Sara Lee pound cake recipe is the most moist and buttery cake I ever had in my life. The light, fluffy, and rich texture is best served with a scoop of vanilla, milk, fresh berries, and honey. This cake can also be a good base for other delicious desserts.
Sara Lee, best known for its frozen desserts including cheesecakes, pies, and crumbles, seemed to be a staple in most American homes while I was growing up. My mom always places their desserts that are ready for any occasion that calls for it, an unexpected guest popping over, or as an easy afternoon snack for your childhood classmates. It is MY VERSION of this Sara Lee cake, and I like it plain without any additions.
This cake is fun to cut and see how it looks after it’s baked (Like WOAH!). No matter how many times I make it, I always get over it.
Why this Loaf cake?
- Soft texture with buttery flavor_ My version of Sara Lee loaf cake is so light and fluffy that it melts in your mouth the moment you take a bite.
- Kid’s favorite_ Kids love these kinds of soft, sweet cakes. You can make this cake for breakfast and serve it with a warm cup of milk and see how their eyes sparkle with this cake.
- Straightforward recipe_ All the instructions for this recipe are simple and clear. It can be made with simple pantry ingredients like butter, milk, flour, egg, and sugar.
- Perfect Breakfast_ Madeira cake makes a perfect breakfast to start your day with. You can have this cake for breakfast or anytime you crave it. Take it with a coffee or pour some honey on top and enjoy a healthy breakfast.
- Classic taste with nostalgia_ We all grow up eating Sara Lee desserts. You can make this nostalgic cake at home without buying a stored dessert. Enjoy these pound cakes at home without buying them at the store and I know their taste is much fresher, soft, and rich buttery flavor.
Why is it Called Pound Cake?
Pound cake is typically a cake made with four ingredients that include butter, flour, eggs, and sugar all taken as one pound, often known as Madeira or Loaf Cake. Its texture is airy, soft, and buttery. It has a spongy, soft texture with a pale yellow color. It can be made with different additional flavors but the basic has four main ingredients. It has a lot of variation nowadays but all of them follow the basic four ingredients strategy.
Equipment
23 x 13 x 8 cm loaf pan
The Secret Ingredients for Sara Lee Pound Cake Recipe
- Unsalted Butter_ Butter is the main ingredient for any pound cake. Take the unsalted butter at room temperature to keep it soft. Butter at room temperature easily blends with sugar creating a space for air and yielding a cake with richness and moistness. You can choose salted butter but then salt addition is not important.
- Sugar_ Ordinary sugar works well in this recipe. Sugar will not only add sweetness to this loaf cake but also create a tender crumb by trapping air in the butter when blended with butter. Substitute white sugar with brown sugar if you want.
- Salt_ It will counterbalance the sweetness that comes from sugar and give ideal sweetness to the cake.
- Eggs_ The eggs will give the structure and bind the pound loaf cake together creating a soft but sturdy cake. Blend the eggs in a portion with the butter mixture and blend every time you add a small portion of the egg. Take eggs at room temperature so they blend easily in the butter mixture creating a fluffy butter mixture that is necessary for a moist Sara Lee pound cake recipe.
- Vanilla extract_ The beautiful aroma of cake is given by vanilla. If you are not a fan of vanilla give Almond or lemon extract a try.
- Cake flour_ Cake flour is the best for making pound cake, but you can also use traditional flour for baking like all-purpose flour. It will be all tasty with any flour you use.
- Baking powder_ It will raise the cake and make it spongy with a light texture. Although most of the recipes don’t use baking powder (A big NO) for pound cake it rises best with some hint of baking powder.
- Milk_ Smooth cake batter is attained by milk. Use whole milk. Use Almond, coconut, or oat milk if you are not a big fan of whole milk.
Steps to Bake Sara Lee Pound Cake from Scratch
Step 1. Take butter in a bowl and gently loosen the butter that has dried at room temperature with the help of a hand mixer at low speed. Add the sugar gradually and thoroughly combine. Whip the mixture until it is bulky, light, and fluffy. Remember all components should be prepared at room temperature.
Step 2. Crack eggs in a separate bowl, add vanilla extract and mix it well. Stir the egg mixture into the butter and sugar mixture that has been prepared. Add the eggs in 8 to 9 small portions and beat the mixture well after each addition using a hand mixture to prevent the eggs from separating from the butter mixture.
Step 3. Add cake flour and baking powder through a sieve. Using a spatula, thoroughly incorporate the flour into the butter mixture. When mixed to some extent add milk to it. Mix it until the flour does not clump and become a soft, smooth batter.
Step 4. Take 23 x 13 x 8 cm loaf pan size and grease the pan all over with unsalted butter.
Step 5. Pour the batter into the mold. Hit the batter with a spatula to remove air bubbles. Pull the dough in the middle and pan it on both ends.
Step 6. Bake the cake in a preheated oven at 165° for 50-60 minutes. After baking, remove the bread from the shape and allow it to cool. After cooling it at room temperature for 10-15 minutes, seal it with a wrap and refrigerate it for 3 hours. Cut the loaf into slices of desired thickness with a knife to cut smooth slices and enjoy!
How to Make it if You have Dietary Preferences?
