Best Cream Cheese Pound Cake Recipe – Learn How to Make Pound Cake light and fluffy. Our Easy Pound Cake requires only 8 ingredients (mostly pantry staples) + is great with toppings

Bundt cake pan with the finished pound cake inside ready to be turned out

Cream Cheese Pound Cake

When I think about need-to-know holiday recipes, a good classic pound cake is always at the top of my list.

A pound cake is the perfect simple dessert. It’s rich and buttery, with a delicate vanilla flavor and tight moist crumb. 

It’s a hearty no-fuss cake you don’t have to decorate or worry about transporting to events.

Our Cream Cheese Pound Cake is a marvelous platform for creativity. Although it tastes amazing on its own, you can mix add-ins into the batter before baking, or dress it up with toppings and sauces!

Side view of a cake stand with a sliced bundt cake so you can see the inside texture

Our Best Pound Cake Recipe

Why do I think Cream Cheese Pound Cake is the best?

It’s because of what the cream cheese does to the flavor and texture of the pound cake…

Pound Cakes are meant to be heavy cakes. It’s said the original pound cake recipe was made with one pound each of flour, sugar, eggs, and butter. 

However, pound cakes can be a little too dense and heavy, in my opinion. That’s where the cream cheese comes in.

Adding cream cheese to the cake batter lightens and lifts the batter while baking, because cream cheese tends to puff as it bakes. This makes the pound cake slightly softer and airier than traditional pound cake.

It also adds a very mild twang to the otherwise pure rich vanilla-butter flavor. The little bit of tanginess balances the flavors, so the pound cake does not taste too sweet.

Single slice of cream cheese pound cake on a plate with some strawberries next to it

What Ingredients You Will Need

If you get anxious about holiday baking, this Easy Pound Cake Recipe is a great place to start. You only need a few key ingredients to make something that tastes impressive.

  • ButterSoftened. Always go with unsalted butter when you have the choice.
  • Cream cheeseSoftened. Full fat. To enhance the flavor and texture.
  • SugarTo dust the pan and sweeten the pound cake.
  • FlourThe base of the batter.
  • Eggs To bind and lift the batter.
  • Vanilla extractFor deep nostalgic flavor.
  • Baking PowderTo help the cake rise.
  • SaltTo enhance the overall flavor.
Side view of a single piece of this cream cheese cake with some fresh fruit

The Perfect Pound Cake Pan

I like to bake pound cakes in a bundt pan, because it creates a larger cake with a decorative finish.

Also, bundt pans usually have a good non-sticking coating on the inside that makes it easy to flip the cake out of the pan.

However, if you do not own a bundt pan, you can make this recipe in two standard 9-inch loaf pans. In loaf pans, the baking time should be reduced to 70-80 minutes.

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How To Make Pound Cake

Ready to learn how to make a perfect pound cake? This Cream Cheese Pound Cake Recipe is so easy to make, it will become your new go-to dessert!

  1. Grease and Sugar the Pan. Instead of flouring the pan with pound cake, I like to grease the pan (smear the inside with butter) then coat it with sugar. Just shake the sugar around until it covers all the butter. This gives the outside of the cake a crisp glistening crust!
  2. Cream the Butter, Cream Cheese, and Sugar. Creaming is beating the ingredients on high speed until they are very light and fluffy. This helps make the cake light and fluffy as well! Creaming usually takes several minutes, so be patient.
  3. Mix Slowly. Then turn the mixer on low and beat in the rest of the ingredients. Be sure to turn the mixer off as soon as the cake batter is smooth. Pro Tip: Mixing the batter too long gives it a tough texture.
  4. Pour and Bake! Pour the cake in the pan and bake. Pound cakes are dense and take some time in the oven. This is another opportunity to practice patience. *wink*

Get The Full (Printable) Easy Cream Cheese Pound Cake Recipe Below. Enjoy!

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Other Homemade Toppings

Once you bake homemade pound cake from scratch, you might want to dazzle it up when it’s time for dessert. 

