give it a 5 star rating. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Buttermilk Pound Cake
Print Pin Recipe SaveEquipment Needed
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 cup butter, soft room temperature
- 2 -½ cups sugar
- 4 eggs, room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
Brown Butter Glaze
- ½ cup butter, salted butter works best
- 3 cups Confectioner's sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
Cake
- Grease and flour (or use baker's release spray) a bundt pan. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 325F. Gather the ingredients and make sure they are at room temperature before beginning.
- Cream butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy.
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each.
- Beat in vanilla.
- Combine flour, baking soda, and salt.
- With the mixer running add the dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk.
- Beat on low speed until smooth.
- Pour into the prepared bundt cake pan, using a rubber spatula to get all of the batter into the pan.
- Bake at 325F until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 70 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
- Carefully run a knife down the sides to separate the cake from the pan.
- Turn the pan over and let the cake slip out onto the wire rack.
- Turn the pan over and let the cake slip out onto the wire rack to finish cooling.
Brown Butter Glaze
- Melt the butter in a saucepan, watching carefully until it turns golden brown.
- Mix the butter and vanilla with the confectioners sugar until smooth.
- Add a little milk if you need to thin it down.
- Spoon glaze over the cake.
Notes
- It is imperative that all ingredients are at room temperature before beginning!
- Use a heavy bundt cake pan. It will bake more evenly and have a better texture.
- If you have a fancy pan with a lot of carved edges it's better to use the baking release spray - it's easier to get all the surfaces.
- Butter is not the best thing to grease the pan with, though. The milk solids in the butter can cause sticking.
- Make sure the cake is all the way done. The center will register 210F on a insta-read thermometer or you can stick a toothpick in it to see if it comes out with just a few crumbs clinging to it.
- Let cool in the pan at least 10 minutes, or as directed in your recipe.
- Bake a day ahead of time so that the flavors have a chance to mellow and blend.
- You can also use 2 loaf pans instead of the bundt pan.
Nutrition Facts
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We'll never share your email or send you spam. Pinkie swear.First published May 1, 2019. Last updated July 3, 2021 with minor edits to copy.
Stacey
Me again! Since I commented/questioned on Nov 14th, I've made several of these! None were in bundt pans, but regular-sized loaves & minis. The fam LOVES them. I added fresh chopped cranberries to some, and lemon zest + cranberries to others. Thank you for a SOLID recipe that I'll keep/use for ages to come! YUMMM.