Here’s the classic Two-Step Pound Cake — unbelievably easy, famously buttery, and perfectly dense with that golden crackly top. This is the old Southern recipe where everything goes in the bowl at once. 🧈🍰✨
🍰 Two-Step Pound Cake
Step 1: Mix everything.
Step 2: Bake.
That’s it!
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup vegetable shortening or 1 extra stick of butter
- 1 cup whole milk
- 5 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Optional: 1 tsp almond extract or lemon extract
Instructions
Step 1 — Mix
Add all ingredients to a large mixing bowl at the same time.
Beat with a mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes, scraping down sides once.
Batter will be thick and creamy.
Step 2 — Bake
- Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C).
- Grease and flour a 10–12 cup Bundt pan.
- Pour in batter and smooth the top.
- Bake 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes, or until:
- a toothpick comes out clean
- top is golden with classic pound-cake cracks
- Cool 10–15 minutes, then flip onto a rack to cool completely.
⭐ Tips for the Best Pound Cake
- Use room-temperature butter, eggs, and milk.
- Don’t open the oven for the first 60 minutes.
- If browning too quickly, tent with foil.
- For extra richness, replace milk with evaporated milk or half-and-half.
- Drizzle with a simple glaze (powdered sugar + milk) if you like.
🍋 Variations
- Lemon: Add zest of 2 lemons + 1 tsp lemon extract
- Cream Cheese: Replace ½ cup of butter with 8 oz cream cheese
- Almond: Add 1 tsp almond extract + sliced almonds on top
- Vanilla Bean: Add seeds of 1 vanilla bean to the batter
Want the 7UP pound cake, cream cheese pound cake, or a vanilla glaze recipe too?
