The Sara Lee pound cake can be the base for a strawberry shortcake, or it can go well with a cup of coffee. This was one of my first CopyKat recipes, so you can enjoy Sara Lee Pound Cake at home. You are going to enjoy every forkful of this delicious pound cake when you prepare this lemon pound cake.
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Making Sara Lee Pound Cake at home
The Sara Lee pound cake has long been a fixture in the frozen section of your grocery store, and now you can make it at home. This pound cake will go well with a cup of coffee. Or, it can be the base for a strawberry shortcake – you may want to butter the sliced pound cake and toast it to make a nice change.
The Sweet Beginnings
Sara Lee was only eight years old when Charlie Lubin, an enterprising baker, hit on the idea of naming his new cheesecakes after his daughter. He told his daughter that the product “had to be perfect” because he was naming it after her.
In 1956, Lubin’s company was purchased by Consolidated Foods, where Lubin remained as a senior executive for many years. The brand name of Sara Lee became so popular that in 1985 Consolidated Foods decided to call itself the Sara Lee Corporation.
Sara Lee has often appeared in television ads for the company’s bakery products. Read more about the history of Sara Lee.
Pound Cake Used to Weigh Four Pounds!
Pound cake originated in Europe in the first half of the 18th century, and all of the ingredients together weighed in at four pounds – a pound of each of its four ingredients – flour, butter, eggs, and sugar. This is why it was called pound cake.
As you can imagine, this early way of making pound cake produced a pretty big cake. In modern times, the recipe for pound cake has been modified and today’s pound cake is lighter and richer with a prominent butter flavor.
Ingredients
Here’s what you need:
- Butter you can use salted or unsalted butter
- Sugar
- Large eggs
- Cake flour is preferred, you can use all-purpose flour in a pinch
- Powdered milk
- Corn syrup
- Lemon juice
- Salt
- Vanilla
- Nutmeg
- Baking powder
- Mace (optional)
How to make this copycat Sara Lee Pound Cake recipe
This was one of my first CopyKat recipes. To make this pound cake, I recommend taking out cold ingredients from your refrigerator ahead of time to let them warm up – they combine best at room temperature.
- Cream butter and sugar together with a mixer until light and fluffy.
- Add eggs one at a time and mix well. be sure to use the mixer’s lowest setting to blend in the eggs.
- Add in flour, powdered milk, baking powder, and corn syrup. Beat each in well.
- Add the juice of half a lemon, salt, vanilla, nutmeg, and mace.
- Make sure everything is well blended, and pour cake batter into a greased loaf pan (prepare pan by spraying non-stick spay into the pan.)
- Bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes.
- Remove cake from the oven, and rest cake on a wire rack to cool.
Recipe Notes
It’s unnecessary to sift the flour, so putting this together will take just a couple of minutes. You can bake this in a standard-sized loaf pan which measures 9″ x 5″ x 2-1/2″. Learn more about cake pan sizes.
And, please use a preheated oven. When this pound cake comes out of the oven, it will be wonderfully warm and completely irresistible.
If you can resist enjoying a slice straight out of the oven, let the cake cool down to room temperature then let it get cold in your refrigerator. This is when the cake will go from a bit crumbly to much denser in texture just like Sara Lee. This pound cake will be one of your family’s favorite desserts.
I hope you enjoy this copycat recipe for Sara Lee Pound Cake.
How to store your buttery pound cake
Once this poundcake cools completely you will want to wrap it with plastic wrap. It will stay fresh for about 3 days. You can freeze this if you double wrap it with plastic wrap in your freezer for up to three months. I know you are going to enjoy this loaf of pound cake no matter how you decide to serve it.
How to serve pound cake
I know you are going to love the iconic Sara Lee flavor this old-fashioned pound cake has, here are a few ideas for you when it comes to serving this delicious cake. Best of all this recipe is so easy, you don’t need to be a regular baker to make a tasty dessert.
- Use cake slices for a simple strawberry shortcake
- Cut into small pieces and turn into a trifle
- Toast small pieces in butter of leftover pound cake and turn this into your base for strawberry shortcake
- Use for tiramisu
Variations on this recipe
Love pound cake consider adding a variety of extracts to change the base flavor of this cake. Enjoy many pound cake dreams when you start with this simple recipe. You can any of the following to the finished batter to change the flavor of the cake.
