The best southern sweet tea pound cake is like enjoying a slice of soul food pound cake with a refreshing glass of sweet tea on the side. Let me teach you how to make this easy riff on my grandma's recipe!
And if you enjoy this recipe, you'll love my old fashioned peach cobbler dessert, too!
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What is Pound Cake?
Did you know that pound cakes are called such because the recipe traditionally calls for a pound each of butter, sugar, flour, and eggs? It's an easy recipe to remember and has stood the test of time for the reason.
With no rising or leavening agents and the result is a uniquely dense and buttery cake that takes on a variety of flavors really well.
My late maternal grandma, Carolyn, was THEE pound cake queen in our family. She threw down in the kitchen and could make just about anything, but desserts were her speciality and she loved experimenting with flavors. I'm sure that's where I get it from and feel like I'm paying homage to her every time I share a new treat.
Flavored pound cake recipes you should try next: peach cobbler pound cake, strawberry sour cream pound cake, butter pecan praline pound cake, peanut butter chocolate swirl pound cake!
❤️ Why You'll Love this Recipe
Simple to Make - This is a traditional pound cake recipe with one extra step and you don't need any expert techniques to create it. Follow my pro tips in this post for the best results.
Sweet Tea Flavor is infused into the cake batter and glazed all over top so you'll that classic southern taste in every single bite.
I have an affinity for sweet tea flavored thangs like my sweet tea julep and sweet tea margarita, as well as hibiscus sweet tea and peach sweet tea!
What You'll Need for this Recipe
Brewed Black Tea - For the proper southern taste, use Lipton or Luzianne orange pekoe black tea. And brew it triple strength so you can add lots of flavor without throwing off the cake's moisture balance!
Vanilla Extract or vanilla bean paste adds a good base of flavor to the cake and even though the sweet tea will be the star, should not be skipped.
Granulated Sugar for the cake and brown sugar for the glaze. I make the sweet tea glaze similarly to my sweet tea syrup so if you have that on hand you can use it instead.
Pro Tip #1
Make sure you soften the butter and eggs to room temperature first. If you are short on time, try this trick to soften butter quickly and this one to warm up eggs without cooking them. Both work like a charm!
Check out the recipe card below for full ingredients list, measurements, nutrition facts, and step-by-step instructions!
Substitutions & Variations
Cake Shape - I am partial to a good ol' bundt pan, though you could also make this recipe in a tube pan also called an angel food pan, which is what Grandma used. You can also divide it between two loaf pans.
Citrus in the Glaze - If you want more of an iced tea vibe than a sweet tea one, add a bit of lemon juice or orange juice to the glaze.
How to Make a Sweet Tea Pound Cake
- Step 1: Cream the butter and sugar then mix in the eggs, vanilla, and tea.
- Step 2: Mix in the flour and salt then transfer the batter to a prepared pan.
Pro Tip #2
Fluff or sift the flour well before measuring it out into the cake batter. Flour can get packed easily and you'll very likely wind up with much more flour than you actually need if you just scoop straight from the bag. Here is how to properly measure flour.
Pro Tip #3
You can use a stand mixer, a hand mixer, or even a food processor, if you're in a pinch. I used a food processor exclusively for years before I could afford a stand mixer and it's adequate but a mixer is really best.
Pro Tip #4
Do not over mix the batter! This will activate the gluten and result in a tough cake. I recommend hand stirring the batter at the end until everything is just combined and no dry pockets remain.
- Step 3: Bake the cake until golden brown then turn it out of the pan to cool. While it cools, mix up the sweet tea glaze then spoon it over top.
- Step 4: Serve with a slice of lemon if you like!
Pro Tip #5
Bake the cake on the middle rack to ensure an even bake and place a sheet pan on the rack underneath to catch any batter drips.
Youtube Video
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, up to four days ahead of time with great results. Just be sure to follow the storage instructions below.
