This recipe gives you the perfect cream cheese pound cake. After tons of trial and error (and plenty of failed attempts), I finally nailed the ideal balance of ingredients for a moist, dense, and super flavorful pound cake. With just 9 simple ingredients, this cream cheese pound cake will become your new go-to. Stick to the exact baking time and temperature to avoid any mishaps.

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Honestly, I used to struggle with making a really good plain pound cake. Lemon pound cake? Raspberry swirl? Brown butter? No problem. But classic pound cake always let me down—it often turned out dry, rock-hard, or just bland.

Then I started adding cream cheese and sour cream to the batter. And just like that, my streak of pound cake fails came to an end.

Here’s Why You’ll Love This Pound Cake Recipe

Today, I’m sharing my all-time favorite cream cheese pound cake, baked in a Bundt pan. Trust me, this is the best pound cake, and here’s why:

• Super buttery & incredibly moist
• Never dry
• Made in just one bowl
• Only 9 basic ingredients
• Dense but not brick-heavy
• Soft, smooth crumb
• A hint of tang from the cream cheese
• Sweet with a lovely vanilla flavor

Ingredients You Need & Why

Here’s what goes into this cream cheese pound cake and why each ingredient matters:

• Butter: The foundation of any pound cake. You’ll need 3 sticks, softened.
• Cream Cheese: The secret to avoiding dry pound cake. Seriously, it’s a game-changer. Use full-fat brick-style cream cheese (not the spreadable kind), just like you would for cheesecake or cream cheese frosting.
• Sugar: This cake is big, so it needs a lot of sugar—2½ cups, to be exact. It sounds like a lot, but remember, this cake is dense and makes plenty of servings.
• Sour Cream: Not your usual pound cake ingredient, but it adds so much moisture. Dry cake? No thanks!
• Vanilla Extract & Salt: For flavor. Check the recipe notes if you want to switch things up.
• Eggs: The backbone of pound cake. You can’t make it without them.
• Cake Flour: Lighter than all-purpose flour, it keeps the focus on the butter. All-purpose flour makes the cake way too heavy. If you’re in a pinch, try this homemade cake flour substitute.
• Baking Powder: Another unusual addition, but a small amount helps lift the crumb so the cake isn’t crazy dense.

Every ingredient has a purpose!

Pound Cake Disasters: What NOT to Do

Now, let’s talk about what can go wrong. I’m sharing my fails so you don’t have to repeat them. The photo below shows two of my biggest pound cake blunders before I perfected this recipe.

• Mistake #1 (Left Pic): A seriously underbaked cake, cooked at 350°F (177°C). That’s way too hot—the outside browned before the center cooked. Cutting into this was heartbreaking.
• Mistake #2 (Right Pic): A seriously overbaked cake. After my first fail, I tried baking at 325°F (163°C) but left it in too long. Even with a well-greased pan, it wouldn’t release.

Both were total disasters!

How to Make the PERFECT Pound Cake

Now that you know what not to do, here’s how to get it right. The key? Lots of mixing before adding the eggs.

1. Mix, mix, mix: Beat the butter until creamy. Add the cream cheese and beat until smooth—no lumps! Mix in the sugar, then the sour cream and vanilla. Yes, there’s a lot of mixing, and that’s okay.
2. Add eggs one at a time: Mix each egg in fully before adding the next. Room-temperature eggs blend easily without overmixing (which leads to a brick-heavy cake).
3. Add dry ingredients: Dump them right into the same bowl.
4. Pour into pan: Transfer the batter to a generously greased 10–12 cup Bundt pan. (Not sponsored, but I love Nordic Ware pans. This one’s gorgeous too!)
5. Bake: At 325°F (163°C). Halfway through, loosely tent the cake with foil to prevent over-browning.
6. Cool, then flip: Let it cool in the pan for about 2 hours, then invert onto a plate. Cool completely before serving.

Top it with whipped cream, fresh berries, raspberry sauce, strawberry sauce, blueberry sauce, or homemade lemon curd. The pecan pie cheesecake topping would also be amazing. Pound cake is beautiful in its simplicity—no frosting or glaze needed.

4 Final Tips for Success

Before you start, keep these in mind:

1. Follow the recipe exactly. Use the listed ingredients and measurements.
2. Bake low and slow. This is a big, heavy cake—it needs a cooler oven. Don’t panic if it takes longer than 90 minutes.
3. Bring all ingredients to room temp first. Cold ingredients don’t blend well, and the cake won’t bake evenly.
4. Mix each egg in fully before adding the next.