Paula Deen Mama’s Pound Cake

Paula Deen Mama’s Pound Cake is a classic Southern dessert. This heavy, buttery cake uses plenty of sugar, eggs, and vegetable shortening to get that dense, velvety crumb and a signature sugary crust.

I’ve tried making this a few different ways, and the biggest lesson I learned is about the temperature of the ingredients. If your butter or eggs are even slightly cold, the fat won’t trap air correctly and you’ll end up with a greasy, flat brick instead of a tall cake. Now I always leave everything on the counter for at least two hours before I even think about grabbing a mixing bowl.

Paula Deen’s method works because it uses both butter and shortening. Most recipes just use one or the other, but the shortening keeps the inside moist while the butter gives it that rich, salty flavor. My family always asks for this during the holidays because it’s sturdy enough to travel but tastes like something that took all day to bake.

Paula Deen Mama’s Pound Cake Ingredients

• 2 sticks (225g) butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup (95g) vegetable shortening
• 3 cups (600g) sugar
• 5 large eggs, at room temperature
• 3 cups (360g) all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 1 cup (240ml) milk, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

How To Make Paula Deen Mama’s Pound Cake

• 1. Prep the oven and pan: Set the rack to the center position and preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F). Use a bit of extra butter and flour to coat every inch of a 10-inch tube pan, making sure to tap out any leftover flour that doesn’t stick.
• 2. Cream the fats: Put the room temperature butter and shortening into a large bowl and beat them together with a mixer until the mixture is smooth and pale. This takes a few minutes, but you want to see them completely blended before you move on to the sugar.
• 3. Build the structure: Add the sugar slowly while the mixer is running, then beat in the eggs one by one. Don’t rush the eggs because they need to be fully mixed in to create a stable base that won’t collapse in the heat of the oven.
• 4. Whisk the dry ingredients: Grab a separate bowl and stir the flour, baking powder, and salt together until they’re combined. Using a whisk for this helps break up any clumps in the flour so the cake doesn’t have dry spots later.
• 5. Mix the batter: Add about a third of the flour mixture to the butter, then half the milk, and keep alternating until everything is in, ending with the flour. Pour in the vanilla extract at the very end and give it one last quick stir until it’s just smooth.

Don’t keep mixing once the white streaks of flour are gone. If you work the batter too long at this stage, the cake will turn out tough and chewy rather than tender and soft.

• 6. Bake the cake: Pour the heavy batter into your prepared tube pan and smooth the top with a spoon. Bake for 60 to 90 minutes, checking it at the hour mark by sticking a toothpick into the thickest part to see if it comes out clean.
• 7. Cool and release: Let the cake sit in the pan for about 10 to 15 minutes before you try to turn it out onto a wire rack. If you try to move it while it’s piping hot, it’s likely to crack or leave the bottom half stuck inside the pan.

Recipe Tips

• Avoid over-measuring the flour: Instead of scooping the measuring cup directly into the bag, spoon the flour into the cup and level it off with a knife. This keeps the flour from getting packed down, which would make the cake way too dry and heavy.
• Scrape the bowl often: Use a rubber spatula to push the butter and sugar down from the sides of the bowl every time you add an egg. If you don’t do this, you’ll end up with lumps of unmixed fat that cause holes in the finished cake.
• Watch the top for browning: Because this cake stays in the oven for a long time, the top can sometimes get too dark before the middle is done. If it looks deep brown at the 45-minute mark, loosely lay a piece of foil over the top to protect it.
• Check your baking powder: This recipe only uses a tiny bit of leavening, so it needs to be fresh to give the cake any lift at all. Put a pinch in a bit of hot water to see if it bubbles; if it doesn’t, you need a new box.
• Keep the oven door shut: Don’t open the oven to peek until at least an 1 hour has passed. Letting the heat out too early can cause the center of the pound cake to sink, and it won’t rise back up again.
• Grease with care: Spend an extra minute making sure the center tube of the pan is covered in butter and flour. This is the spot where cakes usually stick, and a little extra grease here makes the release much easier.

What To Serve With Paula Deen Mama’s Pound Cake

A big scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream is the traditional way to eat this. The cake is quite sweet, so the cool cream helps balance out the sugar.

If you want something lighter, macerated strawberries or fresh raspberries work well. Slicing the cake thin and toasting it under a broiler with a little extra butter is a great way to eat it for breakfast with coffee.

How To Store Paula Deen Mama’s Pound Cake

• Fridge: Wrap the cooled cake tightly in plastic wrap or put it in an airtight container to keep it from drying out. It stays fresh on the counter for about 3 days, or you can keep it in the fridge for up to a week.
• Reheat: The best way to warm this up is in a toaster oven or under the broiler for a minute to get the edges crisp again. You can use a microwave for 15 seconds, but it will make the crust soft and slightly damp.
• Freeze: This Paula Deen Mama’s Pound Cake freezes better than most because of the high fat content. Wrap individual slices in foil and put them in a freezer bag for up to 3 months, then let them thaw on the counter before eating.

Paula Deen Mama’s Pound Cake Nutrition Facts

Per serving (1 of 12):

• Calories: 540 kcal
• Protein: 6g
• Fat: 26g
• Carbohydrates: 72g
• Sugar: 50g
• Sodium: 210mg

FAQs

Try More Paula Deen Recipe:

• Paula Deen Chocolate Pound Cake
• Paula Deen Million Dollar Pound Cake
• Paula Deen Lemon Pound Cake
• Paula Deen Cream Cheese Pound Cake