My cream cheese pound cake is perfectly moist, dense and never dry. We’ll bake it low and slow for moist, tender results. One of my favorites! Recipe includes a how-to video!
My New Favorite Pound Cake
I’ve shared quite a few pound cakes here on the blog, but today’s cream cheese pound cake might just be my favorite. While it looks modest, it’s a nice heavy (but not too heavy!) cake that is anything but plain. The cream cheese adds great depth of flavor and makes the cake so tender.
The texture is dense (as pound cake should be) and melts in your mouth. It’s simple, yet so stunning!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Perfectly moist and tender. Follow my tips for avoiding a dry cake, and yours will come out just like the pictures!
- Takes just 15 minutes to prepare before going in the oven. It’s less complicated than my sour cream pound cake.
- Low and slow baking allows the center of the cake to finish cooking without over-baking the outside (a common issue with pound cakes!).
- No decorating needed, thanks to the cream cheese this cake has a lovely flavor that stands alone, but if you want to add a little something extra it pairs nicely with fresh berries and whipped cream.
Ingredients
One of the best things about pound cake recipes is that they use only basic ingredients, and this recipe is no exception. We’ll need only eight ingredients today, read on for more information on the specifics and why I chose each one.
- All-purpose flour. I tried this recipe with cake flour (instead of all-purpose) and did not prefer the results that way; the crumb was too fine and felt too dry, almost cottony in the mouth (despite the fact that it was not actually dry or over-cooked). Stick with all-purpose!
- Baking soda. I don’t normally include leavening agents in my pound cake, but a small pinch of baking soda helped the crumb in this recipe. The cake is still dense, but the baking soda improves the texture.
- Cream cheese. Make sure you use full-fat, brick-style cream cheese. This is very important! Any other variety (like the spreadable kind sold in tubs) will not work here, just like when making cheesecake or cream cheese frosting.
- Sugar. I know three cups seems like a lot, and it is–this is a big cake! It’s important that you use this quantity not only for sweetness but also moisture. If you cut the sugar in the recipe, your cake could be dry.
- Eggs. These should be at room temperature. If yours aren’t, hop over to my post on how to quickly bring eggs to room temperature. This will help the eggs mix into the batter much easier and will yield the silky smooth, velvety batter we are looking for here. My classic pound cake recipe requires cracking into a dozen eggs, when I developed this recipe I tried to cut down on the number needed, so while 6 may seem like a lot, it’s really not so bad in comparison 😉
SAM’S TIP: Grease and flour your pan REALLY well! I have a detailed tutorial of how I do this in my video below. I find it works best to use shortening for the grease part (even though I’m slowly removing shortening from my recipes and from my kitchen) as it does seem to provide better protection against sticking, but you could use butter instead.
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Cream Cheese Pound Cake
- Cream the butter and cream cheese until smooth, then scrape the bowl and add the sugar. Beat again until the mixture becomes light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs one at a time, whipping each into the batter until completely combined. Beat the batter for 30 seconds or so on medium high after each addition. This process incorporates air into the batter and helps give the cake lift.
- Whisk the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl, then stir them into the wet ingredients. Once everything is incorporated, beat the batter on medium speed for another minute.
- Spread the batter into a greased and floured pan. Note that while the batter is quite thick, it should be super smooth and velvety at this point. There shouldn’t be any lumps!
- Bake until the cake is golden brown and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean or with moist crumbs.
- Let the cake cool for 10-15 minutes, then invert onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
SAM’S TIP: A toothpick isn’t long enough to reach the center of a cake this big, so use a wooden skewer to test for doneness instead.
Frequently Asked Questions
This cake is carefully designed to be moist and tender, so yours shouldn’t be dry at all! Reducing the sugar, over-baking the cake, over-measuring the flour, and/or cooking in an oven that runs hotter than it says (I always use oven thermometers to avoid this!) can all dry out your pound cake (or ANY cake!).
