If you are looking for the reliable cream cheese pound cake recipe that turns out buttery, plush, and dense each and every time, add this year-round crowd-pleaser to your list! Using only 7 simple ingredients, this straightforward cream cheese pound cake will quickly become your favorite; serve plain with a sprinkle of powdered sugar or offer up from-scratch whipped cream and berries, or a drizzle of salted caramel or fudge sauce.

We consider a good pound cake to be an essential for everyone’s recipe box or binder; if flavored the right way, it can stand on its own, but can also be dressed up with toppings or cut up to layer in a trifle. Whether you’re looking for a weeknight dessert or something everyone will love for a holiday or birthday party, this cream cheese pound cake will never let you down!

It’s incredibly simple to make and while a standard pound cake does not contain cream cheese, it adds such a tremendous amount of moisture, tenderness, and flavor, making it, in our opinion, a standby ever. This is by far our absolute favorite pound cake recipe!

What exactly is a pound cake?

The first traces of pound cake recipes are in northern Europe in the 1700s and it has grown across the globe since. A cake that required equal parts of flour, butter, sugar, and eggs was straightforward to remember in a time where many could not read a traditional cookbook. It required nothing more than a spoon and some elbow grease in the kitchen. Hundreds of years later, nearly every region is making its own version of this plush, dense cake.

In some French-speaking countries, rum is added as a Christmas Eve tradition. In both Mexico and Germany, dried fruit and liquor are added. We have some other variation ideas below, and they’re all phenomenal! Cream cheese pound cake is an American twist on the classic, and it is downright rich.

Many modern recipes, including this one, adjust the original one pound-only proportions to accommodate some other ingredients (like cream cheese!).

How to make cream cheese pound cake

Generously grease (we think shortening works best!) and flour a standard 12-cup Bundt pan. Be sure that the pan holds 10 to 12 cups of batter; we've linked to our favorite classic pan, but we also love this swirl one, too!
Beat the butter and cream cheese together until they are completely combined and totally smooth. This will take a couple of minutes, just be sure the mixture is smooth before proceeding.
Beat in the sugar until the entire mixture is light and fluffy. You want to aerate the mixture and ensure it’s light as a cloud before adding the eggs; this can take about 5 minutes or so.
Add eggs one at a time, scraping the sides between each egg. Since they are room temperature, they should incorporate quickly, which helps us not to overmix the batter!
Gradually add the cake flour on low speed until almost completely incorporated, then add the vanilla and salt. We mix only until everything has combined, no longer.
Spoon into the prepared pan and gently spread into an even layer.
Bake for 75 to 90 minutes at 325 degrees, or until a knife or toothpick comes out clean.
Cool, then turn out. Let the cake cool in the pan for about 15 minutes, and turn it out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

Ways to change it

While this cream cheese pound cake absolutely stands on its own (and we LOVE it that way!), there are many ways you can change up the flavors and dress it up for serving to suit your tastes:

Many traditions add rum to the batter – especially around Christmas!
Bakers in Germany often add dried fruit and crushed walnuts to their more traditional pound cake.
The Venezuelan ponqué is soaked in wine and topped with sweet icing.
A simple glaze or royal icing goes beautifully on this pound cake and adding a lemon or orange extract to that will give it a completely different flavor! The icing from our Cranberry Pound Cake with Orange Glaze is awesome on this as well!
Fresh or frozen berries can be added to the batter, and the whole thing is memorable topped with some from-scratch whipped cream.
Dust the top with powdered sugar or drizzle with salted caramel sauce or hot fudge sauce.

Storing and freezing instructions

Storage: The cake can be kept, wrapped tightly with plastic wrap or in an airtight container, at room temperature for up to 4 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Freezing Instructions: Wrap the cake tightly in two layers of plastic wrap, then a layer of aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then bring to room temperature before slicing and serving.

Reliable Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Yield: 12 servings
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 1 hour 15 minutes
Total: 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients

1½ cups ( 340.5 g ) unsalted butter, at room temperature
8 ounces ( 226.8 g ) cream cheese, at room temperature
3 cups ( 600 g ) granulated sugar
6 eggs, at room temperature
3 cups ( 375 g ) cake flour, sifted
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon ( 0.25 teaspoon ) salt

Method

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour a standard-size 12-cup Bundt pan.
Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter on medium speed until combined and soft, about 2 minutes. Add the sugar continue to beat on medium speed, scraping the bowl once or twice, until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until each one is completely incorporated before adding the next. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, reduce the speed to low, and gradually add the flour until it has all been combined. Add the vanilla extract and salt and mix on low speed until incorporated, about 1 minute.
Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and gently spread to the edges of the pan in an even layer.
Bake for 1¼ to 1½ hours, or until a thin knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire cooling rack and allow to cool completely before serving. Leftovers can be wrapped in plastic wrap or placed in an airtight container and stored at room temperature for up to 4 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Notes

Equipment: 10 to 12 cup Bundt pan

Cream Cheese: Use full-fat cream cheese for the richest, moistest pound cake.

Cake Flour: Do not substitute all-purpose flour here. Cake flour is readily available in all supermarkets, but if you need to substitute, see how to do so here.

Loaf Pan Option: To bake in a loaf pan, grease two 9x5-inch loaf pans, divide the batter between them, and bake at 325 degrees for about 60 minutes.

Serving Suggestions: Plain / Sprinkled with powdered sugar / whipped cream and berries / salted caramel sauce / hot fudge sauce

Storage: The cake can be kept, wrapped tightly with plastic wrap or in an airtight container, at room temperature for up to 4 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Freezing Instructions: Wrap the cake tightly in two layers of plastic wrap, then a layer of aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then bring to room temperature before slicing and serving.