MaMa's Pound Cake

8 servings Prep: 20 m Cook: 1 h 30 m Total: 1 h 50 m Beginner
Start the coffee brewing or run down to the corner and get some Community Coffee, because this classic Southern pound cake is just wonderful with coffee. Rich, buttery, and dense with a tender crumb from butter, shortening, and five eggs, flavored with a hint of rum, coconut, and butter.

Ingredients

  • 2 sticks butter
  • 1/2 cup shortening
  • 3 cups flour
  • 3 cups sugar
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 tsp rum flavoring
  • 1 tsp coconut flavoring
  • 1/2 tsp butter flavoring
  • 5 eggs

Step-by-Step Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease and flour a Bundt pan thoroughly.
  2. Cream sugar, butter (or margarine) and shortening thoroughly until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each egg.
  3. Sift flour with baking powder. Add this alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Stir in rum flavoring, coconut flavoring, and butter flavoring.
  4. Pour batter into prepared Bundt pan. Bake at 325°F for 1 and 1/2 hours, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  5. Let cool in pan for 10-15 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Serve with café au lait or your favorite coffee.

Common Problems and Solutions

Q: Why is my pound cake dry?

A: Make sure you're creaming the butter, shortening, and sugar thoroughly (3-5 minutes) to incorporate air, and don't overbake. Check for doneness at 1 hour 20 minutes - the cake is done when a toothpick comes out clean.

Q: Can I use all butter instead of butter and shortening?

A: Yes, but the texture will be slightly different. Shortening gives a more tender crumb, while all-butter will have more flavor but may be slightly denser. Use 1 and 1/4 cups (2.5 sticks) total butter.

Tips and Techniques

The key to a perfect pound cake is thorough creaming of the butter, shortening, and sugar - don’t rush this step. Also, adding the flour and milk alternately (starting and ending with flour) helps prevent the batter from curdling and ensures even mixing.

Ingredient Substitutions

  • rum flavoring: vanilla extract or almond extract
  • shortening: all butter
  • whole milk: buttermilk

Equipment Needed

  • Bundt pan (10-12 cup capacity)
  • Electric mixer (stand or hand)
  • Mixing bowls
  • Wire cooling rack

Historical Context

Pound cakes get their name from the traditional recipe that called for a pound each of butter, sugar, eggs, and flour. This Southern adaptation lightens the texture slightly with baking powder and uses flavorings popular in Louisiana baking.