This cream cheese vanilla pound cake will have you falling in love with pound cake all over again. The addition of cream cheese makes this cake rich while keeping it moist with a tender crumb. A surprisingly simple and easy recipe that takes just 10 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to bake.
There’s something about a Cream Cheese Pound Cake that just makes it extra special. Maybe it’s the rich, buttery texture, the slight tang from the cream cheese, or the way it bakes up perfectly golden with a soft, dense crumb. Whatever it is, this cake is always a winner.
I love baking this in a pound cake pan, keeping it simple and classic. No need for heavy frosting—just a light glaze or a dusting of powdered sugar, and it’s ready to slice. It’s the kind of cake that’s perfect for anytime—morning coffee, an afternoon treat, or even as a last-minute dessert for guests.
Every time I make this, people take one bite and immediately ask, “What makes this so good?” And the answer is always the same—cream cheese. It adds richness, moisture, and the perfect balance of flavor, making this cake one I always come back to. And trust me, once you try it, you will too!
Why make this cake?
- This recipe is based on the best pound cake recipe. In addition, the recipe is simple and easy, using ingredients you probably already have in your pantry, plus cream cheese.
- The process is also very simple and standard, using the creaming method.
- Most importantly, it is moist and absolutely delicious on its own. So you can serve it right out of the pan.
- And if you don’t have cream cheese, make my classic pound cake recipe or chocolate pound cake.
- I am baking this cake batter in a bundt pan, but you can also bake it in 2 x 8-inch cakes or an 8-inch loaf pan.
Ingredients and substitutes
- Butter – I prefer to use unsalted butter, so I can control the quantity of sugar in my recipe. And yet, if salted butter is all you have, go ahead and use it. Just omit salt in the recipe.
- Cream Cheese – In this recipe, cream cheese is calculated as fat. So, you need to use at least 32%, if not more.
- White Sugar– White sugar contributes to a nice, soft, tender crumb and gives a nice color. You can also add brown sugar, but it will contribute to the taste and color differently.
- Eggs– Always use large-size eggs when baking unless specified. The size of eggs varies significantly these days, so as a guide, one large egg weighs between 50 and 60 grams.
- Vanilla– A good quality vanilla will make a huge difference in anything you make. You can also make your own vanilla extract, bean paste, or sugar.
- Flour– Cake flour gives wonderfully moist cakes with tender crumbs, but you can certainly use the same amount of all-purpose flour.
- Optional ingredinets
- Lemon- If you like a lemon pound cake with cream cheese, feel free to replace 2 tbsp of the buttermilk with lemon juice and 1 tsp of lemon zest.
Step-by-step: Cream cheese pound cake recipe
- Prep: Preheat oven to 325°F / 165°C/ Gas Mark 3. Butter and flour a 10-cup Bundt Pan or 9 x 5-inch loaf pan
- Dry ingredients: In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. And set aside.
- Wet ingredients: In the bowl of a stand mixer, with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, cream cheese, and sugar until light and fluffy. Next, add the eggs, one at a time. Then, add the vanilla extract.
- Dry to wet: Then, in three batches, add the flour and buttermilk. Scrape the sides of the bowl to ensure a smooth batter. Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan. Spread it evenly with a spatula. Tap a few times to remove any air pockets.
- Bake for 40 to 45 mins until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then invert on a cooling rack and cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.
- Vanilla glaze (optional): Combine the powdered sugar with milk and other flavorings in a bowl. Stir until the mixture has a thick pouring consistency. Pour the glaze over the cooled cake (the warm cake will melt the glaze).
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Frequently asked questions
Often, people think a pound cake can be kept for longer. True, it does have a longer shelf life than most other cakes. And yet, even a pound cake will stay at room temperature for only 2 to 3 days. You can keep it longer if you wrap it well in plastic wrap and keep it in the refrigerator. This cake can also be kept in the freezer for up to a month. I like to wrap it in aluminum foil to prevent freezer burns.
A pound cake can be eaten on its own, especially when it’s fresh. It tastes absolutely delicious, warm and fresh out of the oven. But there is so much more you can serve it with. Try whipped cream and fresh berries – an absolute classic is strawberries and cream. In addition, you can try fruit coulis or fruit fillings. My favorites are blueberry and cherry fillings. Also, if you love curds, try lemon curd or orange curd.
This vanilla pound cake is so versatile and perfect with almost anything.
Try whipped cream on its own, or layer the whipped cream with fresh berries, or fruit fillings like Strawberry, raspberry, blueberry, blackberry, or Cherry.
Curds – Lemon Curd, Orange Curd.
Sauces – Caramel Sauce, Butterscotch Sauce.
