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
I love this recipe and I plan on making it tomorrow for Mother’s day for myself.
Love on the plate!!! It’s so delicious. A little too sweet for me but amazing!!!Thank you
I LOVE this cake. Have made it many times. Follow recipe to a T (I am a novice though). Why do my cakes fail to properly rise? Dare I go with a full teaspoon of baking powder and see what happens?
Hi Kris, pound cakes don’t tend to rise quite as tall as other cakes because they are so heavy with butter and eggs. That being said, it could certainly help to add more baking powder. or you may enjoy this Bundt cake recipe instead (and you can leave out that spiced swirl center!).
Hi, Sally,
This is my go to pound cake recipe! It turns out perfect every time! I have a question however. Could you swap out brown sugar for some or all of the sugar in this recipe? I use all brown sugar in my chocolate chip cookies and banana bread recipes, cup for cup. What are your thoughts on brown sugar in this pound cake? Thank you!
Hi Paulette, you certainly can, but due to the moisture in brown sugar (not a bad thing usually!), it will create a slightly denser pound cake. Instead, try replacing half of the sugar with brown sugar.
Can this be used for a lamb cake mold. I’m thinking only difference is lessen cooking time but thought I better ask! TY!
Hi Candee, we haven’t tested this recipe in that specific pan, but let us know if you try it! Bake time may vary, but keep a close eye on it and use a toothpick to test for doneness.
I’m planning on making this recipe today, but accidentally purchased low fat sour cream. Can I substitute whole fat Greek yogurt or is there another sour cream substitute you’d recommend?
Hi Emily, the whole fat Greek yogurt would be the best substitute. Enjoy!
Hello Sally I love your recipes! I was wondering if I could substitute block cream cheese with ricotta cheese? Thank you
Hi Tori, We haven’t tested it but we fear the pound cake wouldn’t set up properly. Let us know if you try it.
The recipe looks tried and true. I am trying it tomorrow. Also appreciate the questions and answers given and tips for The Most Perfect Pound Cake, 4 Final Steps, Ingredients You Need and Why, Pound Cake Disasters: Don’t Do This and Reader Comments and Reviews.
Oh No! I forgot to add the sour cream and the cake is in the oven. What can i expect when it comes out and how does it affect the taste
Hi Bridget, unfortunately, the cake will not be as tender and moist without the sour cream. It will likely be a bit dry, too.
I have made this recipe several times and each time it is highly rated. I want to try it with lemon. I see that you posted to add 1 tsp of lemon extract but what if I added lemon juice instead along with some zest? How much do you suggest? Or I thought about using this recipe but playing with your soaking method of your lemon poppy seed cake. Just looking for your professionally opinion.
Hi Stephanie, We are glad you enjoy this recipe! Adding lemon juice will alter the batter too much. The best way to get lemon flavor would be to use lemon extract (1/2 teaspoon to 1 teaspoon). A little lemon zest would be delicious, too, and it wouldn’t alter the texture of the cake (amount depends on how much lemon flavor you’d like — you could start with a tablespoon or two and adjust for future batches). Let us know what you try!
Thank you so much, would you suggest replacing the vanilla with the lemon or adding it with the vanilla?
We would add lemon extract in addition to the vanilla extract. Enjoy!
Very good except the batter overflowed my bundt pan. It is a normal size pan. Will remember next time to make. A small loaf in addition.
I have made this pound cake to date five different times and each time I have made it it looks beautiful. I test it with a toothpick, it comes up clean and yet when I cut it, it is not done in the center. It has good flavor, but I just don’t know what I’m doing wrong.
The pan that I am using the center comes out so I have to put it on a cookie sheet to keep it from overflowing all over in my oven. My concern is I’m having to cook it upwards of 2 hours and it’s still not getting done. I have temped my oven and it is temping correctly. At an hour and 15 minutes, I put aluminum foil loosely over the top to keep it from burning, I just don’t know what’s going wrong.
I am not a professional baker by any way of the means, but there is definitely an issue and I can’t figure out what it is. Can somebody please help me?
The few that I have cut taste very good, but I don’t want to serve a half baked cake.
Hi Bre! How strange, we wonder if it may have something to do with the pan you’re using. We link to our favorite Bundt pans in the post and recipe notes. Pans really can make a big difference! Especially with a large cake like this one.
I always make this cake and it’s a hit I was wondering can you add strawberries in it or would it be to mushy ?
Hi Kristin! We haven’t tested it, but strawberries may add too much moisture. We would top the slices with homemade strawberry sauce (and maybe some whipped cream) instead!
I made this with cocoa powder added 2/3 of a cup of buttermilk to compensate for the cocoa powder added a quarter teaspoon baking soda and it is delicious it tastes like a brownie I made a brownie bread
Could I make this in an Easter lamb mold?
Hi Patty, we haven’t tested it, so can’t say for sure how it would turn out, but if you try it, please let us know the result!
Hi Sally,
I love all of you recipes. I need to make a pound cake without cream cheese yet moist and delicious. Can I omit the cream cheese from this recipe for that result?
Hi Shelli, it would not be as simple as omitting cream cheese from this recipe. We recommend searching for a plain pound cake recipe with good reviews instead. Happy baking!
