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Deliciously moist Buttermilk Pound Cake is buttery & tangy thanks to buttermilk and is lighter than regular poundcake, but still lusciously dense!

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Why You’ll Love This Recipe

  • Rich, Decadent Dessert: With indulgently dense crumb, thick slices of this sweet ‘n richly tangy buttermilk dessert is so satisfying for every sweet tooth!
  • Classic Recipe: This is a classic, old-fashioned base recipe for buttermilk pound cake that you can dress up for any occasion for an impressive dessert!
  • Great for Holidays: I love serving this cake topped with holiday-appropriate garnishes. Berries & a little sparkle for Christmas, topped with pastel-candies for Easter, orange and black icing for Halloween, etc.

Buttermilk Pound Cake

Isn’t she a beaut? Okay, I totally hate when people say that, but come on! How excited are you to make today’s buttermilk pound cake? It has a rich buttermilk flavor that’s tangy, perfectly paired with sweet sugar and warm vanilla flavor. And the crumb? Oh, the crumb!! Think a sturdy, decadently dense crumb that’s signature to pound cake, with just a bit of tenderness from the buttermilk.

Buttermilk Pound Cake Recipe Ingredients

  • Buttermilk – the key ingredient to this recipe, it brings pound cake one step further by making it ultra rich and tangy, with just a touch of lightness.
  • Sugar
  • Butter – make sure to use unsalted butter that’s been softened for the best mixing of these ingredients.
  • Flour, baking soda, salt
  • Cardamom – the secret ingredient for truly delicious buttermilk pound cake. It enhances the richness of buttermilk and brings out the sweetness of this dessert.
  • Eggs – use large eggs set to room temperature.
  • Vanilla
One slice of this buttermilk pound cake recipe sitting on a platter with the whole cake to show the buttery, light yet dense tender crumb.

How to Make Buttermilk Pound Cake

  1. Preheat the oven to 325°F.
  2. Prep the Dry Ingredients: Whisk together flour, cardamom, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl.
  3. Prep the Wet Ingredients: Beat butter and sugar together in a stand mixer, then beat in eggs and vanilla. Gradually add in dry mixture and buttermilk.
  4. Pour the batter & bake: Grease & flour a 12-cup bundt pan, then fill with batter. Bake until cake pulls away from sides of the pan.
  5. Cool, slice & enjoy: Place bundt pan on a cooling rack for 15 minutes, then flip to release cake. Cool completely, slice, garnish and enjoy this beautiful buttermilk pound cake!
Old fashioned buttermilk pound cake has a golden brown exterior with tender, moist crumb inside due to a combination of flour, cardamom, baking soda, butter, sugar, 5 large eggs, vanilla, and room temperature buttermilk.

How to Decorate My Buttermilk Pound Cake

Try glazing your poundcake with maple glaze or lemon glaze and topping with toasted slivered almonds. Or, keep it simple and top with fresh fruit like raspberries and blueberries.

Tips for Perfect Pound Cake

  • Don’t over-mix the batter: When you’re combining the wet and dry ingredients, do so until just combined, making sure not to over-work it.
  • Use room temperature ingredients: Make sure your eggs, butter, buttermilk, heck even the flour is room temp—this allows for a smooth melding of the ingredients when mixing for a perfect batter!
  • Substitute buttermilk with a homemade version: Mix together 1 cup of milk with 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice. Let sit for 5 minutes. Then, measure out just 1 cup to use in this recipe.
  • Don’t over-bake the cake: Once the cake pulls away from the sides and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out cleanly, it’s done.
  • Do cool the pound cake in the pan before releasing: This allows it to set and not be so fragile when you tap it out.
  • Cool completely before slicing: We’ve all been there—you’re eager to have cake, of course! But allowing it to cool will ensure it has a strong structure and slices cleanly.

Tools You Need

Serving this Southern pound cake with with blueberries and strawberries.

For more delicious recipe ideas like buttermilk pound cake , follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. If you’ve tried this recipe, take a pic and tag us on Instagram using #beamingbaker. We can’t wait to see it! Sending you all my love and maybe even a dove, xo Demeter ❤️

Cake Recipes & More…

Buttermilk pound cake on a serving platter with berries and one slice sitting on the platter.
Servings: 12 servings

Buttermilk Pound Cake

Deliciously moist Buttermilk Pound Cake is buttery & tangy thanks to buttermilk and is lighter than regular poundcake, but still lusciously dense!
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 1 hour 10 minutes
Total: 1 hour 25 minutes
Save this recipe!
Get this sent to your inbox, plus get new recipes from us every week!

Ingredients 

Buttermilk Pound Cake

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 325°F. Set aside a 12-cup bundt pan—you’ll grease and flour this later.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cardamom, salt, and baking soda.
  • With a hand mixer in a large bowl or a stand mixer, beat together butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in one egg at a time. Stir in vanilla. Setting the mixer to low, gradually alternate stirring in increments of the flour mixture and buttermilk.
  • Grease the inside of the bundt pan and dust with flour, or spray with nonstick baking spray with flour. Bake for 70-80 minutes, until the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Mine took 70 minutes.
  • Cool in pan for 15 minutes. Using oven mitts to hold the hot bundt pan, place a cooling rack over the pan opening and invert. Gently tap the sides of the pan to loosen the cake. Cool completely on a cooling rack, then slice. Garnish with a dusting of powdered sugar and fresh fruit.
  • ★ Last Step: If you made this recipe, leave a comment and review. It truly helps our small business keep running and it helps readers like you!
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American, Southern
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Photo of Demeter, author of the Beaming Baker blog.

Hi there!

I'm Demeter, it's nice to meet you! Here, you'll find easy recipes that are fun & approachable. I love cozy movies, a good mystery, and chocolate. Welcome!

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