Pound cakes were a staple in our home as a kid. My Mom loved to bake (still does!) and one of her go-to desserts was a good ole fashion pound cake. Every year for as long as I cam remember as a kid, my request for a birthday cake was a pound cake with Seven Minute Icing. And she always delivered with charm and beauty.
She had a few different pound cake recipes that she would make and they are all delicious in their own right. This is a Cream Cheese Pound Cake that is probably my most favorite for texture, moisture and density. I like for my pound cakes to be ‘heavy’, not light and airy. Add a cup of coffee and I’m set for breakfast, afternoon snack or an evening sweet tooth craving.
To check out her pound cake recipes, you’ll have to look in her first cookbook called ‘Food Lovers Collection’ by Rita Dover McMahan. (See tab at the top of the page) It has 500, yes… 500 recipes! This Cream Cheese Pound Cake is a tiny adaptation of her’s. You know I can’t leave well enough alone… Just saying…
Here’s how I make it.
Cream Cheese Pound Cake
The first thing you’ll want to do is prep the cake pan and preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour your favorite 10-12 cup cake bundt pan.
Many of the newer models of cake pans have a non stick coating, such as this one I’m using, which is great for clean up. Many claim that you don’t have to grease and flour their pans for the cake to fall out at the end of baking. I’ve read lots of reviews and there’s a real debate about that, so I just play it safe and take the time to grease and flour mine. Based on my experience, I also find that using a solid vegetable shortening gives me better results in those non stick pans. Spraying liquid oil just runs off and makes it difficult to get an even coating of flour.
In your stand mixer fitted with the paddle, cream the room temperature butter and cream cheese until you have a beautiful creamy glob. Scrape down the sides to get it all mixed together well. (Don’t have a stand mixer? No problem! just use a large bowl and a hand held mixer)
Note: It is important for both the butter and cream cheese to be at room temperature and soft, otherwise you’ll have chunks of both in the batter and it just won’t get creamy.
Add the sugar and mix together well at medium speed, about a minute. Scrape down the sides.
Add the salt, baking powder and about 1/3 of the all purpose flour. Turn on the mixer to the lowest speed to mix the flour in slowly, otherwise you’ll inhale a cloud of flour and be wearing it on your shirt and face. (Not saying that I’ve done that or anything…) Add another 1/3 of the flour, mix slowly… And finally the last 1/3 of the flour. Once the flour is incorporated, turn the mixer speed to medium and mix for 30 seconds longer.
Something I want to mention here about flour. If you’re like me and keep an extra bag of flour in the pantry so you don’t have to run to the store in a panic to make a dessert, you’ll want to check it for clumping from moisture/humidity. It’s not a bad thing, mind you, but you will want to sift it before using it in cakes. Otherwise you end up with little balls of flour in your cake batter. Yep, been there, done that.
Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each. Scrape down the sides after mixing in each egg.
Add your flavoring extract and mix for 30 seconds. Here I added pure vanilla extract cause I was in the mood for a vanilla cream cheese pound cake. Depending on my mood, I sometimes make a lemon cream cheese pound cake with pure lemon extract. Other flavors I like are coconut, black walnut, almond and a flavor I grew up with that is still my all time favorite… Butternut flavoring!
Remove the bowl from the stand miser and take out the mixing paddle. Scrap down the sides and do a last stir of the batter making sure to get the bottom of the bowl mixed in.
I have found that in the stand mixers, the bottom of the bowl doesn’t always get mixed in properly. So I like to make sure to do a good stir with my spatula or spoon, just in case.
Pour the batter into your prepared 10-12 cup bundt pan and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 55 -60 minutes.
Do not overbake! I start checking at the 52 minute mark, since I’ve made it so many times. If the toothpick inserted in the center of the thickest part comes out clean, it’s done. If a bunch of wet batter comes out on the tooth pick, it needs a few more minutes. Keep checking every 3 minutes. Once you’ve made this cake (or any cake for that matter) a couple times, you’ll know how long it needs to bake in your oven. All ovens are NOT created equal and do differ in baking times.
Let the cake rest in the cake pan for a few minutes. Run a butter knife around the outside edge and the center tube to loosen the cake from the pan. Invert onto your cake plate.
While I do try to let the cake cool down before cutting into it, I just really go back into time when my Mom would cut us a warm slice to eat shortly after it came out of the oven. Oh, how nostalgia kicks into high gear and I go down memory lane. Sweet times.
Icing on this cake? Not for me. Should you add frosting? Totally up to you. Me? Well, I’m good with a few slices of strawberries and a cup of coffee… Just saying…
Looking for other cake recipes? Check these out!
Lit’l Chocolate Cake for 4.
Here’s the printer friendly recipe.
This is a Cream Cheese Pound Cake that is probably my most favorite for texture, moisture and density. I like for my pound cakes to be 'heavy', not light and airy. Add a cup of coffee and I'm set for breakfast, afternoon snack or an evening sweet tooth craving.
Ingredients
- 1 - 8 ounce package cream cheese, room temperature (full fat not fat free)
- 3 sticks butter, room temperature (1 1/2 cups)
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 6 large eggs
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract (can also use: lemon, almond, butternut, black walnut)
Instructions
- Grease and flour your 10-12 cup cake bundt pan and preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- In your stand mixer fitted with the paddle, cream the room temperature butter and cream cheese until it's creamy and smooth. Scrape down the sides. (Don't have a stand mixer? No problem! just use a large bowl and a hand held mixer)
- Add the sugar and mix on medium speed until mixed well, about a minute. Scrape down the sides.
- Add the salt, baking powder and about 1/3 of the all purpose flour. Turn on the mixer to the lowest speed to mix the flour in slowly. Scrape down the sides and add another 1/3 of the flour, mix slowly... Scrape down the sides and add the last 1/3 of the flour. Once that is incorporated, turn the mixer speed to medium and mix for 30 seconds.
- Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each. Scrape down the sides after mixing in each egg.
- Add the pure vanilla extract (or flavor of choice) and mix for 30 seconds.
- Remove the bowl from the stand miser and take out the mixing paddle. Scrap down the sides and do a last stir of the batter making sure to get the bottom of the bowl mixed in.
- Pour the batter into your prepared 10-12 cup bundt pan and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 55 -60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Careful to not overbake.
- Let the cake rest in the bundt pan for 3 minutes, run a butter knife around the outside edge and the center tube to loosen the cake from the pan. Invert onto your cake plate.
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