Thanks so much for replying! I actually came across Sally’s mini vanilla pound cake recipe and ended up using that but I baked it in a loaf pan and it was wonderful! I topped it with a simple sugar glaze.
Can I bake this in a regular tube cake pan?
Hi JB, that should work just fine, but your tube pan may hold a different amount of batter, so the bake time could change.
I’ve made this cake so many times and each time it wins!
Thank you for sharing many amazingly nuanced and delicious recipes! I’ve made several. I’ve made this pound cake before and it was great. But tonight I made it again and got gummy streaks and a collapsed shape (used loaf pans both times). What causes that? I beat in each egg minimally on medium speed. Did I over-do the egg beating? I hand mixed in the flour. Thanks.
Hi Nancy, if the loaves have gummy streaks and collapse, they are under-baked. Extend the bake time if you try the recipe again.
I’ve been asked to make a 9” 3 tier vanilla pound. Could I use this recipe knowing that I might have to double the batter. Also should I sure baking pins to ensure even baking.
Hi Lori, This recipe works best in a Bundt pan or in two 9×5 loaf pans. It’s a dense cake, so we fear it would be too heavy for a layered cake. It may be best to find a pound cake recipe that is specifically formulated to work as a layer cake. Let us know if you find one you love!
This is a great recipe!! If I wanted to separate some of the batter and flavor it with cocoa powder, how would you suggest I alter the recipe? I wanted to make a marble loaf.
Hi Amy! Cocoa powder can be a complicated ingredient, and we haven’t tested it with this recipe, but let us know i you do! While not a pound cake, you might enjoy our marble loaf cake recipe as well.
My cake is in the oven and smells good. My question to you is you do not say to flour the pan. I did not flour it, only generously greased. Does sitting for 2 hours help it release? Thank you!
Hi Becky! The described method is the best we’ve found for the perfect pound cake. Make sure to very generously grease the pan!
I made this pound cake today. It looked beautiful coming out of the oven! I checked it with a toothpick after 72 minutes and it came out clean, so I thought it was done! I flipped it out of the Bundt pan and it came out perfectly! I let it cool for 2 hours. I made a glaze and poured it over my cake. I then sliced It and put it on a plate. It looked like the top of the cake was under done. It does taste very good though! Next time I make it, I think I will cook about 5 to 10 minutes longer. I shared some with my neighbors and they absolutely loved it!
Question, please. Have you ever used an instant thermometer to check if a cake is done? I have read that an internal temperature of 210° would ensure the cake is baked all the way through.
Thank you
Yes, if you have an instant read thermometer the internal temperature of a cake is usually between 200 and 210 F.
Hi, What is the cooking temperature for fan assisted ovens please?
Hi Di, We always recommend conventional settings for baking (not convection/fan). The flow of air from convection heat can cause baked goods to rise and bake unevenly and it also pulls moisture out of the oven. If you do use convection/fan settings for baking, lower your temperature by 25 degrees F and keep in mind that things may still take less time to bake.
This is a fantastic recipe! I baked it in a 9×13 because I was going to cut it up for fondue dipping. I noticed it getting a little dark around the 50 min mark so I tested it with a toothpick and it was done. It’s a little too sweet for my taste, so next I bake this, I’ll drop the sugar to 2 cups. Thanks for sharing!
I had a tried and true “perfect”,and delicious,(so I was told) cold oven pound cake.
I’m new to your beautiful and informative website. I’m trying your recipe for the perfect pound cake. This specific recipe appeared first when I searched for pound cake recipes. It looks delicious and I’m anxiously waiting for it to finish baking.I have a strong feeling my “reliable go to recipe” is in danger of being replaced. As I’m baking this for extremely “honest and truthful critics”, I’m looking forward to letting you know how well it was received. I’m so happy to have “stumbled” onto your website. Thank you!!!
PS. I give your website FIVE STARS !
My sister in law loves mace cake. I have used this recipe with mace added twice and it is phenomenal. Major upgrade from regular pound cake.
How much mace did you use? I use a little mace in kolache dough but never in a cake.
Absolutely DIVINE. Recipe comes out perfectly. I didn’t realize that I had no sour cream when I started, but I substituted some 10% MF plain yogurt and it worked brilliantly! I will definitely make this far too often!
Can I substitute salted butter for unsalted butter?
Hi Rachel, You should be fine with the salted butter. You may choose to eliminate the 1/8 teaspoon of salt if you desire. Enjoy!
I love this cake. I actually won an informal pound cake competition with it done without any variation to the recipe…but I have been thinking….I have some good cocktail cherries that I would like to use in the cake. Any likelihood of disaster if I were to mix a cup or so of cherries in the batter?
Hi Ken, you could try adding about a cup of cherries into the batter. You’ll want to “drain” them and blot them a bit before adding to the batter so that they’re not too wet. Bake time may be a few minutes longer. Let us know how it goes!
Succcess with the cherries. No problems. Fantastic cake. Planning to use them again and add a little almond extract. I used the high priced Luxardo cherries. Nothing less would do for a Sally recipe.
Just read the recipe this morning and have already made it. I used two bread pans and it took @ 72 minutes for the toothpicks to come out clean. I was wanting it to be little heavier in the bottom with some more cream cheese taste but this is very good. It’s surely going to be the recipe I use from now on. Thanks