Historic recipe from Malinda Russell's 1866 cookbook "A Domestic Cook Book". Page 17. One of the earliest known cookbooks by an African American author.
This historic pound cake relies on the classic 1:1:1:1 ratio of flour, butter, sugar, and eggs (by weight), which creates a balanced structure where butter provides tenderness, eggs supply structure and leavening through mechanical incorporation of air, and sugar both sweetens and helps retain moisture. The high egg count (16 eggs to 1 pound each of other ingredients) produces exceptional richness and a fine, tight crumb through protein coagulation. Extended creaming of butter and sugar creates thousands of tiny air pockets that expand during baking, providing the sole leavening in this pre-baking powder era recipe.
Mix ingredients together
Bake
This cake actually improves with age as flavors meld and the crumb softens. Bake up to 5 days ahead, cool completely, and wrap tightly in plastic wrap, then aluminum foil. Store at room temperature. The high butter and egg content acts as a natural preservative.
Store wrapped tightly in plastic wrap at room temperature for up to 1 week, or freeze for up to 3 months. The dense, buttery crumb freezes exceptionally well. Thaw wrapped at room temperature for 4-6 hours before serving. This cake needs no refrigeration due to its low moisture content.
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