This recipe produces a perfect cream cheese pound cake. After persistent recipe testing with many failures, I found the best ratio of ingredients to produce a moist, dense, and flavorful pound cake. Using 9 simple ingredients, this cream cheese pound cake recipe will be your new favorite. To prevent a ruined cake, follow the baking time and temperature closely.
Until recently, I had never made really good plain pound cake. I have delicious lemon pound cake, raspberry swirl pound cake, brown butter pound cake, and Nutella swirl pound cake in my back pocket, but regular pound cake has always been a disappointment. It was so hard for me to tackle this recipe because pound cake can easily turn out dry, rock solid, and/or lacking flavor.
But then I began adding cream cheese and sour cream to the cake batter. And my long history of pound cake disappointments began fading away.
Here’s Why You’ll Love This Pound Cake Recipe
Today I’m teaching you how to make my favorite cream cheese pound cake in a Bundt pan. I’m confident this is the best pound cake and I’m showing you exactly why:
- Very buttery & very moist
- Not dry
- 1 bowl recipe
- Only 9 basic ingredients
- Dense, but not heavy as a brick
- Soft & smooth crumb
- A little tang from cream cheese
- Sweet & vanilla flavored
You can easily halve this recipe for a loaf pan or try my mini pound cakes recipe.
Ingredients You Need & Why
Here are the ingredients for cream cheese pound cake and why each is used.
- Butter: Butter is the base of pound cake. You need 3 sticks of room temperature butter.
- Cream Cheese: Cream cheese is the difference between dry pound cake and moist pound cake. End of story. If you’ve experienced dry pound cake before, cream cheese will solve all those problems. I swear by it and you will too! Full-fat brick-style cream cheese (not the spreadable kind in a tub) is imperative here, just like for classic cheesecake and cream cheese frosting.
- Sugar: This is a very large cake, so a lot of sugar is required to sweeten the cake and properly cream all the butter and cream cheese. 2 and 1/2 cups seems like a lot, but remember this cake is heavy and yields many servings.
- Sour Cream: Sour cream is an unconventional ingredient in pound cake, but it adds so much moisture. We are avoiding dry pound cake as much as we can!
- Vanilla Extract & Salt: Both are used for flavor. See recipe notes for more flavors.
- Eggs: Eggs are the workhorse of pound cake—the main ingredient carrying all the weight. You can’t make pound cake without eggs.
- Cake Flour: Cake flour is lighter than all-purpose flour and produces the best pound cake in my opinion. Since it’s so light, the attention remains on the butter. All-purpose flour is simply too heavy for this pound cake recipe; the cake will be heavy as a brick. If needed, use this homemade cake flour substitute.
- Baking Powder: Baking powder is another unconventional ingredient in pound cake. I don’t use much for this amount of batter, but the small amount lightly lifts the crumb so the cake isn’t overly heavy and squat.
Each ingredient is important and has a very specific job!
Pound Cake Disasters: Don’t Do This
And now it’s time to discuss what can go very wrong with pound cake. I’m sharing my mistakes so you don’t waste time or ingredients. The picture below shows 2 pound cake disasters I experienced before landing on the perfect pound cake recipe and method.
- Mistake #1 – Left Picture: This is seriously under-cooked pound cake baked at 350°F (177°C). This temperature is TOO HOT for pound cake, which is mostly butter and eggs, to cook evenly. As you can see below, the exterior will brown before the center is cooked. I was so upset cutting into this cake. It looked perfect on the outside.
- Mistake #2 – Right Picture: This is seriously over-cooked pound cake. Learning from mistake #1, I cooked the pound cake at 325°F (163°C). I was so nervous to under-bake the pound cake, so I over-baked it. The cake wouldn’t release from the pan, even though it had been generously greased.
These cakes were just awful!
Here’s How You Make The Most PERFECT Pound Cake
Now that you know what can go wrong, let’s talk about how to make the most perfect cream cheese pound cake. The *TRICK* is a lot of mixing before you add the eggs.