Pound cake can keep well at room temperature for a few days and beyond that, I recommend storing in the refrigerator to store for up to one week. Wrap it in plastic wrap whole or cut into pieces and place them in an airtight container to retain moisture as the fridge can dry cake out.
To freeze, cool the cake to room temperature then wrap in plastic wrap and again with aluminum foil before putting in the freezer. You can do this with a whole or half cake or with individual slices. Will keep for up to three months.
More Family Favorite Dessert Recipes
Want more recipes like this one? Try these:
I hope you'll enjoy this easy sweet tea pound cake recipe soon and very soon. And sharing is caring so make sure you pin this dessert on Pinterest. Thanks for reading!
📖 Recipe
Southern Sweet Tea Pound Cake
Equipment
- 1 bundt pan or tube pan
- 1 stand mixer or hand mixer
- 1 whisk
- 1 silicone spatula or kitchen spoon
Ingredients
For the Sweet Tea Cake
- 2 black tea bags
- ¾ cup hot water
- 1 pound butter softened to room temperature
- 1 ¾ cups sugar
- 6 eggs at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 cups flour sifted
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a bundt pan and set aside.
- Add tea bags to hot water and steep for five minutes then remove the bags.2 black tea bags, ¾ cup hot water
- Beat butter with mixer until it becomes smooth and a pale shade of yellow (about two minutes). Add sugar and cream together for three minutes. Then mix in eggs, one at a time, followed by ½ cup of the tea, and vanilla extract.1 pound butter, 1 ¾ cups sugar, 6 eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Meanwhile, whisk together flour and sea salt. Add half of this dry mixture to the wet mixture and mix until just combined then repeat with remaining flour mix. Give the batter a few stirs by hand to make sure no dry pockets remain.4 cups flour, ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- Transfer batter into prepared pan then bake on middle oven rack for about 1 hour and 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into multiple parts of the cake comes out clean.
- Remove cake from oven and let it sit in pan for about 10 minutes then carefully invert it onto a plate to finish cooling to room temperature.
- While cake cools, dissolve the brown sugar and remaining black tea. Use toothpick to poke multiple holes into top of cake then spoon glaze over top.2 tablespoons brown sugar
Chenée says
The tea added such an amazing flavor to this pound cake! It's such a creative spin on the classic! I can't wait to make this during the holidays.
Tamara Johnson says
Wow! This pound cake took me right back to my granny's kitchen! One of the greatest memories for us was making this delicious recipe together. Thanks for sharing this with me.
Kaluhi says
Such few ingredients but they came together so so perfectly! Cant wait to make this over and over again!
Mila says
I don't know why I never thought of putting a strong, brewed tea in my cake, but sis - this is fabulous! I watched your video first to help me along (thank you)! And the pound cake was a dream! I made my sweet tea with a sugar-sub just to lower the carb content, and it still worked beautifully.
Chef Mireille says
What a fabulous idea. I actually used earl grey tea to add some extra flavor and OMG - this is my new favorite cake!
Lilly says
I love everything about this cake! It is absolutely delicious! My family devoured it for dessert so I will definitely be making this again!
Kate says
We made this for our Sunday afternoon tea and it was amazing! Just the perfect amount of sweetness. Can't wait to make it again!
Robin says
The sweet glaze was an unexpected twist on a favorite classic - magnificent!
Dee Moore says
I love sweet tea, and I had every ingredient in my pantry. This cake was so moist & delicious, and is now a go to favorite!
Barry J. says
I've been making pound cake since I turned 14 and could have never imagined using sweet tea as an ingredient. I made this last weekend when visiting my mom and she loved it. Will definitely be making this again for Thanksgiving to share with the fam. Also, thanks for the reminder about not over mixing the batter. It's a bad habit of mine.
Marta says
I am not a fan of sweet tea, but my husband loves it. Now, THIS? There as a whole lot to love. The sweet tea glaze to finish is genius.