This whipping cream pound cake recipe was Elvis Presley’s favorite, and with good reason. It has a caramelized exterior, and a tender interior, thanks to the substitution of cake flour and addition of whipping cream to a traditional pound cake.
A Short History of this Whipping Cream Pound Cake Recipe
Food historians trace the first pound cake recipes to Northern Europe, where they emerged in the 18th century. The recipes contained, as their names explain, equal parts (roughly one pound each) of butter, sugar, flour, and eggs. We associate pound cakes with the American south perhaps because one of the first Black cookbook authors, Abby Fisher, included not one, but two pound cake recipes in her 1881 cookbook “What Mrs. Fisher Knows About Old Southern Cooking.” Abby Fisher’s recipes each had a different leavening method – one with yeast, and the other with egg whites. Cooks experimented with the traditional pound cake recipe over the years.
The origins of the addition of whipping cream to pound cake are unknown, but the recipe is now most associated with Elvis Presley. Jenelle McComb, a family friend of Elvis’s from Tupelo, Mississippi, claims that it was a favorite of his and that she would bring him one every Christmas and holiday. McComb gave her recipe to food historians Jane and Michael Stern on the 10th anniversary of his death. It was published it in Saveur magazine and Elvis fans have since practiced an annual “TCE” day (Taking Care of Elvis Day) by consuming vast quantities of his favorite cake.
This luscious cake, like the classic pound cake recipe, contains no baking powder or other leavening agent other than the room temperature eggs, which should be beaten thoroughly into the batter to ensure maximum lift. The extra fat from the heavy cream gives this moist pound cake a richer flavor and an especially velvety texture.
Bundting About
Looking for more bundt cakes? Look no further.
Whipping Cream Pound Cake Recipe
Equipment
- 10-inch bundt pan
Ingredients
- 3 cups sugar
- 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 6 large eggs
- 3 cups of flour cake flour
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Spray 10-inch bundt cake pan liberally with nonstick cooking spray. If you prefer to use a loaf pan, grease and line two 8 x 4-inch loaf pans with parchment paper.
- Preheat oven to 325 F.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl using an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy on medium-high speed, roughly 2-3 minutes.
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating well on medium speed after each addition.
- Add half of the cake flour, followed by half the heavy cream, followed by the remaining cake flour and then the remaining heavy cream. Add vanilla and mix on low until well combined.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared bundt pan or loaf pans. Tap the pan gently on the counter to remove large air pockets. Bake for 1 hour 15-25 minutes or until a long tester or wooden pick inserted into the center of the cake is removed with no crumbs.
- Cool cake in pan for 10-15 minutes then invert onto a wire rack.
Notes
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The recipe says all purpose flour yet the description says to substitute cake flour.
Which?
So sorry for the mix-up! It’s definitely cake flour!!
Wonderful cake ! This was my mother’s favorite pound cake. We have baked it for years.
Glad you like it, too!
I saw this cake and I was just saying I was going to make me a heavy whip cream cake and I have that same funny cake pan never heard of a heavy cream 🎂. But this is amazing
Glad we could give you a good excuse to use your funny cake pan. We love that cake pan – it makes every pound cake and bundt cake look soooo pretty!
Going to try this if goes good will post
Happy baking!
Going to try this if goes good will let you know..
Thank you! Hope you get a chance to try it. It’s wicked good.
This is similar to a pound cake I’ve baked for 50+ years. Ingredients are same except my cake goes in cold oven, bakes for 1 hr then you crack oven door for final 20-30 minutes. Has a wonderful crusty top and is delicious alone (with coffee) or with fruit.
Yes! We’ve seen variations of this recipe that go into a cold oven but haven’t tried that method. Next time!
Great cake
Thank you!
Hi, ladies! All-purpose flour or cake?
??
Oops! Thank you for catching the recipe-form-induced-typo! It’s definitely cake flour for the win on this one!