No! Do not use self rising flour here, or you will have a mess all over your oven. The leavening agents in the flour will cause your cake to rise and spill out of your pan. Please use all-purpose flour!
This cake should be stored at room temperature. Just make sure to keep it in an airtight container or wrap it really well in plastic wrap so it doesn’t dry out.
What to serve with cream cheese pound cake
We love this recipe plain, it has a beautiful light sweetness to it (the crackly meringue top that becomes the bottom is my favorite part) but if you want to take things to the next level, here are a few great options:
- Slice and serve topped with macerated strawberries and homemade whipped cream (or chocolate whipped cream).
- Serve slices topped with strawberry sauce, lemon curd, raspberry sauce, or blueberry sauce.
- Top the entire cake with a dusting of powdered sugar, a drizzle of vanilla glaze, or a blanket of decadent chocolate ganache.
Make sure to watch the video below for a special surprise at the end 💕
Enjoy!
Let’s bake together! Subscribe to my newsletter to be notified of all the newest recipes, and find my free recipe tutorials on YouTube 💜
Cream Cheese Pound Cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter softened
- 8 oz (226 g) cream cheese softened
- 3 cups (600 g) granulated sugar
- 6 large eggs lightly beaten
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups (375 g) all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon table salt
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300F (150C) and thoroughly grease and flour a 12-cup bundt pan. Tap out excess flour and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine butter and cream cheese and use an electric mixer (or use a stand mixer with paddle attachment) to beat on high speed until smooth and creamy.1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, 8 oz (226 g) cream cheese
- Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure all ingredients are well incorporated. Add sugar and mix again, increasing speed to high and beating until light and fluffy.3 cups (600 g) granulated sugar
- With the mixer on high speed, add one egg. Stir until completely combined, then beat another 30 seconds on medium-high speed. Repeat this process with each egg.6 large eggs
- Add vanilla extract and stir to combine.1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- In a separate, medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and table salt. Gradually add dry ingredients to wet, stirring until completely combined. Once combined, beat on medium speed for another minute. Batter should be smooth, silky, and light.3 cups (375 g) all-purpose flour, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon table salt
- Pour evenly into prepared pan and bake in 300F (150C) oven for 1 hour 35 minutes – 1 hour 40 minutes. When finished, the cake will be golden brown and a wooden skewer (not toothpick – it’s too short) inserted into the center should come out clean or with moist crumbs.
- Allow cake to cool in pan for 10-15 minutes before carefully inverting onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Allow to cool before serving. This pound cake is excellent plain but also may be dressed up with a dusting of powdered sugar, a topping of vanilla glaze or chocolate ganache, or a side of whipped cream and fresh berries.
Notes
Cake flour
I much prefer the texture of this pound cake made with all-purpose rather than cake flour, but if you must substitute cake flour you can use 3 ⅓ cups (375 grams)Storing
Wrap tightly and store at room temperature for up to 5 days.Freezing
Cream cheese pound cake may also be tightly wrapped (in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil for good measure) and frozen for several months. You may slice the pound cake and freeze individual slices or freeze whole. To thaw, I recommend slowly thawing (wrapped) overnight in the refrigerator, then bringing to room temperature and enjoying.Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Michele Lunapiena White
I’ve made this exact recipe before, adding 2 tsp of almond extract. It is amazing. I’m wondering if this could be made into cupcakes. I like to serve single serve desserts for the holidays.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Michele! 🙂
Michele Lunapiena White
I did also ask if they could be made into cupcakes.
Sam
I’m sorry! I thought I did answer you on that, but I guess I did not. I haven’t personally done it, but I think it could work. I’m not sure what a bake time will be. Enjoy! 🙂
Ken
Excellent recipe and I love how you gave the ingredients with each step! Best cake ever!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Ken! 🙂
Adriene
Thanks for this receipt. My first time making a pound cake and it came out perfect. Thanks for the dummy proof instructions and video. My family loves it and is already asking for another one.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy it was a hit for you, Adriene! Thanks for coming back to leave a review 🩷
Kat
This pound cake was delicious ! I followed your directions and it came out perfect. I did add semi-sweet chocolate chips to the batter, swirled your vanilla glaze on top, then topped the glaze with grated dark chocolate. It was a hit; everyone loved it. Thank you.