- Mix, mix, mix: Beat the butter until creamy. Add the cream cheese, then beat the two until smooth. Get all the cream cheese lumps out. Beat in the sugar, then add the sour cream and vanilla. So far there’s been a lot of mixing and that’s ok!
- 1 egg at a time: Add the eggs 1 at a time, making sure each is incorporated before adding the next. When the eggs are room temperature, the mixer only needs a few turns and won’t over-mix them. Over-mixed batter = heavy-as-a-brick cake.
- Add dry ingredients: Add the dry ingredients right into the same mixing bowl.
- Pour into pan: Pour the batter into a generously greased 10-12 cup Bundt pan. This is totally not sponsored, but I absolutely adore Nordic Ware Bundt pans. Make sure you use one that holds 10-12 cups of batter. This one is also gorgeous! 🙂
- Bake: Bake the cream cheese pound cake at 325°F (163°C). Halfway through baking, loosely tent the cake with aluminum foil to prevent over-browning.
- Cool, then invert: Let the pound cool for about 2 hours in the pan, then invert onto a serving plate and cool completely before serving.
Serve with whipped cream, fresh berries, raspberry sauce, strawberry sauce, blueberry sauce, and/or homemade lemon curd. The topping from my pecan pie cheesecake would also be fantastic spooned over each slice. There’s a simplistic beauty about pound cake—it doesn’t need glaze, frosting, bells, or whistles.
4 Final Success Tips
Enough from me! Let me leave you with 4 tips before you get started.
- Follow the recipe. Use the ingredients and measurements listed.
- Bake low and slow. Pound cake is a large heavy cake and requires a cooler oven. Don’t be alarmed if your cake takes longer than 90 minutes.
- Bring all ingredients to room temperature before beginning. Room temperature ingredients promise a uniformly textured cake. Cold ingredients do not emulsify together and the pound cake won’t bake properly.
- Make sure each egg is mixed in before adding the next.
Cream Cheese Pound Cake
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours
- Yield: serves 12-14
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This recipe produces a perfect cream cheese pound cake. After persistent recipe testing with many failures, I found the best ratio of ingredients to produce a moist, dense, and flavorful pound cake. Using 9 simple ingredients, this cream cheese pound cake recipe will be your new favorite. To prevent a ruined cake, follow the baking time and temperature closely. Learn from my mistake!
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/2 cups (340g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 8 ounce (226g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 2 and 1/2 cups (500g) granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup (80g) sour cream, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 6 large eggs, at room temperature
- 3 cups (354g) cake flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- optional for serving: homemade whipped cream & fresh berries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F (163°C). Not 350°F. Generously grease a 10-12 cup Bundt pan with butter or nonstick spray.
- Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the butter on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the cream cheese and beat on high speed until completely smooth and combined, about 1 minute. Add the sugar and beat on high speed until combined, about 1 minute, then add the sour cream and vanilla and beat on high speed until combined and creamy. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a silicone spatula.
- On low speed, beat the eggs in 1 at a time allowing each to fully mix in before adding the next. Careful not to overmix after the eggs have been added. Once the 6th egg is combined, stop the mixer and add the cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat on medium speed *just* until combined. Do not overmix. Using a silicone spatula or sturdy whisk, give the batter a final turn to make sure there are no lumps at the bottom of the bowl. The batter will be a little thick and very creamy.
- Pour/spoon batter evenly into prepared pan. Bang the pan on the counter once or twice to bring up any air bubbles. Bake for 75-95 minutes. Loosely tent the baking cake with aluminum foil halfway through bake time to ensure the surface does not over-brown. The key to pound cake is a slow and low bake time. Use a toothpick to test for doneness. Once it comes out completely clean, the pound cake is done. This is a large heavy cake so don’t be alarmed if it takes longer in your oven. If it needs longer, bake longer.
- Remove cake from the oven and allow to cool for 2 hours inside the pan. Then invert the slightly cooled pound cake onto a wire rack or serving dish. Allow to cool completely.
- Slice and serve with optional toppings like homemade whipped cream & fresh berries.
