Cream Cheese Pound Cake has a nice crust on top and is tender and moist on the inside. The cream cheese lifts and lightens this pound cake and gives it a delicious taste. This is definitely a winner.
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The pound cake originated in Europe in the 18th century and weighed 4 pounds. The recipe called for a pound each of butter, sugar, flour, and eggs. That’s how a pound cake got its name. So now you know. 🙂
Crunchy Pound Cake
My oldest daughter has always said that she’d love to slice a pound cake horizontally about 1/2 inch from the top and just eat the crusty part dipped in a powdered sugar glaze.
She was making reference to dry pound cakes. This pound cake is not dry at all and that crunch on the top is perfect.
Ingredients for Cream Cheese Pound Cake
You can find the full printable recipe card down below. Here is a list of ingredients you’ll need:
- Cream cheese
- Butter
- Sugar
- Eggs
- All-purpose flour
- Vanilla extract
- Salt
You Don’t Need To Preheat The Oven For This One
Many old fashioned pound cakes start out in a cold oven. This is one of those. You don’t have to preheat the oven. The purpose of preheating an oven is to allow a lighter cake to rise quickly. Since pound cakes are heavier and take longer to rise, it’s totally fine to start in a cold oven.
After placing the pound cake in the oven, turn the oven to 300º F. and bake for one and a half hours or until done.
Note: This is a large pound cake. You will need a large tube pan (10-12 cup) for this recipe. This is the tube pan I use and I love it.
Tips For Baking A Successful Pound Cake
- Follow the recipe exactly and use the correct measurements.
- Make sure the eggs, butter, and cream cheese are at room temperature.
- Add the eggs one a time, making sure the egg is incorporated before adding the next one.
- After the dry ingredients are added, be careful not to overmix.
- After evenly spreading the cake batter into the greased/floured tube pan, pick up the pan a couple of inches off of the counter and drop it down on the counter a couple of times to break up air bubbles.
- Be patient. Pound cakes need to be baked low and slow.
- Ovens vary, so check on the cake periodically before the timer goes off (not opening the oven door). If the cake gets brown on the top before it’s done, tent loosely with aluminum foil to prevent over-browning.
- Make sure you cool the cake, in the pan, on a wire rack for 20 minutes. If you don’t cool it long enough, the cake may stick to the sides or bottom. If you cool it too long, it can cause the cake to be damp and stick to the sides.
- The top of this pound cake is very light and crunchy (just how I like it) so you’re bound to have a few cracks.
To spray the pan, I always use Baker’s Joy Cake Pan Spray. It has the flour already mixed in. Below is a photo of the cake batter in the pan right before going in the oven.
Once my cake is browned and begins to smell heavenly, I check it with a long skewer to make sure it’s done. Then I let it cool in the pan, on a rack, for 20 minutes.
The cake slips right out of the pan onto the cooling rack to rest until completely cooled.
Topping Ideas For Cream Cheese Pound Cake
This pound cake is the perfect dessert (or breakfast) just the way it is. You can also top this cake with one of the following:
- Fresh strawberries or raspberries and whipped cream
- Fresh fruit
- Lemon Curd
- Powdered sugar glaze (1-1/2 cups powdered sugar whisked together with 3-4 Tablespoons milk)
- Vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce
The possibilities are endless. Any way you slice it, a pound cake is a delicious dessert.
How To Store A Cream Cheese Pound Cake
Cover leftover cake and store in the refrigerator for up to five days. To freeze the cake, wrap the completely cooled cake in plastic wrap and then wrap with foil. Store for up to three months in the freezer.
You May Also Like These Recipes
- Italian Cream Cake
- Dad’s Sour Cream Pound Cake
- Pecan Praline Cheesecake
- Pecan Caramel Chocolate Candy
- Pumpkin Cake Roll
- Baked Strawberry Doughnuts
Cream Cheese Pound Cake
Cream Cheese Pound Cake has a crunchy top and is nice and tender on the inside. This is a perfect dessert for any occasion.
Ingredients
- 1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
- 1-1/2 cups butter, softened (3 sticks)
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 6 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Generously grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan.
- In a mixing bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter on medium-high speed until fluffy, scraping sides as needed. Slowly add sugar; beat well.
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Add vanilla extract.
- At low speed, add flour, 1/4 cup at a time. Add salt. Beat just until combined.
- Spread batter evenly into the prepared 10-inch tube pan. Drop pan on the counter a few times to remove air bubbles.
