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Old fashioned vanilla buttermilk pound cake that’s super simple to make and full of tangy flavor.
I can’t say I ever find myself yearning for a big glass of buttermilk. In fact that sounds pretty repulsive.
However, that all changes if you add that buttermilk to pound cake. In fact, I would not only yearn for a slice of buttermilk pound cake, but I’m afraid to say, it would probably cross the line to lust.
That tangy flavor combined with the fine crumb texture, of a pound cake made with buttermilk, make this cake to die-for.
EASY POUND CAKE RECIPE WITH BUTTERMILK
Not only is this cake exploding with delicious, tangy vanilla flavor, it’s an easy recipe with just 8 simple ingredients. In fact, I bet you already have these 8 ingredients on hand.
As with any pound cake, it will take at least an hour in the oven (the only flaw I have found with pound cake). Use this time wisely and catch up on your shows and movies (you know, make lemonade from lemons).
OLD FASHIONED, JUST LIKE GRANDMA’S POUND CAKE
Being middle aged and brought up in the deep south, I strongly associate all pound cake with grandmas, especially buttermilk pound cake. This is just a cake grandma makes.
In fact, this is my mom’s (who is also a grandmother) go to pound cake. Literally, she will keep one of these cakes in reserve in the freezer. You know, just in case.
VANILLA BUTTERMILK POUND CAKE INGREDIENTS
- Butter – For the love of pound cake, use real butter. For best results use room temperature butter.
- Sugar
- Eggs – For best results use room temperature eggs.
- Vanilla Extract
- Cake flour – If you don’t have cake flour, all purpose is fine.
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Buttermilk – For best results use milk should be room temperature.
HOW TO MAKE THIS SIMPLE OLD FASHIONED POUND CAKE
- Blend butter and sugar.
- Add eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth.
- Add flour, soda and salt to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk.
- Pour into greased and floured tube or bundt pan. You can also use 2 loaf pans.
- Bake at 350 for 1 hour.
- Let cool 10-15 minutes.
Does your bundt pan sit in the sink for days because you dread scraping it until you’re out of breath trying to get the thing clean?
Then what you need is THIS! It will get in those unreachable crevices and curves and make cleaning your pan much easier.
WHAT DOES BUTTERMILK DO TO CAKE?
Buttermilk brings a tangy flavor to cakes and breads. It also helps with leavening and helps create light and fluffy baked goods.
WHAT CAN YOU USE AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR BUTTERMILK IN BAKING?
Buttermilk is not exactly one of those things we keep around. As I said above I don’t salivate over drinking a cold glass of buttermilk. So, it might be easier to substitute what we have on hand rather than running to the store. Here are 5 substitutes for buttermilk I got from this incredible post on buttermilk substitutes from Celebrating Sweets.
- Milk and Lemon Juice
- Milk and White Vinegar
- Milk and Plain Yogurt
- Milk and Sour Cream
- Milk and Kefir
You can read all the details on how to substitute and the amount to substitute in the post referred to above.
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TIPS FOR STORING VANILLA BUTTERMILK POUND CAKE
- Store buttermilk pound cake at room temperature in an airtight container or wrapped it well in plastic wrap and aluminum foil for up to three days.
- You can also store it in the refrigerator wrapped in plastic wrap and aluminum foil or placed in an airtight container wrapped in plastic wrap and aluminum foil up to a week.
BUTTERMILK POUND CAKE – HOW TO FREEZE
Any pound cake freezes super well. This is one of its huge attributes. I think it tastes even better after spending time in the freezer.
FREEZING A LARGE PORTION OF THE CAKE OR THE WHOLE CAKE
- Completely cool the cake.
- Wrap the cake 2 or 3 times in plastic wrap and then cover with aluminum foil.
- Put in large freezer storage bag or container. If you don’t have a large enough freezer bag or container, freeze it wrapped well in plastic wrap and aluminum foil.
FREEZE IN SLICES
- Wrap your slices individually in plastic wrap and aluminum foil and place them in a freezer storage bag or container.