- Cover leftover cake tightly and store at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: Wrap baked and cooled pound cake in 1-2 layers of plastic wrap, then a layer of aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw in the plastic wrap & foil overnight in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature before slicing and serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 10-12 Cup Bundt Pan | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Silicone Spatula | Whisk | Cooling Rack
- Loaf Pan: Pour the batter into two greased 9×5-inch loaf pans. Bake each at 325°F (163°C) for about 60 minutes. Or halve all of the ingredients to make one loaf.
- Cake Flour: For the best results, I strongly recommend cake flour. You can find it in the baking aisle and I have many more recipes using it. If you cannot get your hands on cake flour, you can make a DIY cake flour substitute.
- Almond Extract or Other Flavors: Along with the vanilla extract, mix in a little almond extract. This is optional, but it adds the most exceptional flavor! I usually use around 1 teaspoon of almond extract. Alternatively, use 1 teaspoon of lemon extract, orange extract, coconut extract, or any of your favorite flavors.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Hi Sally,
I bake quite often for my parents and aunt & uncle. I made this pound cake for them and they all agreed it was the best thing I have ever made! Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe!
We’re so glad this cream cheese pound cake is a hit for you and your family, Ty! Thank you so much for making our recipe.
If I add some flaked coconut would I need to add extra moisture in some form?
Hi Donna, we haven’t tested adding coconut to this pound cake recipe but let us know what you try!
Hello Sally,
I just made this, it’s in the oven baking now. I can not wait to try it. I’m also scared that it may mess up but I brought enough ingredients to keep making it until I get it perfect
Sally you have outdone yourself!! This is by far the best pound cake I have ever had!! I love every recipe of yours I have tried so it is not surprising to me how fantastic this cake is! Thank you for sharing your amazing talent!!
I tried the recipe. The cake tastes good, but the center looked wet and buttery, almost like your undercooked example. It looks as if the butter settled in the center of the cake. I baked the cake for 90 minutes at 325 degrees. I am not a baker. This was the first time that I tried the recipe. I tried a different pound cake recipe without sour cream and it had large cake spots. Is the issue more about not baking long enough or mixing?
Hello! This could be an issue of under-baking, but it could also be that your batter is getting over-mixed. You want to just mix until the batter is combined, otherwise you could end up with a dense and gluey cake that sounds like what you’re describing. Here’s more cake baking tips!
Hello this recipe looks delicious! Is it possible to switch the pan to a 10×3 cake pan I want to use it to make my daughters baptism cake but not sure if I’m able to with a different pan ! Thank you
Hi Wendy, Here is everything you need to know about converting recipes to different Cake Pan Sizes.
Thank you for the answer regarding using shortening- I will use all butter. Could you please advise as to how to make it chocolate?
We don’t actually have a chocolate pound cake recipe that we love. However, if you’d like to experiment, you can definitely add chocolate chips to this pound cake batter. We recommend 1 and 1/2 cups. Some bakers like to (very) lightly coat the chocolate chips in flour before adding to the batter to help from sinking. Enjoy!
I plan to make this cake soon and would like to know if I could use 1/2 cup butter flavor shortening in place of 1/2 cup butter
Hi Donna, shortening has a different chemical makeup than butter so it would take some recipe testing in order to guarantee results. For best results, we recommend sticking with butter.
Hi Sally,
Can I use this recipe in a mini Bundt cake pan?
Hi Irene, absolutely. For mini pound cakes, the bake times and yield will vary with the size pan you use. Fill your pans 2/3 full with batter. When the cakes are lightly brown and spring back when lightly poked with your finger, they are done. You can also use a toothpick to test for doneness. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out *mostly* clean with zero raw batter. Or, see our recipe for Mini Vanilla Pound Cakes instead.
Hi Sally! I double check on the internet about the weight of 3 cups of cake flour in grams and in every web page sa 390 grams!
Please can you tell me if its ok!
I weigh 1 cup of spoon and leveled cake flour as about 118-120g. This is how the recipe was tested, so I recommend following these weights. I hope you enjoy the cake!