We can make it a gluten-free pound cake by replacing the cake flour with alternatives like gluten-free flour, almond flour, or coconut flour. Utilize the same quantity of these flours as specified for cake flour.
Additional Flavoring
- Add a hint of lemon or orange zest for citrus flavor.
- Half a teaspoon of Almond extract also suits well in this Loaf cake for a nutty flavor.
- Add 1 teaspoon of all-spice if you like a warm flavor.
- Add 3-4 tablespoons of chocolate chips and mix to create a chocolatey taste.
- Add 1 tablespoon of coffee as well to make a Mocha pound cake.
- Any type of fruit puree can be folded in batter to make the fruity pound cake. Check out our fruit loaf cake like peach loaf cake and banana bread.
Some Recipe Tips to Make This Cake Perfect!
- Room temperature ingredients. Butter, milk, and eggs should be taken at room temperature. This will help in the smooth blending of butter and sugar and help in the smooth rising of pound cake. Be careful of separation after putting the egg mixture in. Even after separation, don’t panic. One of the main things to avoid this issue is to add egg mixture in portions. Blend completely every time you add egg mixture.
- Creaming is the key. Make a creamy mixture by blending the butter and sugar until they are pale and fluffy. It is good for an airy cake.
- Never Overmix. While adding the cake flour do not overmix the flour because it will create a dense cake.
- Check the oven early. Check the oven 10-15 minutes before the total baking time because every oven is different. Check the cake by inserting a knife or toothpick in the loaf and if it is clean or with little crumbs it means the cake is done otherwise not.
- Cooling after baking. Allow the cake to cool for 10-15 minutes and then either transfer it to the cooling wire or wrap it and place it in the refrigerator for 3 hours minimum before serving. You can also enjoy it fresh and warm once it comes to room temperature or can serve it cool.
- Serving suggestions. Serve the cake slices with a vanilla scoop, dusting powdered sugar, fresh berries, or honey. Offer the cake pieces with a mug of warm milk or coffee in the morning.
Make This Recipe Ahead of Time
This yellow cake is also good to store at room temperature for 2 days. Wrap the Sara Lee pound cake and refrigerate for 3-4 days. Double wrap the loaf cake and freeze it for up to 3 months.
FAQ’s
My version Sara Lee Pound Cake Recipe that will sweeten your boring day!
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 12 Sclices 1x
Description
Sara Lee pound cake recipe is the most moist and buttery cake I ever had in my life. The light, fluffy, and rich texture is best served with a scoop of vanilla, milk, fresh berries, and honey. This pound cake can also be a good base for other delicious desserts.
Ingredients
- 300 g (1 ¼ cups) unsalted butter
- 300 g (1 ¼ cups) sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- 6 eggs
- 2 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 300 g (1 ¼ cups) cake flour
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ cup milk
Instructions
- Take butter in a bowl and gently loosen the butter that has dried at room temperature with the help of a hand mixer at low speed. Add the sugar gradually and thoroughly combine. Whip the mixture until it is bulky, light, and fluffy.
- Crack eggs in a separate bowl, add vanilla extract and mix it well. Stir the egg mixture into the butter and sugar mixture that has been prepared. Add the eggs in 8 to 9 small portions and beat the mixture well after each addition using a hand mixture to prevent the eggs from separating from the butter mixture.
- Add cake flour and baking powder through a sieve. Using a spatula, thoroughly incorporate the flour into the butter mixture. When mixed to some extent add milk to it. Mix it until the flour does not clump and become a soft, smooth batter.
- Take 23 x 13 x 8 cm loaf pan size and grease the pan all over with unsalted butter. All components should be prepared at room temperature.
- Pour the batter into the mold. Hit the batter with a spatula to remove air bubbles. Pull the dough in the middle and pan it on both ends.
- Bake the cake in a preheated oven at 165° for 50-60 minutes. After baking, remove the bread from the shape and allow it to cool. After cooling it at room temperature for 10-15 minutes, seal it with a wrap and refrigerate it for 3 hours. Cut the loaf into slices of desired thickness with a knife to cut smooth slices and enjoy!
Notes
- Room temperature ingredients. Butter, milk, and eggs should be taken at room temperature. This will help in the smooth blending of butter and sugar and help in the smooth rising of pound cake. Be careful of separation after putting the egg mixture in. Even after separation, don’t panic. One of the main things to avoid this issue is to add egg mixture in portions. Blend completely every time you add egg mixture.
- Creaming is the key. Make a creamy mixture by blending the butter and sugar until they are pale and fluffy. It is good for an airy cake.
- Never Overmix. While adding the cake flour do not overmix the flour because it will create a dense cake.
- Check the oven early. Check the oven 10-15 minutes before the total baking time because every oven is different. Check the cake by inserting a knife or toothpick in the loaf and if it is clean or with little crumbs it means the cake is done otherwise not.
- Cooling after baking. Allow the cake to cool for 10-15 minutes and then either transfer it to the cooling wire or wrap it and place it in the refrigerator for 3 hours minimum before serving. You can also enjoy it fresh and warm once it comes to room temperature or can serve it cool.
- Serving suggestions. Serve the pound cake slices with a vanilla scoop, dusting powdered sugar, fresh berries, or honey. Offer the cake pieces with a mug of warm milk or coffee in the morning.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Breakfast, Dessert
- Cuisine: American