- Slice the cake and put slices of parchment paper between the slices. Then wrap the sliced cake just like wrapping the whole cake or portion of the cake above, with plastic wrap and aluminum foil.
FINAL THOUGHTS ON VANILLA BUTTERMILK POUND CAKE
This simple old fashioned buttermilk pound cake is 100% pure pound cake with a scrumptious tangy flavor. This amazing taste, plus the fact that it’s so easy to make, makes this cake practically perfect.
In case you have any queries regarding the recipe feel free to reach out via the comment section or the contact page. Also, if you have tried this recipe, I would love to hear about your experiences.
I have linked to our related recipes below and I’m sure you will love them.
MORE OLD FASHION POUND CAKES
- Easy Homemade Chocolate Pound Cake
- Melt In Your Mouth Pound Cake
- Southern Sour Cream Pound Cake
- Southern Lemon Pound Cake Recipe
- Milky Way Candy Bar Cake
- Southern Living Coconut Pound Cake
Vanilla Buttermilk Pound Cake (A Simple Old Fashioned Recipe)
Equipment
- Stand or Hand Mixer
- Bundt Pan, Tube Pan or 2 Loaf Pans
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter
- 3 cups sugar
- 4 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla You can add more.
- 3 cups cake flour
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 cup Buttermilk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°
- Blend butter and sugar.
- Add eggs one at a time. Make sure each egg is folded in before you add the next.
- Add vanilla and beat until smooth.
- Sift flour, baking soda and salt together.
- Add flour mixture to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk.
- Pour into greased and floured tube or bundt pan. You can also use 2 loaf pans.
- Bake at 350 for 1 hour.
- Let cool 10-15 minutes.
Easy and delicious! I made a half recipe and baked it in a loaf pan. Excellent!
Thanks so much for this comment and good news. So glad it came out well. Delicious and easy recipe.
Thank you so much for this recipe! Not only is it simple but delicious as well.
Thanks for your sweet comment. Agreed, it’s super easy and so delicious. In summer you can top it with all your favorite fruit toppings.
Agreed, this recipe is so delicious. It’s wonderful to top with strawberries, blueberries, peaches and more during the summer. Thanks for your sweet comment.
This was my first time making pound cake and HOLY MOLY BEST THING I HAVE EVER TRIED!!! Thank you so much!!!
Oh yes, pound cake is the absolute best. No worrying if you got the layers the right size and no icing. It’s always a delicious dense cake. Thanks so much for the lovely comment.
Easy to make and made my house smell delicious!
So glad you liked it. It is such an easy recipe with such simple ingredients.
Do you use unsalted butter or salted butter in this recipe
Hi, thanks for the question. I always use unsalted butter in all my pound cakes. I have read this is what is best. However, I know plenty of people who use salted and their cakes are also very tasty. For this cake, I’d use unsalted if you have it, but if not, I think you’re fine with salted.
Love this recipe! Added notes for the perfect cake!
Thanks so much for your kind words. I also love the simple taste of this cake and how simple it is to make.
You do not say to pre-heat the oven. Is this made in a cold oven? The recipe sounds wonderful and I want to make this!!
Hi, thanks for your comment. Yes, preheat your oven. It would probably be fine baked in a cold oven, but I preheated mine. I’m going to note this on the recipe. This is a very good cake and it’s so simple. Please let me know how you like it. Thanks again.
Hi Liz… thank you so much. I made the cake this morning and it is absolutely beautiful. Some friends stopped by earlier (I think they followed the heavenly smell) and we had it with tea. It is a lovely cake with a beautiful crumb and extremely flavorful. Moist and almost delicate. My husband already asked for another cake since our friends made off with most of it ;-)) The recipe is a definite keeper and I will be baking another soon, and many in the future. Take care.
