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.
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.
Dusty Pierce
Hello
I am interested in the chocolate frosting that was used on the pound cake.
I used to buy the cake for the frosting and my husband would eat the cake.
Thank you
Dusty
Alexandra
Thanks for the recipe- once I put the finished cake into the fridge, that’s when the magic happened! Love having it with strawberries and fresh cream!
Brenda
What is Mace??
Stephanie
It is the outer husk of a nutmeg. It has it’s own unique flavor.
Em
Hello Stephanie,
Merry Christmas.
Can I leave the syrup completely for this recipe?
Thanks
Regards,
Stephanie Manley
I would not do this. I really intend for the recipe to be prepared “as is”. I haven’t tested the recipe by leaving out the syrup. Would it work? Could I verify it would turn out as well? No.
Janice Chang
Hi Stephanie,
I have tried this cake I would said the cake is nice and bring back memory of my younger days. but my cake is a bit dry on the inside. Do you have any idea what could be the reason. The eggs that I used are a bit smaller and I have used golden syrup instead of corn syrup. Can I reduce the sugar as it is a bit on the sweet side for my family.
Stephanie
If you want to modify the recipe, I recommend 1 change at a time. I wrote the recipe with large eggs. Perhaps try this.
If you want less sugar in the recipe I would do this cautiously because the sugar also provides the framework for the cake.
I hope that helps.
Janice Chang
If I wish to make the chocolate pound cake how would you advise me to make the change to the recipe above?
Christina
Did you use an electric mixer or hand mixer?
Regine Cineas
I made this cake. The texture is very light, unlike Sara Lee, therefore it is not a copy cat. It still tasted good but it is way too sweet; and I adore sweets. Thanks for sharing.
Stephanie
I am sorry this recipe wasn’t satisfactory for you. Just out of curiosity what type of flour did you use? I believe I developed this recipe with
King Arthur flour, it can create a more dense crumb than other brands of flour.
Debbieloves to bake and cook healthier
I made this three times now. This is a wonderful copycat recipe! Mine turned out awesome, especially since I used maple syrup instead of corn syrup much healthier, as you had suggested awhile back.
After cooking, let it cool room temperature then let it get cold in the refrigerator and that’s when the cake went from a bit crumbly to much more dense in texture just like Sara Lees pound cake! Thanks Stephanie for creating a copycat for one of my favorite desserts! You’re awesome!
Manuz
I tried your recipe…..yummy cake.????????????but my cake’s top not like yours…. Did u use bottom heating or bottom and and top heating ?
Grace Gaa
What is mace in your ingredients?
Flora
Mace is a powdered spice. The color and texture looks like powdered nutmeg.
Grace
Oh Thank you Flora. Where can I get the mace?
Nikki Thomas
Would you recommend this recipe could be doubled with the same results?
Stephanie
I would not recommend this unless you are going to bake them in two different loaf pans. I have not tested out the recipe for different sizes of pans.
Manuz
Lovely cake
Is it a cold oven or preheated oven
Stephanie
Please use a preheated oven.
Vicki
What size of loaf pan is the recipe for?
Stephanie
Please use a 9″ x 5″ x 2 1/2 sized loaf pan.
sandra cochran
i made the Sara Lee pound cake and instead of using the corn syrup i used maple syrup as you suggested and it turned out soooooo good. i think it tastes just like the Sara lee Cake. Thank you for your time.
Tina
Can we use a real milk instead of dry milk
Stephanie
No, this recipe was developed for the try milk to emulate their recipe.
Ethel Lee
Can this pound cake recipe be doubled to make a full size pd cake? I made the loaf one ,it was delish, I look forward to your answer…I love pound cake????
Ethel Lee
Can tnhe pound cake recipe be doubled to make a full size ps cake? I made the loaf one ,it was delish
leong mee ching
can i use mixer to blend instead by hand and why the top dark so quick within 15mins
Stephanie
Yes, you can use a mixer. Do you know what rack your cake was baked on?
Sondra
This cake recipe is GREAT!!!!!! I’m a long time baker and this is my far the very best copycat recipe I have come across! Thanks so much for all your great recipes!
Stephanie
I am glad you enjoyed this cake.