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This cream cheese pound cake recipe is a keeper! It’s moist, tender, sweet, and slightly tangy – a perfect combination. After testing and developing pound cake recipes for a full week (yummy job, huh?) consider me your pound cake expert!
Follow my easy steps to make a homemade pound cake with cream cheese glaze that gets rave reviews every single time.
When it comes to whipping up a killer cream cheese pound cake, you might run into a few snags like dryness, dense texture, or maybe a cracked top. But don’t sweat it—I’ve been there, done that, and I’m here to help you out!
See, I’ve spent a ton of time in the kitchen perfecting pound cakes, so I know all the tricks to get them just right. From tweaking mixing times to nailing oven temperatures and making sure your flavors pop, I’ve got you covered.
So if you want your pound cakes to come out moist, tender, and totally drool-worthy, I’m your go-to coach.
Why you’ll love this Recipe For Cream Cheese Pound Cake
This is seriously the best pound cake recipe, and you can make it like a pro even if it’s your first time baking.
This recipe was tested 7 times before I nailed the perfect texture and taste.
As a self proclaimed pound cake connoisseur, I’m giving you all my best tips and tricks below, plus super easy steps to follow for pound cake perfection. Here are a few reasons why this will be one of your new favorite desserts:
- Just 15 minutes of active prep time
- Moist, tender, and dense cake
- Balance of sweetness and slight tanginess
- Made with simple ingredients
- Easily customize with any of your favorite toppings
Old Fashioned Cream Cheese Pound Cake Ingredients
You’ll be happy to learn that making the perfect pound cake recipe only requires simple ingredients. Get the full recipe plus all my tips below. Here’s what you’ll need:
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Unsalted butter: room temperature
- Cream cheese: room temperature
- Granulated sugar
- Eggs: room temperature
- Egg yolk: room temperature
- Pure vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Glaze
- Cream cheese: room temperature
- Unsalted butter: room temperature
- Vanilla extract
- Powdered sugar
- Salt
How to Make this Cream Cheese Pound Cake Recipe
This easy pound cake recipe only takes 15 minutes of active prep time. The hardest part is waiting for it to cool so you can glaze it and eat it. Keep reading for my best tips! Here are the easy step-by-step instructions:
- Prep oven and set out ingredients. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Make sure you are using room-temperature butter, cream cheese, and eggs. When ingredients are at room temperature, they just naturally trap air better when you whip them up. So, what you end up with are baked goods that have a lighter texture.
- Mix dry ingredients. In a mixing bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- Cream butter and cream cheese. In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese for 1-2 minutes until fluffy.
- Mix in sugar. Add in the granulated sugar, and beat for 1-2 minutes until fluffy. Pound cake gets its nice texture from creaming the butter and sugar together well, do not skimp on the creaming. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Mix in eggs. Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated. Beat in the egg yolk and vanilla extract.
- Combine dry and wet ingredients. Gradually add the flour mixture, mixing on low speed until just combined. I like to stop a little short and use a spatula to hand-mix the last bit of flour in. The batter will be thick.
- Generously butter a loaf pan. That’s a 9×5 inch pan or 8.5×4.5 inch pan – it’s important to know what size you have because the bake time can vary by 10 minutes.
- Add cake batter to pan. Transfer the batter to the pan and smooth using a spatula.
- Bake. Place the pan in the center of the oven and bake for 50 minutes. After 50 minutes check to see if the pound cake is browning too much. If so, tent the pound cake with aluminum foil and bake for 15-25 more minutes. **If you didn’t tent at 50 minutes, check again in 5-minute intervals to see if tenting is needed.
- Check bake time. The total suggested bake time for an 8.5×4.5 inch pan is 75-80 minutes and a 9×5 inch pan is 65-75 minutes. Be sure to know what size your pan is. I tend to err on the side of baking longer because pound cake is so dense. No one wants an undercooked pound cake.
- Cool. Allow the pound cake to cool in the pan for 30 minutes, then turn it out onto a cooling rack to cool.
Cream Cheese Glaze
- Mix cream cheese and butter. Place room-temperature cream cheese and butter in a mixing bowl. Use an electric mixer on medium and beat together for 1 minute, until whipped and fluffy.
- Add remaining ingredients. Add in the vanilla extract and powdered sugar (and optional salt), and beat again on low for 30 seconds, scraping down the sides of the bowl, until everything is incorporated.
