I’ve been to more than a few Mardi Gras parades in New Orleans and you just can’t beat it. The food, the music, the floats, the excitement. It is second to none. As far as Mardi Gras food goes, I’m all about the jambalaya, Muffalettas, and potato salad. King Cake, not so much. I’ve had a few really, really good ones, but a plain King Cake really isn’t my jam.

But I adore any kind of pound cake and this Mardi Gras Pound Cake is a really scrumptious pound cake.

The batter for this Mardi Gras Pound Cake is a typical pound cake batter with no leavener. Whipping the butter and sugar together is what gives this cake lift. Mix each egg in until incorporated, but then mix as little as possible or you will have a flat cake.

Mardi Gras Pound Cake with cream cheese swirl

Recipe Tips

The cooking time is just an estimate. It can vary greatly if your oven runs a few degrees hot or cold.
Be sure to use softened butter and room temperature eggs.
Since the cake doesn’t have any leavener, you want o beat the butter and sugar really well. This whips lots of air into the batter. However, when you start to add the flour, you want to beat it as little as possible.