- a teaspoon of orange extract for an orange flavor
- a teaspoon of almond extract if you enjoy almond lfavor
- a teaspoon of almond extract and two tablespoons of poppy seeds will make you a delicious almond poppy seed pound cake.
- a teaspoon of cinnamon if you love cinnamon
Love cake? Check out these cake recipes you have to try
- Duncan Hines Sock It To Me Cake Recipe
- Angel Food Cake Mix with Pineapple
- Pistachio Flavored Cake with Pistachio Frosting
- Pistachio Bundt Cake From Scratch
- Strawberry Shortcake
- Italian Lemon Cream Cake
- Homemade Pineapple Upside Down Cake
- Old Fashioned Chocolate Pudding Cake
- Layer Jello Cake
Top Baking Ingredient Recipes
Take a look at more of my easy cakes to bake and favorite copycat recipes.
Sara Lee Pound Cake
Ingredients
- 4 ounces unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup cake flour
- 2 tablespoons dry powdered milk
- 1 tablespoon corn syrup
- 1 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon mace optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Allow butter to reach room temperature if you can try to use unsalted butter. Cream sugar and butter together until light and fluffy.
- Add eggs one at a time and mix well. Add in flour, powdered milk, baking powder, and corn syrup. Beat each in well.
- Add the juice of half a lemon, salt, vanilla, nutmeg, and mace. Make sure everything is well blended, and pour into a prepared loaf pan 9" x 5" x 2 1/2.
- Bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes, checking for doneness by inserting a toothpick and seeing if it comes out clean. You almost want to underbake this.
Ruth
This pound cake was a bit drier than the Sara Lee I get, but I thought it had good flavor.
Naureen B Khan
Can this be baked in a bundt pan?
Stephanie
I don’t think there is enough batter to fill a bundt pan.
SharonD
It was ok, but it tastes like a sweet cornbread, not really a pound cake.
Heidi
The pound cake is delicious, I’m not a nutmeg fan so if you’re like me and don’t like it leave it out, I put it in this time but wouldn’t again, I didn’t think it needed it, to me it didn’t really taste like Sara Lee’s but it was delicious none the less
Jennifer Harrilal
OMG the best recipe EVER!! So smooth and lite. This is a keeper. Thank you!!?
Shasmira Frans
This cake is not even close to the Sara Lee brand pouncake. And for sure don’t use the mace powder. I’m sorry. Texture is good but maybe will try it again like I said with no mace.
Stephanie
I am very sorry you didn’t enjoy the recipe.
Zach
I was quite happy with the way it turned out, and so was Nitha. Maybe the error lies in the cook or her palette. No need to apologize. The recipe is excellent.
Nitha
Wow! The cake turned out so good and yum. The texture and flavour is just perfect. I gave it a chocolate coating and its amazing.
Marianne or Ron Gasparas
All purpose flour or better to use cake flour? Just wondering if the cake flour would be a lower gluten hit due to it being a different wheat variety. Do you put a little pan of water in the oven to prevent drying?
Stephanie
Cake flour may give a different result, I did not develop the recipe for cake flour. I have never added a pan of water to keep the cake from drying out. This recipe was developed in an extremely humid environment.
A.M. Newman
Cake flour has Gluten in because of the wheat. The same wheat as in regular bleached and unbleached. flour. Gluten isn’t measured in quantity.
Anne
Jeannie,
Any chance of an eggless recipe?
Anne
Queen
Make it eggless yourself as you would any recipe. Using flaxseed, applesauce, banana, or arrowroot powder etc.
Rehemah
Can I replace the powdered milk?
Stephanie
I don’t know what you would replace it with. You could swap it out for flour, but it won’t turn out quite the same.
Jeannie Alday
The cake is in the oven. Just a peak and it looks and smells perfect. I am going to be making smaller loaves for Christmas gifts to go with pear preserves we canned this fall. Do you know what temp and time I might need to use for 5″ x 3″ x 2″ small aluminum loaf pans?