- Place in a cold oven and turn the heat to 300º F. Bake for 1-1/2 hours or until a long wooden pick inserted near the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Cool for 20 minutes on a wire rack before removing from the pan. Cool completely on the wire rack.
39 comments
I just made this cream cheese pound cake and love it! Salt is listed in the ingredients but it is not mentioned in the directions on when to add it. I will definitely make this cake again!
Thanks for catching this! I corrected the recipe card. I always add salt after I add the flour.
I made this cake about a month ago. It is absolutely fabulous!!! The longer it stays around, the better it gets! I love the crust!! I will be making this cake again and again and again………!!!!
My favorite part is that crust! So glad you love it too!!
Can I use a bunt cake pan?
Sure! I always use a tube pan but a Bundt pan should work fine.
Hi can you use cake flour instead of All purpose flour? Salted or unsalted butter? Thanks and it looks delicious!
To substitute cake flour for all-purpose flour use 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons cake flour for every cup of all-purpose flour. I use unsalted butter.
The only pound cake I cook. No other pound cake for me.
It’s so good!
Do you s Sift the flour
No, you don’t have to sift the flour. I usually just stir the flour around a little with a whisk after I measure it just in case there’s a few lumps.
Can you make this using monkfruit in place of sugar? My husband cannot have sugar and I am desperate for a good recipe
I have never used monk fruit in any cake recipe. However, I did find this from the Lakanto Monkfruit website: “In baking, I use a ratio of 1:½, substituting 1 cup of sugar with a ½ cup of Lakanto Golden Monkfruit Sweetener. If you use a full 1:1 substitution, it may cause crystallization in cakes, muffins, cookies, and brownies.” I hope this helps!
It doesn’t need baking powder? It calls for all purpose flour, so a recipe usually calls for baking powder.,,,
No, it doesn’t. A classic pound cake does not utilize any chemical leavening (baking powder or baking soda). This cake relies solely on the air that is mixed into the batter during the creaming process for its rise. This process is known as physical leavening.
What is the salt for?
The main function of salt in cake recipes is to enhance the flavor of the other ingredients. It perks up the depth and complexity of other flavors as the ingredients meld. Salt also provides a balance to the sweetness of cake batters.
Hi, Alli! I’m a Southern gal too (east TN). I just want to ask if you use unsalted butter in your cream cheese pound cake?
Hi, Deb! I use unsalted butter.
I have made this cake and it is off the charts GREAT!! I had been looking for a pound cake that was not dry and I found it in this cake. Its also an easy to follow. This will be my go to pound cake for a long time to come. Thank you for sharing it with us!
I’m so glad you love it! It’s definitely one of my favorites.
Hello,
I am planning on making this pound cake this weekend and wanted to know if the flour needs to be sifted?
Thank you
No, you don’t have to sift the flour. Modern flour is refined enough now that this process is generally unnecessary in ordinary, everyday baking.
Can loaf pans be used and does this recipe make enough for two loaf pans?J
I’ve never made this cake in a loaf pan but I’d definitely use two pans.
I am very excited to try this recipe and I’m taking it on a family beach vacation. I love the idea of typing it was fresh fruit. I also like the idea that it can be frozen. I also like the idea that it can be frozen five stars.
I hope you like it as much as we do! Have fun on your vacation!
Ooops! Topping not typing
I made this pound cake the top was very crunchy it Separated.from the cake and was Crumbly. Left it in hour and half @325
The top does have a crunch (that’s what I like about it) but I’ve never had it separate from the cake. Sorry that happened to you.
Can you tell me how to add lemon and how much to this recipe
I actually have a lemon pound cake on my website that is amazing. You can find it here:https://www.anallievent.com/lemon-buttermilk-pound-cake-with-lemon-glaze/
Just made this for the first time and it was DELICIOUS! I used Land-o-Lakes salted butter (that’s all I had on hand), mixed the salt into the flour before adding it and preheated my oven to 300, I didn’t start it in a cold oven. Cooked it for about an hour and 45 minutes and it was perfect! So moist and the top was fabulously crunchy! Will definitely make it again!
So glad you like it and I’m with you, that top is the best crunch ever! 🙂
This cake is so good. Making my second one. Love the texture.
I love the texture, too! This is one of my favorite pound cakes.
I loved this recipe! The crust almost didn’t make it to church! One thing I would say about this and any cake, brownies or muffins etc is to know your oven. The recipe said to bake for 1 1/2 hour. I started checking at 50 minutes and took it out 1 hour and 5 minutes. My oven runs hot. Itbwas perfectly done.
So glad you liked it! You’re correct, some ovens run hotter than others.