Description
This old-fashioned pound cake is tied to some of my favorite memories—my grandmother used to bake it just for me, wrap it with enough foil to survive a cross-country trip, and ship it from California straight to my doorstep. Every slice tasted like a warm hug from home.
Ingredients
Scale
Cake
- 2 sticks softened butter
- ½ cup shortening (or replace with more butter if preferred)
- Extra butter/shortening for the pan, or Baker’s Joy for easy release
- 2 cups packed brown sugar (light is my go-to, but dark gives deeper color)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 5 large room-temperature eggs
- 1 cup evaporated milk
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract (or a mix of vanilla + maple)
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp baking powder
- Optional: 1 cup chopped pecans + 1 cup toffee bits
Glaze
- ¼ cup evaporated milk
- 1 stick butter
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- Pinch of salt (about ¼ tsp)
- 2–3 cups sifted powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla or maple extract
Instructions
- Before You Start
- Coat a 12-cup bundt pan thoroughly—every edge, curve, and groove—with shortening or butter and dust lightly with flour. Using a baking spray like Baker’s Joy works just as well and speeds things up. A well-prepared pan is essential for getting this cake out cleanly.
- Give your flour a quick stir before measuring so you don’t accidentally pack in too much and end up with a dry loaf.
- Set Up the Oven
- Heat your oven to 325°F.
- Combine the Dry Ingredients
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together until everything looks evenly blended.
- Cream the Butter and Sugars
- Using a mixer, beat the butter and shortening until smooth and fluffy. Add both sugars and keep mixing until the texture is light.
- Lower the speed and add the vanilla extract. Then mix in the eggs one by one, letting each incorporate fully before adding the next.
- Add the Dry Mix and Milk
- Switch the mixer to low. Add part of the flour mixture, then some evaporated milk, alternating until everything is combined—ending with the flour. Avoid overbeating.
- Scrape down the bottom and sides to make sure there are no hidden pockets of butter or sugar.
- If you’re adding nuts or toffee bits, fold them in now.
- Bake the Cake
- Transfer the batter to the prepared bundt pan and smooth the top.
- Bake for 75–80 minutes, checking around the one-hour mark and again every 10 minutes. A toothpick should come out clean when it’s done.
- If the top browns too quickly, loosely tent a piece of foil over the cake.
- Once baked, let the cake rest in the pan for 15 minutes. Then flip it onto a serving plate or cooling rack and let it cool another 15–20 minutes before glazing.
- Make the Glaze
- For a thicker, candy-like coating, use the full 3 cups of powdered sugar; for a more pourable glaze, use less.
- Sift the powdered sugar so your glaze stays smooth and lump-free.
- In a small nonstick saucepan, combine the butter, brown sugar, salt, and evaporated milk. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil and let it bubble for 1 minute.
- Turn off the heat, stir in the vanilla or maple extract, and whisk in the powdered sugar until silky.
- Immediately pour the warm glaze over the cooled cake so it can settle beautifully over the ridges.
- Let it rest for about 30 minutes to set.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 75 minutes
- Category: Desserts