Old Fashioned Pound Cake is an all time favorite in the South. However, this pound cake recipe is made with cream cheese, and butter, resulting in a dense yet velvety cake like you’ve never tasted before. With a hint of orange or lemon it’s simplicity is what makes it so fantastic.
Be Prepared for the Most Awesome Pound Cake
This recipe is even better than ones Grandma used to make. Because not only does it have a lot of butter, but it has cream cheese!
The two create a buttery, creamy texture that doesn’t fall apart or crumble when cut into. It’s the kind of texture that you just can’t get with butter alone.
The top will crumble as you cut it, giving it a rustic look. Those crumbles are the best part. The cake itself is so smooth and rich, it’s the ultimate comfort food dessert.
Pound Cake Has Been Around A Long Time
The first recorded pound cake recipe was published in the 1796 cookbook American Cookery. The name “pound cake” comes from the weight of the ingredients used in the original recipe. The recipe states that one pound of eggs, one pound of sugar, one pound of butter, and one pound of flour were used to create the cake.
Beating the butter and cream cheese creates aeration, lending a dense yet moist cake with a tender crumb without needing baking soda or powder.
This recipe makes two large loaves that might overflow your pans a bit so place a baking sheet underneath them to protect your oven.
While a lot of people add a topping to pound cake, this is rich and doesn’t need anything. It’s not a super sweet cake despite having plenty of sugar but the cream cheese and butter offset some of the sweetness.
Of course you can serve a slice with some fresh berries, but I prefer to savor each bite by itself with your favorite hot beverage – tea for me.
Cream cheese pound cake is a classic Southern dessert, like Kentucky butter cake, which is really just a vanilla pound cake coated in a butter glaze. If you love peaches, I bet you’ll love a moist peach pound cake too. Add these to your list of must-try pound cakes.
Pound cake is one of those Southern desserts that is made with pantry staples but when combined turns into something magical. When you have a meal with lots of flavors, a pound cake will round it out and is the perfect finish.
This is Going to Be Your New Favorite Dessert
- Moist: The combination of butter and cream cheese lends to an incredibly moist cake that melts in your mouth.
- Make a ton: This recipe makes 2 very large loaves, so it’s perfect for sharing or freezing for later.
- Simple: This pound cake recipe uses basic pantry staples you probably already have in your kitchen, so it’s perfect for whipping up when cravings strike.
Pro Tip: To keep the pound cake fresh, slice it as you need it rather than slicing the whole thing at once. This will help keep it moist. However, if you are going to freeze it, slice the whole loaf so that you can get easily grab one slice at a time.
Ingredients You Probably Have in Your Panty
- Cream cheese and butter: You’ll need full-fat cream cheese. Use the block cream cheese and not the kind that comes in a tub. Use unsalted butter.
- Pantry staples: You’ll need 9 large eggs, flour, white sugar, salt, and vanilla extract.
- Orange or Lemon zest: This gives the cake a citrusy flair.
How to Make This Easy Cream Cheese Pound Cake Recipe
Step One: Prep and Cream Butter and Cream Cheese
Prep your loaf pans. Then, using an electric mixer, start by beating the softened butter and cream cheese together until they’re nice and fluffy. This helps give the cake that perfect texture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Step Two: Add Sugar, Vanilla, and Zest
Slowly mix in the sugar so it doesn’t fly everywhere, then add the vanilla and citrus zest to add some extra flavor.
Step Three: Mix In the Eggs
Pour in the beaten eggs and blend until everything is smooth and well combined.
Step Four: Add Dry Ingredients
In another bowl, whisk together the flour and salt, then gently fold it into the butter mixture. Be careful not to overmix!
Step Five: Bake
Pour the batter into greased loaf pans and bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cakes cool a bit in the pans before removing them to cool completely on a rack. The top will crack once it cools.
Step Six: Slice
Once cooled, slice into the pound cake and enjoy the buttery, rich texture. The top crumbles a little when you cut into it, but you’ll want to eat all those crispy crumbles.
Recipe Pro-Tips and Notes
- You can either lemon for orange zest.
- The top will crack once it cools.
- Place a cookie sheet under the pans when baking to catch any overflow.
- Make sure your butter, cream cheese, and eggs are at room temperature so they incorporate easily into the batter.
- This recipe makes two very large loaves. You can either freeze one or give it to a friend.
Storage
Store leftover cake in an airtight container on the counter for 4-5 days. After that, pop it into the fridge for up to one week. If you want to freeze it, slice it first then wrap it in plastic wrap and aluminum foil and freeze it for up to 3 months. Remove a slice and let it thaw at room temperature, it will take about 20 minutes.
Don’t Forget!
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Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups butter room temp (4 ½ sticks)
- 12 ounces cream cheese room temp
- 4 ½ cups sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 9 eggs beaten
- 4 1/2 cups flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325º. Butter and flour two 8 ½ by 4 ½ inch loaf pans.
- In a stand mixer, beat the softened butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Slowly add the sugar so that it doesn’t fly out of the bowl and beat well until very light and fluffy, about 5 more minutes.
- Mix in the vanilla and lemon zest.
- Add beaten eggs and mix until well incorporated into the batter.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and salt and slowly add it to the butter and egg mixture, mixing only until incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35-40 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. A thermometer will read 195º.
- Let cool on a wire rack in the pans for 15 minutes then remove and allow to cool completely before slicing.
Notes
- Makes 2 large loaves of 16 slices each.
- You can sub orange for lemon zest.
- The top will crack once it cools.
- Place a cookie sheet under the pans when baking to catch any overflow.