- Adjust as needed. If you want the glaze to be thicker add an additional 1 Tbsp of powdered sugar at a time. If the glaze is too thick, add a splash of milk or heavy cream, and beat until creamy.
- Spread over the cooled cake.
Tips for Making a Moist Cream Cheese Pound Cake
For best results, follow these tips:
- Use room temperature ingredients: This is important to create the right texture in the cake.
- Follow the bake time: See step 10 above or in the recipe card below for bake times depending on the size of your pan. This cake takes a while to bake but it’s so worth it! The lower and slower bake time allows the whole cake to cook through without drying it out.
- Mix in eggs one at a time: Don’t be tempted to throw all your eggs in together. Mix them in each one at a time until fully incorporated.
- Generously grease your pan: This is an important step, be sure to generously butter that pan!
How to Serve Pound Cake with Cream Cheese
One of the best things about this Southern cream cheese pound cake is that it’s a delicious cake on its own, but it also pairs well with so many different toppings. Here are some ideas for some optional toppings to serve with a slice of this cake:
- Homemade Whipped Cream
- Fresh berries or other fresh fruit like fresh strawberries
- Raspberry, strawberry, or blueberry sauce
- Dusting of powdered sugar
More Cream Cheese Recipes
- Cream Cheese No Bake Cheesecake
- Homemade Cream Cheese Frosting
- Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream
- Cheesecake Swirl Brownies
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Moist Cream Cheese Pound Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, 240 grams
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature, 226 grams
- 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature, 227 grams
- 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar, 248 grams
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 egg yolk, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Glaze
- 4 oz cream cheese, room temperature, 113 grams
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature, 28 grams
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup powdered sugar, plus more for thicker frosting, 113 grams
- Dash of salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Make sure you are using room temperature butter, cream cheese and eggs. When ingredients are at room temperature, they just naturally trap air better when you whip them up. So, what you end up with are baked goods that have a lighter texture.
- In a mixing bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese for 1-2 minutes until fluffy.
- Add in the granulated sugar, beat for 1-2 minutes until fluffy. Pound cake gets its nice texture from creaming the butter and sugar together well, do not skimp on the creaming. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated. Beat in the egg yolk and vanilla extract.
- Gradually add the flour mixture, mixing on low speed until just combined. I like to stop a little short and use a spatula to hand mix the last bit of flour in. The batter will be thick.
- Generously butter a loaf pan. That’s a 9×5 inch pan or 8.5×4.5 inch pan – it’s important to know what size you have because the bake time can vary by 10 minutes.
- Transfer the batter to the pan and smooth using a spatula.
- Place the pan in the center of the oven and bake for 50 minutes. After 50 minutes check to see if the pound cake is browning too much. If so, tent the pound cake with aluminum foil and bake for 15-25 more minutes. **If you didn’t tent at 50 minutes, check again in 5 minute intervals to see if tenting is needed.
- The total suggested bake time for a 8.5×4.5 inch pan is 75-80 minutes and 9×5 inch pan is 65-75 minutes. Be sure to know what size your pan is. I tend to err on the side of baking longer because pound cake is so dense. No one wants an undercooked pound cake.
- Allow the pound cake to cool in the pan for 30 minutes, then turn it out onto a cooling rack to cool.
Cream Cheese Glaze
- Place room temperature cream cheese and butter in a mixing bowl. Use an electric mixer on medium and beat together for 1 minute, until whipped and fluffy.
- Add in the vanilla extract and powdered sugar (and optional salt), beat again on low for 30 seconds, scraping down the sides of the bowl, until everything is incorporated.
- If you want the glaze to be thicker add an additional 1 Tbsp of powdered sugar at a time. If the glaze is too thick, add a splash of milk or heavy cream, beat until creamy.
- Spread over the cooled cake.
Hi ,can I replace butter with oil or half oil or half butter ,thank you
Without personally testing that substitution myself, I can’t say if it will work, sorry!
Will this work with gluten free flours?
Yes! I test all of my recipes with regular all purpose flour and King Arthur’s Gluten Free Measure for Measure Flour. I’ve been gluten free for 18 years, but don’t label myself in the gluten free niche since almost anything can be made GF these days!
Hi Beth, is it ok to bake the cream cheese pound cake in a stoneware pan instead of a metal one ?
I haven’t tried that myself, but it should be okay! The bake time might change.