Cream Cheese Pound Cake: A Dense and Buttery Southern Classic

A rich, velvety pound cake with a golden sugar crust made with cream cheese for extra moisture.

In the South, and certainly here in Texas, a good pound cake is the "little black dress" of the baking world. It is suitable for literally any occasion, from a somber wake to a joyous wedding shower, or just a Tuesday night on the porch. While traditional pound cakes rely on a pound of butter, sugar, eggs, and flour, this version introduces a block of cream cheese into the batter. This addition transforms the texture from simply dense to impossibly velvety and moist, with a tight crumb that melts on the tongue. It develops a signature crackly, golden crust on top that is often fought over at potlucks. It requires patience to bake, but the result is a masterpiece of simplicity.

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• The Gold Standard of Southern Cakes
• Cream Cheese Pound Cake

The Gold Standard of Southern Cakes

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• Velvety Texture: The cream cheese adds fat and acidity, which tenderizes the gluten strands, resulting in a crumb that is dense but soft, never dry.
• The Crust: Because of the high sugar content and long bake time, the top of the cake develops a fragile, sugary crust that contrasts perfectly with the soft interior.
• No Liquid Required: You will notice there is no milk or buttermilk in the ingredients. The moisture comes entirely from the butter, eggs, and cream cheese, creating an intensely rich flavor.
• Freezes Beautifully: Pound cake actually gets better with age. It freezes exceptionally well, making it the perfect make-ahead dessert.

Ingredients

This recipe relies on basic pantry staples, so quality counts.

• Butter: 1-½ cups (3 sticks), softened. Do not use margarine; you need the flavor and fat structure of real butter.
• Sugar: 3 cups of granulated sugar. It seems like a lot, but this provides the structure and the crust.
• Cream Cheese: One 8-ounce package, softened. Use full-fat block cream cheese, not the whipped kind in a tub.
• Eggs: 6 large eggs, room temperature. These provide the leavening and structure.
• All-Purpose Flour: 3 cups. Spoon and level your flour to avoid adding too much, which makes the cake heavy.
• Baking Powder: ½ teaspoon. This small amount gives just enough lift to keep the cake from being a brick.
• Optional: Fresh fruit, whipped cream, or confectioners' sugar for serving.

How to Make Cream Cheese Pound Cake

The Creaming Phase

Preheat your oven to 325°F. Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan (or a large Bundt pan) thoroughly. In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine the softened butter, sugar, and softened cream cheese. Beat on medium-high speed for a full 5 to 7 minutes. This step is non-negotiable. You are mechanically forcing air into the fat, which is the primary way this cake rises. The mixture should turn pale white and look like fluffy frosting.

Add the Eggs

Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. You want each egg to be fully absorbed by the butter mixture before adding the next. This maintains the emulsion. Scrape down the sides of the bowl frequently.

Fold in Dry Ingredients

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder to ensure there are no clumps. Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet batter. Turn the mixer to the lowest speed and mix just until the flour disappears. Do not overmix at this stage, or you will develop gluten and make the cake tough.

The Long Bake

Transfer the thick batter to the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake at 325°F for 80 to 90 minutes. This "low and slow" temperature allows the dense batter to cook through to the center without burning the outside. Test for doneness by inserting a long wooden skewer into the center; it should come out clean.

Cool

Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for exactly 10 minutes. If you try to remove it too soon, it will fall apart; if you leave it too long, it will stick. Invert it onto the rack to cool completely.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Opening the Oven Door: Pound cakes are sensitive to drafts. Do not open the oven door to check on it until at least 1 hour and 15 minutes have passed, or the cake may collapse.
• Cold Ingredients: As mentioned, using cold butter or eggs will cause the batter to look curdled (like cottage cheese). This breaks the suspension of fat and liquid, resulting in a dense, oily layer at the bottom of your cake.
• Underbaking: Because the cake is so dense, it is easy to take it out when the outside looks done but the inside is raw. Trust the skewer test, not just your eyes.

Variations

• Lemon Cream Cheese: Add the zest of two lemons to the sugar before creaming, and add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice with the eggs.
• Berry Swirl: Toss 1 cup of fresh blueberries or raspberries in a tablespoon of flour and gently fold them into the batter at the very end.
• Brown Sugar: Swap 1 cup of the granulated sugar for packed light brown sugar for a deeper caramel note.

How to Serve

This cake is rich enough to serve plain, perhaps with a dusting of confectioners' sugar. However, here in Austin, we love to grill slices of pound cake. Brush a slice with a little melted butter and sear it on a hot grill for 1 minute per side, then top with macerated strawberries and whipped cream.

Make Ahead and Storage

• Aging: This cake actually tastes better the day after it is baked, as the moisture redistributes and the flavors meld.
• Storage: Store at room temperature in a cake dome or airtight container for up to 4 days.
• Freezing: Slice the cake and wrap individual pieces in plastic wrap, then foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. It eats wonderfully straight from the freezer without even thawing fully.

Nutrition Snapshot

One slice (approx. 1/16 of cake) contains roughly 450 calories, 24g fat, and 55g carbohydrates.

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