This vanilla pound cake is so versatile and perfect with almost anything. Try – Whipped cream on its own, or layer the heavy cream with fresh berries. Fruit fillings are great options too – Strawberry, raspberry, blueberry, blackberry, Cherry Curds – Lemon Curd, Orange Curd
Sauces – Caramel Sauce, Butterscotch Sauce
Cream Cheese Pound Cake
This cream cheese vanilla pound cake will have you falling in love with pound cake all over again. The addition of cream cheese makes this cake rich while keeping it moist with a tender crumb. A surprisingly simple and easy recipe that takes just 10 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to bake.
Video
Ingredients
- 6 oz (170 g) Cream cheese
- ¾ cup (170 g) Unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 cup (400 g) White sugar
- 4 large Eggs
- 2½ cups (310 g) All-purpose flour
- 1 tsp Baking powder
- ½ tsp Salt
- ½ cup (120 ml) Buttermilk
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 8 oz (225 g) Powdered sugar
- 3 tbsp Milk or buttermilk (up to 5 tbsp)
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- ½ tsp Lemon zest (optional)
- ½ tsp Orange zest (optional)
Method
- Prep: Preheat oven to 325°F / 165°C/ Gas Mark 3. Butter and flour a 10-cup Bundt Pan or 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.
- Dry ingredients: In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. And set aside.2½ cups All-purpose flour, 1 tsp Baking powder, ½ tsp Salt
- Wet ingredients: In the bowl of a stand mixer, with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, cream cheese, and sugar until light and fluffy. Next, add the eggs, one at a time. Then, add the vanilla extract.6 oz Cream cheese, ¾ cup Unsalted butter, 2 cup White sugar, 4 large Eggs, 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- Dry to wet: Followed by the flour and buttermilk in three batches. Scrape the sides of the bowl to ensure a smooth batter. Pour into the prepared bundt pan. Spread evenly with a spatula. Tap a few times to remove any air pockets.½ cup Buttermilk
- Bake for 40 to 45 mins until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool in the pan for 10 minutes then invert on a cooling rack and cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.
- Vanilla glaze (optional): In a bowl, combine the powdered sugar with milk and other flavorings. Stir until you have a thick pouring consistency. Pour over cooled cake (warm cake will melt the glaze).8 oz Powdered sugar, 3 tbsp Milk , 1 tsp Vanilla extract, ½ tsp Lemon zest, ½ tsp Orange zest
Notes
- Make sure all the ingredients are at room temperature.
- Use fine-grain sugars when preparing cake batters so it dissolves easily.
- Grease and flour bundt pan well. Nothing is worst than to have a delicious cake stuck in the bundt
- Cool the cakes for a few hours before glazing. Otherwise, the glaze will melt off the cake and you won’t have a pretty thick coverage.
- Serve any leftover glaze alongside the cake. People do love extra glaze.
- Overbaking – Over-baking a cake can make it dry. You must test the cake a few minutes before the cooking time guide because all ovens work differently.
- Dense cake – Often this could be the reason for overmixing the cake. When you activate too much gluten in the cake, the cake rises when baking but sinks as soon as it comes out of the oven. The resulting sink causes the cake to be dense.
- Undercooked pound cake -Cakes bake from outside in so often the cake may appear cooked while still not finished cooking on the inside. That is why we need to test for doneness by inserting a skewer in the center of the cake. If the skewer inserted in the center comes out clean without any batter it means the cake is done.
- Pound cake sunk after baking – Usually, too much leavening agent such a baking powder or baking soda.
Other pans suggestions
If you don’t want to make a layer cake like this. you can- You can also bake this in a 7 x 7-inch square cake pan
- Double this recipe to make a 9 x 13 sheet pan – sheet Cake.
- This cake will make a 2 x 6-inch layer cake
- And these can also be baked into 15 1o 18 beautiful cupcakes
- This cake will stay at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- Wrap well and keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Can be frozen well wrapped for up to a month.
Equipment you will need
Nutrition
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Hi, I’m Veena
I’m the recipe developer, baker, and food photographer behind Veena Azmanov Kitchen.
I’ve spent years developing and testing recipes, from everyday meals and homemade breads to cakes and desserts.
I share the practical tips and little details I’ve learned along the way so you can get great results in your own kitchen.
Lovely texture and flavor. A very pretty cake, too
Thank you Coleen.
Hi Veena,
I love your recipes!! Still making your bakery style vanilla buttercream, best recipe on Pinterest!! I have two questions on this one before I try it. Is 3/4 cup of sugar correct? I was wondering if it should be 1-3/4 cups instead. Can you tell I love sugar?? Lol. Also, the recipe calls for three eggs but the video shows four eggs so I wanted to be sure about which one is correct. Can’t wait to try it!!
Hey Cindy, Happy you are enjoying my recipes. Yes, the sugar is correct 150 grams / 3/4 cup. The eggs I had were very very small so I had to use 4 eggs. But 3 large eggs should be correct.
Thanks so much Veena, going to try this soon! Your bakery style vanilla buttercream has been a HUGE hit with my family and friends! Love love love it!!