Crusty Pound Cake

Name: Crusty Pound Cake
Cuisine: Southern
Ingredients: 3 c sugar; 3 c sifted flour (sift three times after measuring); 6 stick butter, room temperature; 1 1/4 c milk (add flavoring to milk); 5 large whole eggs; 2 tsp flavoring (vanilla, lemon, or one of each) (could also use almond and/or vanilla); 5 drops yellow food coloring added to the whipped ingredients before the flour and milk

By Marcia McCance
@mmccance

This is my SIL Becky's Great Great Uncle, Lee A Harley's, pound cake recipe. Her Uncle Lee is a prize winning cook who has won multiple blue, red, and grand prize ribbons in the South Carolina State Fair for his cake recipes. He's also been featured in the Pillsbury Bake Off recipe book in the 1960's.

It has a slightly unusual baking method to create the crusty top -- oh and, ahem, 1 and 1/2 pounds of butter!!

Since I refuse to pass on a recipe with "margarine" in it, I have adjusted the butter and milk to be more healthy.

The picture is a "guess" but the recipe is authentic.

Rating:

★★★★★ 2 votes5

Comments:

48 Comments

Method:

Bake

Ingredients

3 c

sugar
3 c

sifted flour (sift three times after measuring)
6 stick

butter, room temperature
1 1/4 c

milk (add flavoring to milk)
5

large whole eggs
2 tsp

flavoring (vanilla, lemon, or one of each) (could also use almond and/or vanilla)
5

drops yellow food coloring added to the whipped ingredients before the flour and milk
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How to Make Crusty Pound Cake

Step-by-Step

DO NOT PREHEAT OVEN.

All ingredients room temperature (75F or above)

WELL GREASE and Flour: one tube pan, or two loaf pans
Cream the sugar and butter. Reduce speed and add one egg, whip for 1/2 minute then add the other eggs, one at a time, whipping for 1/2 minute between each one.
Reduce speed to slowest and add 1/4 of the flour, blend for 2 minutes using spatula to scrape the bowl. Now add 1/3 of milk, the food coloring and whip 1 minute then repeat alternating flour and milk. Starting and ending with flour.
Do not preheat the oven. Place the cake on the middle rack and turn oven to 325 F. Bake for 1 1/4 hour -- then set oven to 350 F and bake for 15 minutes more. Cake should be very brown but not burnt.
Remove the cake from the pan immediately when taken out of oven and place it on a cooling rack to cool.