“Slap Ya Mama Pound Cake” a.k.a. Biggest Pound Cake East of the Mississippi River

Now, a cake named, “Slap Ya Mama Pound Cake,” certainly makes your head turn. This recipe appeared on my Facebook feed late one night. I clicked the “pause” button and did a second take. This is the largest cake recipe that I’ve ever seen — it includes 6 eggs and 3 cups sugar, among other ingredients. A good pound cake should be dense, yet moist with a fine and flavorful crumb. How does this audicious-sounding cake stack up? Of course, I had to make it. A pound cake gets most of its “lift” from beating air into the shortening, sugar and eggs as you “cream” these ingredients together. So, out comes the electric mixer for this recipe and my very-old Bundt cake pan.

Bundt Cake Pans

Such a large pound cake recipe needs a really large cake pan. Of course I have no shortage of cake pans to select from, having recently received several from a friend who was downsizing. Although these cake pans are ornate, I decided to save them for the holiday season. Instead, I got out my traditional “authentic” Bundt cake pan. This large cake pan has thick walls, a center pillar and a non-stick coating. These features help the cake cook evenly without burning.

Ingredients:

Let’s get started. Assemble all the ingredients. These are common ones which you probably already have in your kitchen cabinets — except perhaps Crisco shortening. Nothing really special in the list. Just alot of everything.

Flavoring ingredients: Take note that the recipe includes both vanilla extract and almond extract. The almond extract gives the cake that “wedding cake” flavor — important to avoid a bland cake.

Shortening: The recipe uses both butter and Crisco shortening. Make sure these two ingredients have been sitting at room temperature for an hour or longer to soften. Otherwise, it is difficult to cream and beat in air. (The oil is used for oiling the Bundt pans — it is important to oil the Bundt pan very well.)

Ah, Crisco. Why include this ingredient? Butter is about 16% water, while Crisco is 100% fat. Water creates steam and builds gluten, which can make a cake dense. Plus, Crisco helps trap air bubbles making a lighter texture. Crisco is white and makes a whiter crumb in color. It is neutral in flavor (compared to butter) and lets the other flavor ingredients shine. So, don’t omit the Crisco — it is useful in baking pastries.

Leavening agents: The recipe incudes only baking powder for leavening — no baking soda or buttermilk. And one teaspoon is not really a lot considering the size of the cake. I mixed the baking powder (along with salt) into the flour to make sure they were evenly incorporated. The other leavening comes from “air” which is incorporated while beating together the shortening and sugar.

Eggs: The recipe uses large eggs. With six eggs in the ingredient list, don’t accidentally substitute extra large eggs or medium-size eggs — you might end up with a cake which is too liquidy and eggy or one which is too dense. Make sure that the eggs are at room temperature. It is easier for them to emulsify.

Flour: I used all-purpose flour. No need to sift, just measure carefully — and lightly add to the measuring cup; don’t pack. However, do level off the measuring cup.

Milk: We are all about using Fairlife milk these days — however, any type of whole, low-fat or skim milk can be substituted.

Making the recipe:

First, measure out the flour, leveling off the measuring cup for accuracy — add in the baking powder and salt — stir well to combine. Set aside. (No need to sift.)

Next, cream butter, Crisco and sugar until the misture is light and fluffy. Make sure that the butter and Crisco are at room temperature. Use an electric mixer. Add one cup of sugar at a time and blend well — use high speed of mixer.

Once the sugar is added, blend in the six eggs — three at a time. Add the vanilla extract and almond extract.

On low speed of electric mixer, add flour mixture alternatively with milk — beginning and ending with flour mixture. Don’t overmix.

Pour into the well-oiled Bundt cake pan. At the last minute, I decided to make two “mini-cakes.” Just because I had new cake pans! Bake in a 325 degree oven.

How can you tell when a Bundt cake is baked? That can be difficult. The cake will pull away from the sides of the cake pan. It should spring back when touched on top. And when you insert a long wooden toothpick, skewer, or uncooked spaghetti strand deep into the middle of the cake, it should come back with tiny moist crumbs. You shouldn’t see any wet batter.

Don’t overbake. The small cakes took 25 minutes to bake. The large Bundt cake pan took 1 hour and 15 minutes.Had I baked all the cake batter in the large Bundt cake pan, the baking time would be 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Let the cake cool completely before trying to remove from pan. Even with the non-stick surface and oiling the pan; loosen entirely with a table knife from inside and outside edges of pan before trying to flip to remove it from the cake pan.

Glaze

This cake definitely needs a glaze. I simply mixed milk and powder sugar together and drizzled over the cake. The glaze will harden as the cake sets.

Here’s the cake with a piece already cut out. (Hard to resist!) The cake’s texture looks great; but the jury is in how the cake tastes. What did my taste tester husband think about the “Slap Ya Mama Cake?”

We both thought that this cake was delicious! It lived up to the expectations of an audicious pound cake. A very large cake is truly a southern show-off recipe at its best and “Slap Ya Mama Pound Cake” is a fitting name!

Enjoy!