I cannot rate because I am a traditionalist who has baked every version of southern pound cake and though I thought it is an enjoyable cake it is not a pound cake. It is more like a layer cake or a sponge cake bordering on an angel food cake texture. A pound cake is supposed to be heavy and course as it can be grilled or served with southern juicy fruits without becoming mushy. Another version but we are confusing the non-traditional which I normally embrace but not on this. An old or frozen pound cake is a great base for a trifle or stand alone or more affordable cake…this is way too light and expensive. Title it differently and good but without sour cream and cream cheese it is a more affordable cake and weighted to accomplish its origins.
I made this cake last year for Easter in a cast iron lamb cake mold… it was great. However I can’t remember if I let the cake cool in the pan for two hours or not… The pan only takes half the batter, should I keep it in the pan to cool for an hour? Thank you!!
Hi Marie, you can invert the cake once it is slightly cooled inside the pan. Somewhere between 1-2 hours should be great, using your best judgement. Enjoy!
I loved this recipe but I added a little lemon zest and believe or not a little french vanilla creamer liquid and this cake was gone in 2 days. I’m baking it again for work . Thannk you for sharing this recipe.
I have a Nordicware Bunny Cake mold. Easter is coming and I was wondering if this pound cake recipe will work for the mold. It only is supposed to have about 3 cups of batter, so I thought I would use the rest in a loaf pan. I know the bunny mold needs the pound cake to rise to work. Do I need to adjust tha amount of baking powder to 1 tsp?
And given the mold is smaller I am wondering how long to bake it. I plan to experiment and will let you know how it goes. Thanks in advance for any advice.
Hi Rita, that should work just fine. We wouldn’t increase the baking powder — you can make the recipe as written. We’re unsure of the exact bake time, but it will be less given the smaller pan. Let us know how it goes!
Hi Sally,
I’d love to make this as a chocolate cake. Do you think I could add 4 oz melted bittersweet chocolate to the recipe?
Nancy
Hi Nancy! We don’t actually have a chocolate pound cake recipe that we love. However, if you’d like to experiment, you can definitely add chocolate chips to this pound cake batter. We recommend 1 and 1/2 cups. Some bakers like to (very) lightly coat the chocolate chips in flour before adding to the batter to help from sinking. Enjoy!
Since this cake turned out so well for me, have you got a really great (moist) chocolate pound cake recipe? Thanks, Sally!
Hi Landal! We don’t actually have a chocolate pound cake recipe that we love. However, if you’d like to experiment, you can definitely add chocolate chips to this pound cake batter. We recommend 1 and 1/2 cups. Some bakers like to (very) lightly coat the chocolate chips in flour before adding to the batter to help from sinking. Enjoy!
I’ll start by saying I’ve never left a cooking review before! This time it had to be done – this cake is ah-mazing. I did make the 2 cakes in loaf pans – they were each a really good size and so was able to keep one and share one :). I was really nervous about over/under cooking and then the famous streak line you always hear about. I did follow every instruction exactly as you told us to – and just so pleased it turned out! I’m going to make a couple more and keep in the freezer for new neighbors or friends who need a pick me up. Thanks again!
We’re so thrilled you enjoyed this cream cheese pound cake recipe, Landal!
I have made this cake several times and the last time was the greatest success. It was a hit! Question: Can this cake be kept on a covered cake plate at room temperature after baking? If so, for how long? It just seems so much better before refrigeration.
Thanks
Absolutely! It’s fine at room temperature for 1-2 days. After that, I recommend refrigerating.
This was a fantastic recipe. Followed exactly as is. Also took the suggestion of making whipped cream and using fresh berries. Soooo good. I kept mine in the fridge afterwards. I would cut a slice then pop it in the microwave for 10-15 seconds. Tasted like it just came out of the oven 🙂
This is an excellent recipe! It turned out just as promised, light, fluffy, and moist. I will definitely be saving this recipe. I also wanted to share that I didn’t have cake flour so followed the link to how to make my own. I decided to substitute coconut flour for cornstarch and it worked beautifully. Thanks so much for the great recipe!