Fondly,
Marilyn
Marilyn, thanks so much for this lovely comment. It warms my heart. Yes, this cake is just a good old fashioned pound cake. It’s really hard to go wrong with it. I’m so glad you, your husband and friends enjoyed it. Happy Baking, Liz
I’ve never used cake flour. How can I substitute with flour ( I always use all purpose flour for all my cakes)
You can just use all purpose for this recipe. Cake flour would be ideal, but AP works well. Thanks for your comment. I hope this cake comes out super yummy for you. Please let me know.
The cake was perfect ?
Although it was a little too sweet for my fam but I loved ittttt! It bakes soo nicely too. Thanks?
Thanks for this lovely comment. An easy, classic cake that is always delish. So glad you enjoyed it.
This recipe sounds amazing. Do you think I could substitute Splenda for the sugar?
Wow, I don’t know. It is an amazing recipe, but I’m afraid the texture of Splenda might not work with this. If you do substitute Splenda, please let me know how it turns out. Thanks for your comment.
I would use classic monk fruit, it’s granular sweetener that is one for one sugar free and no calorie, doesn’t affect blood sugars at all.
Good cake and easy to make however I disagree with you on the buttermilk. I had a big glass of cold buttermilk while I was waiting for the cake to bake. Delicious!
That is funny. I’m so glad you enjoyed your glass of buttermilk. I have never acquired the taste. Thanks for your sweet comment and a good laugh.
This is a fabulous cake ,added a lemon sugar drizzle . This is my second time making the cake!
Thank you so much for this sweet comment. I think this is a simple and delicious cake. Love the lemon drizzle.
Actually an hour!!! No not my oven… thank god I was watching it. 50 min. For my oven. Turned out great. Put 2 halves in freezer. Gave 1/2 away.
Word from the wise now. Watch it and have tooth pick ready!!! Ahead of time.
Thank you for the recipe.
Only 1 tsp of vanilla. Have some from Mexico and it is really strong.
Thanks for this info about oven time. Good insight. I am so glad you were watching the cake like a hawk. Also, so glad it turned out well. Love the vanilla from Mexico addition. Thanks for your comment.
I’ll this turn out well if I use self rising flour, and would it do better if so, to sift the flour?
Thanks for this great question. I would not use self rising flour in this. That would throw off the proportions of leavening ingredients. I would sift my flour. This is a really good cake. Please let me know how it turns out. Thanks again.
Can you bake marshmallow cream in the center of cake ?
I would say go for it. That is a very interesting thought and sounds delicious. I don’t see how it would hurt the cake. Please let me know how it comes out. Might be something I’d like to try. Thanks for your comment and idea.
Do you bake 2 loaf pan the same amount of time?
Hi, great question. Yes, I would, but I would start checking about 10 to 15 minutes before time is up just to be safe. Hope your enjoy this buttermilk pound cake. I know I did.
Can you add lemon flavoring? Will it overpower the vanilla?
I think that would be a great addition. You could take out the vanilla all together and add one or two teaspoons of lemon flavoring or just add a teaspoon or 2 along with the vanilla. I think whatever you do will be delish. Please let me know how it comes out.
Made this cake today, topped it with strawberries and cool whip definitely a keeper my husband said it was delicious!!!
So glad you and your husband liked it. This is a classic pound cake and it tops well with so many different fruits and toppings. Thanks for your sweet comment.
Looking for recipes using buttermilk, I found yours for buttermilk pound cake. I made it this morning and I have to say it is one of the best tasting pound cakes I have made. Easy, simple instructions. Awesome cake. Putting it on my favorites. Thank you for sharing.
Wow, thanks so much for this sweet comment. This cake is a tried and true favorite. I’m so, so glad you enjoyed it.
Can you use AP flour. I don’t have cake flower on hand but want to make this cake.
Oh yes, AP flour works just fine. Please let me know how it turns out. This has been a delicious cake for me. Thanks for your great question.
I made the recipe and used a Bundt pan. It is pouring out all over the oven. It should have been possibly 2 Bundt pans. It better taste good. My oven is a MESS!
