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!
Recipe by Sally on February 18, 2019
Prep time: PT15M
Cook time: PT1H20M
Total time: PT4H
Rating
4.8 stars ( reviews)
Keywords
pound cake, cake
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
Categories
Dessert
Cuisine
American
Steps
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.
Reviews
Teresa Fairbanks on 2026-03-09 (5 stars): This was DELICIOUS!! I cut the recipe in half and made this yesterday in a loaf pan using vanilla and lemon extract. It was a delightfully light lemon flavor with the yummy taste of a cream cheese pound cake. The texture was nice and dense like pound cakes are, yet was tender and moist. I baked the loaf about 70 minutes and will definitely make this again. It was so tasty with fresh strawberries and whipped cream for dessert.
KitchenDiva on 2026-03-29 (2 stars): I had high hopes and did everything exactly as per the receipe. But my cake came out marbled like your 'underbaked' picture. I dont understand. I used a loaf pan and cooked at bottom rack of my oven.