Hello Sally.
let cool 2 hours in the mold? will it get stuck?
Hi Cristina, we generously grease our Bundt pan and let the cake cool in the pan with no issues! Enjoy.
Hi, I guess my question about the brownie cake pan did not pass your review for questions. I thought I would let you know I tried it and they came out amazing. I baked for 20 minutes and they are absolutely delicious.
Hi, I am going to give this a try to bake in my King Arthur’s Brownie bowl pan and use for strawberry shortcake. Any guestimate on how long I should bake for?
Hi I brought all my ingredients to room temperature but after adding the last egg the mixture curdled, is that normal?
Hi Tarryn, Curdled wet ingredients is completely normal from the varying textures trying to combine. The batter will come together once you add the dry ingredients.
Hi Tarryn. Your eggs should be warmer than room temperature if your house is not a very warm one. Even slightly cold eggs will curdle your mixture. Try microwaving them a few seconds before you add them to the mixture. But be careful not to cook them!
Can this be made with brown butter? This recipe seems to be more favorable than the brown butter pound cake recipe.
We haven’t tested this recipe with solidified brown butter, but you can certainly try! It will have remarkable flavor.
Hi Ladies. Hope to make this today. Using a hand mixer how long on low to beat each egg into batter?
Thank you so much for this DELICIOUS & YUMMY cake !! I keep baking it from time to time. It’s great with crem cheese frosting
I tried this recipe. The cake rose but by the time i took it out of the oven it fell a bit. When it cut into it the top half was cooked but the bottom half was sort of thick and moist. This used to happen with pound cakes baked at 350 so I started baking at 300 F and that solved the problem. I baked this cake at 300 F also but was not successful this time. Was it too much liquid with the addition of the sour cream? What do you think happened?
Hi Dede, it sounds like your cake was underbaked – an easy fix for next time! The key to pound cake is a slow and low bake time, be sure your oven is set to 325 as directed. Use a toothpick to test for doneness. Don’t be alarmed if it takes longer in your oven. If it needs longer, bake longer!
How long should it take for a block of cream cheese to reach room temperature? should I take it out of the refrigerator at the same time I take the eggs out? I want to make sure I do this right because this cake sounds amazing. thanks!
Hi Walter, We usually take it out of the refrigerator about one hour before beginning a recipe. If you wish, you can read lots of details in our post Room Temperature Ingredients Make a Difference.
Hi!! I’ve made this pound cake a bunch of times exactly as is. My family loves it! I need to make one for work and strawberry flavor was requested. Does anyone know if adding fresh strawberries AND strawberry jello mix will ruin the texture??? I’m thinking of just adding half of the box of jello maybe? I want a good flavor and I feel just the strawberries alone won’t be enough and I don’t have strawberry extract… thanks!
Hi Shawna! We haven’t tested a strawberry version of this pound cake, but let us know if you do!
Well it turned out pretty good! I used half the box of jello and minced the fresh strawberries. The texture was just a tad spongy compared to the usual dense but moist cake ur recipe always gives me, which is what I was afraid of, but it was barely even noticeable so I’d say it turned into a win!
Using strawberries and jello works very well. I even make a strawberry glaze to go on top.
Hello Sally, this recipe sounds like it will be delicious,and l am not a pound cake fan, but I am quite excited to have this for my mom to enjoy! I would also like to prepare this recipe as a pineapple upside down cake and also a apple walnut or pecan in the same manner as the pineapple upside down cake. How would you suggest l alter the recipe for those cakes!
-thanks again!-
Hi Felicia! That certainly sounds delicious. I do not recommend using this recipe for an upside down style cake because it’s already quite heavy and flipping it upside down will make it even heavier– the cake will be extraordinarily dense. I recommend a lighter Bundt cake such as this Chai Spice Bundt Cake. You can leave out the cinnamon spice swirl in the center. I would prepare the topping almost the same way as this pineapple upside down cake. I haven’t tested it, so I’m unsure of the best process!