I need to resend my last comment. Upon cleaning up I realized I grabbed the wrong flour canister and used a Bisquick type flour not cake flour. So sorry I’m cleaning up the mess in my oven and I dumped the whole cake in the disposal. I’ll try again another day!
Thanks for the good laugh. I’m sorry for the bundt cake fail. All the flours are hard to tell apart. Try this recipe again. This is a delicious and classic pound that I think you will love.
What size Bundt pan ate you using? I have a few of different sizes.
Great question. I used the Nordic Ware Platinum Collection Anniversary Bundt Pan. It is a 12 cup bundt pan with 10 – 15 cup capacity. Hope that helps. You can look it up on Amazon as a reference. Thanks
This is delicious! So glad I tried it. Thank you for sharing. ?
Thanks for you sweet comment. This pound cake is always a winner. Amazing flavor and can be topped with so many different toppings. Also, easy to make. So glad you enjoyed it.
What size loaf pans and is there enough batter for 2 cakes?
Hi, great question. I would use 2 5×9 loaf pans. This is a super delicious cake. Please let me know how it turns out. Thanks for your question.
HI. What sizes of the loaf pans do I need to make the vanilla buttermilk pound cake?
2 5×9 loaf pans. You could half the recipe and just use 1 5×9 loaf pan. Thanks for our question. This is an amazing cake.
Since you can use regular flour, can you use a gluten free flour like almond flour?
This is a great question. I have to confess I don’t use alternative flours, so I just don’t know personally. I have Googled some pound cake recipes with almond flour and it looks like you should be ok with that substitution. If you do this, please look at an almond flour pound cake recipe before you do it. Just to make sure you’re comfortable with the substitution. Please let me know how the vanilla buttermilk pound cake comes out. Thanks
This came out excellent. I used Madagascar vanilla extract and added a splash of almond extract. Sooooo good. Thank you for this recipe. It’s A+
Thanks so much for this encouraging comment. I love the idea of adding Madagascar vanilla and almond extract. These sound wonderful.
Preparing to make this specific recipe…fond memories of a great aunts cake-similar recipe . I live at 7000’ elevation. Is altitude adjustment necessary (flour, leavening, liquid) or make as directed. ❤️
Hi, so glad this brought back fond memories. This is a great question and living and baking in Georgia, I personally have no clue. I pulled this post up about baking at high elevations. It has great information I never knew and need to know. Here’s the address. I hope this helps. https://blog.wilton.com/high-altitude-baking/
I have made a lot of different pound cake from recipes but this by far is the best! I have a couple questions tho. Question 1. If I wanted to make it just the slightest less sweet should I use a 1/4 or 1/2 cup less sugar or could I use that last bit of say 1/2 cup with lite brown sugar with the other cups of white sugar, or what would be your recommendation?Question 2. If I wanted to make it slightly more moist should I maybe use a dollop of sour cream? What would be your best recommendation because I am just guessing I’m not the expert your are.
Thanks for a great recipe!!!
Great questions! To make less sweet I’d just experiment. Try it with 1/2 cup less sugar and see what you think. If it’s not sweet enough make it again with 1/4 cup less sugar. To make it more moist try adding 1 more egg or you could add an additional 1/4 cup of milk. Thanks for your questions and please let me know how it turns out with less sugar. I’m curious.
Ok so we made it with some changes you mentioned and that is the best pound cake that ever existed!! So here’s what we did. I did the 1/4 cup less sugar. 1/4 cup extra buttermilk and (weird I know) but literally half an extra egg! Also used 2 1/2 tsp of a real vanilla extract. We wrapped it in foil afterwards and it is soo moist it melts in your mouth and is a smooth not too sweet mixture. Thank You for the Best Pound Cake EVER!!!! Words don’t do it justice. Just try it!
Oh my goodness, this brings a huge smile to my face. I am so glad you love this vanilla buttermilk pound cake. I love the changes you made. Very good for me to know. Thanks for your encouraging comment.