Vanilla Pound Cake (using sour cream OR cream cheese)
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This Vanilla Pound Cake is so delicious, we couldn’t stop eating it. It’s full of rich vanilla flavor due to the addition of vanilla bean paste and stays extra moist due to the use of cream cheese OR sour cream – yes either one makes a great pound cake! This cake is simple to make, adaptable and perfect for all occasions!
The Back Story Of This Vanilla Pound Cake
When I decided I wanted to share a pound cake recipe with you, I started out using my husband’s Grandma’s recipe. The flavor was delicious, but I found it to be dry. So I decided to test the recipe with 8 ounces of cream cheese and with 8 ounces of sour cream. I found that both created a delicious, moist vanilla pound cake. I didn’t find a noticeable difference between flavor or texture with the sour cream or cream cheese, either. So I am sharing how to make the pound cake two ways and leaving it up to you to decide!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Adaptable: This recipe for pound cake is a base recipe that can easily be adapted into other flavor profiles. I will speak more to this below.
- Flavorful: I use vanilla bean paste to make sure it’s packed full of vanilla flavor and aroma. It’s also buttery and rich from the sour cream OR cream cheese.
- Perfect for occasions: Pound cake travels well because it’s heavy. It can also feed a lot because it’s a richer, denser cake. It’s a wonderful dessert to serve at parties, gatherings and for the holidays.
Ingredients
Here is a list of all the ingredients you will need along with a few notes and possible substitutions.
- Butter: Room temperature unsalted butter works best in this recipe. If you use salted butter, omit the extra salt.
- Sour cream OR cream cheese: Yes, both will work. They help make the cake moist and dense. They do offer a subtle tang as well. I suggest using full fat and make sure they are room temperature.
- Lemon zest: This is optional, but it elevates the cake slightly with a fresh aroma and taste. It’s not overly lemony, though.
- Granulated sugar: Sweetens the cake.
- Vanilla bean paste: I love vanilla bean paste. It has a slightly more intense flavor than vanilla extract and it has little specks of the vanilla beans in it. If you don’t have it, feel free to use pure vanilla extract.
- Eggs: Eggs help bind all the ingredients together.
- Baking powder: Baking powder is the leveling agent that helps the cake rise.
- Salt: A little salt enhances flavor and balances the sweetness.
Helpful Instructions for Success
See the recipe card for full instructions.
- Make sure all the ingredients are room temperature. This is very important. The ingredients blend much easier and it will prevent over-mixing.
- Sift the cake flour. Sifting the flour will help it blend easier but it will also create a fluffier cake.
- Use vanilla bean paste if you can. The flavor is just so good.
- Grease and flour your bundt cake pan really well. This is the one I have, and I really like it!
- Test your cake with a toothpick or knife. All ovens are different so it’s important to watch your baked goods and test them. I typically use a knife and insert it right into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, the cake is done. If it has cake batter on it, it needs more time.
- Make the cake a day before – it tastes better the next day! This is great for party planning.
Serving Suggestions & Substitutions
Pound cakes are so versatile. Especially this vanilla pound cake. Here are a few ideas on how to serve the cake and adapt the cake to your liking.
Serving Suggestions:
- Top with homemade whipped cream and strawberry sauce.
- Top with a Vanilla Bean or Lemon Glaze.
- Slather it with cream cheese frosting and garnish with sprinkles.
Substitutions
- Add orange zest or lime zest for a zesty twist. Or both!
- Remove the lemon zest and add 2 teaspoons of almond extract and sprinkles for a birthday cake approach. Top with buttercream frosting!
- Remove the lemon zest and instead add mini chocolate chips for a chocolate chip pound cake.
Final Thoughts
If you’re looking for an easy, very tasty, moist and adaptable cake, this Vanilla Pound Cake is your recipe. It’s delicious as is, but can be doctored up to create all kinds of flavors through extracts, fruit, icings and more. It’s a safe recipe that you can keep coming back to for all of your occasions. Enjoy!
Vanilla Pound Cake (using sour cream or cream cheese)
This Vanilla Pound Cake is rich, moist and full of vanilla flavor with a hint of tang from sour cream or cream cheese. It's perfect for any occasion and easy to adapt into other flavors like lemon, almond or lime.
Ingredients
- 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, room temperature OR 1 cup room temperature sour cream (either will work, but do not add them both – it’s one or the other. Read instructions carefully below).
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
- zest of 2 lemons, optional
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 6 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste (or 1 tablespoon regular vanilla extract)
- 3 cups cake flour, sifted (measure then sift).
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
Instructions
Cream Cheese Vanilla Pound Cake:
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10 inch bundt pan.
- In the bowl of a stand alone mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, cream the butter and cream cheese until smooth.
- In a medium bowl, combine the sugar and lemon zest and mix together with your fingertips – this helps the zest not clump together while mixing. Add the sugar mixture gradually to the butter/cream cheese and beat on medium speed until light fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add vanilla bean paste and eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition and scraping down sides of bowl as necessary.
- Finally, sift the cake flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. With the mixer on low-speed, gradually mix in the bowl of dry ingredients just until combined. Scrape down sides of bowl. Do not over-mix otherwise the cake could become tough.
- Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake at 325 degrees F for 1 hour and 20 minutes. Check for doneness at 1 hour. A toothpick inserted into center of the cake will come out clean. Cool completely in pan before tipping it over onto a plate – the cake should slide out just fine if the pan was greased and floured well.
- Garnish with powdered sugar and enjoy!
Sour Cream Vanilla Pound Cake
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10 inch bundt pan.
- If you using lemon zest, combine the granulated sugar and lemon zest in a bowl using your fingertips. This helps the lemon zest not clump together while mixed.
- In the bowl of a stand alone mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, cream the butter and granulated sugar/lemon zest on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add vanilla bean paste and eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition and scraping down sides of bowl as necessary.
- Next, mix in the sour cream.
- Finally, sift the cake flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. With the mixer on low-speed, gradually mix in the bowl of dry ingredients just until combined. Scrape down sides of bowl. Do not over-mix otherwise the cake could become tough.
- Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake at 325 degrees F for 1 hour and 20 minutes. Check for doneness at 1 hour. A toothpick inserted into center of the cake should come out clean. Cool completely in pan before tipping it over onto a plate – the cake should slide out just fine if the pan was greased and floured well.
Garnish with powdered sugar and enjoy!
Notes
Pound cake will last 3-4 days at room temperature when stored in an airtight container, or up to a week in the refrigerator. For longer storage, it can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Vanilla Bean Paste will offer the most natural rich vanilla flavor. You can sub regular vanilla extract if needed.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
10Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving:Calories: 752Total Fat: 38gSaturated Fat: 22gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 207mgSodium: 237mgCarbohydrates: 96gFiber: 1gSugar: 62gProtein: 9g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated. Use as an approximation only.
This is right up my ally…would be soo good with any fresh fruit. Yum!
Looks yummy! Great for Easter!