Description
Southern Paula Deen pound cake delights with rich buttery flavor and silky vanilla glaze. Homemade comfort emerges from classic Southern baking traditions you’ll savor slice by slice.
Ingredients
Scale
- 3 cups (720 ml) all-purpose flour
- 3 cups (600 g) sugar
- 5 eggs
- 2 sticks (226 g/8 oz) butter
- 1 cup (240 ml) milk
- ½ cup (96 g) vegetable shortening
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1.5 cups (180 g) confectioner’s sugar
- 3 tbsps (45 ml) milk (for glaze)
- Additional vanilla extract (for glaze)
- Additional butter (for greasing pan)
- Additional flour (for dusting pan)
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare: Calibrate oven to 350°F (175°C) and generously lubricate a tube or bundt pan with butter and flour, ensuring complete surface coverage to prevent adhesion.
- Cream Foundational Mixture: Whip unsalted butter and vegetable shortening in a substantial mixing bowl until achieving a seamless, silky texture, gradually integrating granulated sugar to develop a voluminous, ethereal consistency.
- Egg Integration: Systematically fold whole eggs into the creamed base, ensuring each addition is completely absorbed and creating a uniform, smooth mixture.
- Dry Ingredient Composition: Sift all-purpose flour, fine salt, and double-acting baking powder together, eliminating potential clumping and creating a homogeneous dry mixture.
- Batter Assembly: Alternate adding dry ingredients and whole milk to the creamed foundation, initiating and concluding with flour incorporation. Gently fold in pure vanilla extract to enhance aromatic complexity, maintaining a delicate mixing technique.
- Baking Process: Distribute batter evenly in prepared pan and bake for 60-90 minutes. Conduct doneness test using a slender wooden pick—a clean extraction indicates complete baking.
- Glaze Finalization: While cake cools to room temperature, construct a glossy glaze by whisking confectioner’s sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until achieving a smooth, cascading consistency. Generously drape glaze over cake surface, allowing natural setting for an elegant presentation.
Notes
- Butter Preparation Technique: Soften butter to room temperature for smoother creaming and better cake texture, ensuring even mixing without cold spots.
- Egg Integration Strategy: Add eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly between each addition to create a stable, silky batter that prevents curdling and promotes even rising.
- Flour Handling Precision: Sift dry ingredients to eliminate potential lumps and aerate the flour, which guarantees a lighter, more delicate cake crumb with consistent texture.
- Baking Time Mastery: Check cake doneness early and often, as oven temperatures vary; use a wooden pick inserted near the center to confirm complete baking without overbrowning.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 11
- Calories: 540
- Sugar: 77 g
- Sodium: 175 mg
- Fat: 24 g
- Saturated Fat: 14 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 81 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 6 g
- Cholesterol: 125 mg