Here are a few topping ideas

Finished easy bundt cake recipe looking light and airy and golden brown

How To Make The Glaze For Easy Pound Cake

You can also make a simple glaze to pour over the pound cake by mixing…

  • 1 1/2 – 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 3 – 4 tablespoons milk (or heavy cream for a thicker glaze)
  • 1-2 teaspoons flavor extract (This could be vanilla, lemon, rum, coconut, strawberry, etc.)

Be sure to whisk the glaze well, so there are no clumps. Then pour or drizzle over the cake. 

If the cream cheese cake is warm, the glaze will most likely soak into the cake. If you want it to sit up on top of the cake, make the glaze very thick, using less liquid and more powdered sugar. Then wait until the cake is completely cool to apply the glaze.

Turned out the best pound cake recipe on a cake stand showing off the curves from the bundt pan

Frequently Asked Questions

Why Is My Cake Taking So Long To Bake?

Pound cakes do take a long time to bake. However, if yours is taking longer than expected, you may have a faulty oven thermostat. 

Place a new hanging oven thermometer off the center rack in your oven, and adjust the temperature accordingly. (Your oven manual, or youtube, can show you how to recalibrate your oven.)

Can You Freeze A Moist Pound Cake?

Absolutely! Wrap it very well with plastic wrap, then a layer of foil, and freeze for up to 6 months.

Can You Add Ingredients To The Cream Cheese Cake to Make It Chunky?

Sure! Try not to mix in any ingredient that would add extra moisture (like chopped fruit). However, you can certainly add in chocolate chips, chopped nuts, or dried fruits.

Do I Need to Keep the Cake in the Fridge?

No, this cake can stay out at room temperature for 3 to 5 days, but you can keep it in the fridge if you would like to. Wrap it well and refrigerate for up to 10 days.

Half sliced cake with the fluffy texture shown on the inside

Looking For More Festive (Yet Easy) Cake Recipes?

How To Make Pound Cake - Single piece on a dish with a fork inside ready for a single bite

More Easy Pound Cake Recipes

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Cream Cheese Pound Cake Recipe

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Best Cream Cheese Pound Cake Recipe: Learn How to Make Pound Cake light and fluffy. Our Easy Pound Cake requires only 8 ingredients (mostly pantry staples) + is great with toppings!
Servings: 16

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Set out the butter, eggs, and cream cheese to come to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Move one oven rack to the center of the oven and remove any racks above it.
  • Pull out a standard 12-cup capacity bundt pan. Grease the bundt pan with extra butter or shortening, then scoop 1/4 cup sugar into the pan and shake it around until the fat is well coated in sugar. Dump out any excess sugar. Set aside.
  • Place the softened butter and cream cheese in the bowl on an electric. Beat on high until the mixture is totally smooth. Scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula, then add the remaining 2 3/4 cups sugar. Beat on high again for 3-5 minutes to cream the ingredients until very light and fluffy. Scrape the bowl again.
  • Turn the mixer on low and beat in the eggs, vanilla extract, baking powder, and salt. Then slowly add the flour a little at a time, until fully combined. Once the batter is smooth, turn off the mixer, as to not overmix the batter.
  • Scoop the batter into the prepared pan. Bake on the center rack for 80-90 minutes. After 80 minutes, test the cake by inserting a toothpick deep into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, take the pound cake out of the oven.
  • Let the cream cheese pound cake rest in the pan for 15 minutes. Then carefully flip the cake onto a platter or baking rack.

Video

Notes

If your pound cake is very puffy or uneven on the top, you can cut and level the cake before flipping it out of the pan. This will make it rest evenly on a cake stand.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice, Calories: 444.5kcal, Carbohydrates: 56.92g, Protein: 6.39g, Fat: 21.68g, Saturated Fat: 12.92g, Cholesterol: 132.51mg, Sodium: 245.64mg, Potassium: 119.79mg, Fiber: 0.63g, Sugar: 38.51g, Vitamin A: 724.88IU, Calcium: 52.34mg, Iron: 1.52mg
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Author: Sommer Collier
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