Sam
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it so much, Kat! 🙂
Hafsah
Followed the recipe to the tee twice and it my cake stuck to the pan
Sam
I’m so sorry to hear this happened, Hafsah! Did you grease and flour the pan thoroughly? 🙁
Lois
Followed your instructions exactly. Greased the bundt pan with unsalted butter, then added the flour. Baked as directed – the pound cake is dense, moist, has a beautiful crust – beyond WONDERFUL! My only “mistake” was adding frosting. The flavor is just too good to add anythingt to it.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Lois! 🙂
Gail Broyles
I have baked sour cream pound cakes before and have NEVER had one fall or any pound cake or layer cake for that matter. I guess there is a first time for everything. Not sure what happened, but don’t think I will use this recipe again.
Sam
I’m so sorry to hear this happened, Gail! It likely just needed a bit more time in the oven. 🙁
Shyanne
where is the measurements
Sam
Hi Shyanne! They are listed just below the video, right above the comment section. 🙂
Margo
Hi – Do you think this might be good covered with cream cheese frosting? This recipe sounds fabulous!
Sam
Hi Margo! That sounds good to me! 🙂
Stacey
What a wonderful surprise to make this cake and see my guests faces as they devoured it all. I put a side of mixed berries near the cake and no one bothered to ‘doctor’ it up. Wow. This is an award cream cheese pound cake. Thank you for sharing such a great recipe, and video. It really helped.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Sounds like it was a huge hit for you, Stacey! We’re so happy you chose our recipe 🩷
Hafsah Abdulhayy
Tried this recipe twice. Followed the instructions to the tee. Both times my cake stuck to the pan and the top fall apart. Only thing I did different was use pan spray which I always use. Not sure if that’s what made it stick to the pan. Also I need to check to see if my Bundt pan is 10 or 12 cups. Not sure if that’ll make a difference also. But I’m determined to get it right.
Sam
Your spray could be causing the sticking issue. If you have a different size pan it could create some issues with the bake time. 🙁 I hope it goes better next time! 🙂
Donna Jackson
can I sift the flour, I a
m using all purpose flour
Sam
Hi Donna! That should be fine but make sure to sift after measuring/weighing it.
CHARLIE HODGES
I loved the cream cheese pound cake recipe! I wanted a red velvet pound cake for an ocassion and I didn’t like any of the recipes that I found, so I added 1/3 cup cocoa and some red gel food coloring to this one and made a cream cheese butter cream frosting, omg! So both your original and my recipe Mashup for red velvet cream cheese pound cake are my families and co-workers favorites. Definitely my go-to bookmark!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Thanks for letting us know how it went for you, Charlie! We’re so happy the red velvet variation worked out 😊
Debi
I love this recipe.
I got tired of greasing my fluted bundt cake pan, so I bought an unfluted one. I made it in unfluted pan and it fell. Thought maybe i screwed it up. I just made another one and it fell.
ok..lesson learned. going back to my fluted pan.
I always enjoy your recipes.
thank you
Barb Kyker
I don’t have butter. It has gotten so terribly expensive that I hardly buy it anymore. Will margarine work?
Sam
Hi Barb! Honestly I haven’t tried it, but I think it could work.
Pamela
My daughter made this pound cake and it was absolutely delicious! Best homemade pound cake we ever had!!!
Sam
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it so much, Pamela! 🙂
Haylee Cote
so. delicious.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Haylee! 🙂
george
I added a bit of grated orange zest and nutmeg to re-create a recipe a friend of a friend made several years ago. It came out with the perfect taste and texture. My bundt pan must be a bit smaller. I filled it as high as I thought I should and ended up with enough leftover batter for 12 mini cupcakes.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
That sounds so good, George! Thanks for coming back to leave a review 😊