Southern Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Why you’ll love it

• Moist, velvety texture that stays fresh for days.
• Simple ingredients: butter, cream cheese, sugar, eggs, flour and vanilla, with no leavening needed.
• One big cake that feeds a crowd and freezes beautifully.

Quick facts

Ingredients

For the pan

• 1 tbsp softened butter and 2 tbsp all-purpose flour, for greasing and flouring

For the cake

• 1 1/2 cups (340 g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 8 oz (225 g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 3 cups (600 g) granulated sugar
• 6 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp almond extract (optional)
• 3 cups (345 g) cake flour, spooned and leveled
• 1/2 tsp fine salt

For the vanilla glaze (optional)

• 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar
• 2 tbsp milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Step-by-step method

1. Prepare the oven and pan. Heat the oven to 325°F (165°C) with a rack in the lower third. Generously grease a 10-inch (25 cm) tube pan (16-cup capacity) with the softened butter, getting into every corner, then dust it with the flour and tap out the excess.

2. Cream the butter and cream cheese. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, beat the butter and cream cheese on medium speed about 2 minutes, until completely smooth.

3. Add the sugar. With the mixer running, add the sugar gradually. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat 5–7 minutes, scraping the bowl once or twice, until the mixture is very pale and fluffy.

4. Add the eggs. Add the eggs one at a time, beating about 20 seconds after each just until blended. Scrape the bowl, then beat in the vanilla and almond extract.

5. Add the flour. Whisk the cake flour and salt in a separate bowl. With the mixer on low, add the flour in 3 additions, mixing just until it disappears. Finish folding by hand with a spatula to make sure there are no streaks at the bottom of the bowl.

6. Bake. Spread the batter evenly in the pan and tap it firmly on the counter twice to release air bubbles. Bake 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes, until the top is golden and a long skewer inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.

7. Cool and glaze. Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack 15 minutes, run a thin knife around the edges and the center tube, and turn it out onto the rack. Let it cool completely, about 2 hours. If you like, whisk the glaze ingredients until smooth and drizzle it over the cooled cake.

How to know it is done

The cake is done when the top is deep golden and springs back when lightly pressed, the edges begin to pull away from the pan, and a long wooden skewer inserted halfway between the side and the tube comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, never wet batter. An instant-read thermometer in the center should read 205–210°F (96–99°C). A crack on top is normal and part of its charm.

Tips for the best result

• Have the butter, cream cheese and eggs truly at room temperature; cold ingredients make the batter curdle and the cake heavy.
• Do not rush the creaming step: those 5–7 minutes trap the air that makes the cake rise without baking powder.
• Mix gently once the flour goes in; overmixing makes the cake tough and gummy.
• Use full-fat brick cream cheese, not whipped or tub-style.
• Check your oven with an oven thermometer; pound cake is sensitive to an oven that runs hot.

Variations and substitutions

• Lemon: add the zest of 2 lemons with the sugar and make the glaze with lemon juice instead of milk.
• Brown sugar and spice: replace 1 cup of the granulated sugar with packed light brown sugar and add 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 1/4 tsp nutmeg to the flour.
• All-purpose flour: use 2 3/4 cups (345 g) all-purpose flour instead of cake flour; the crumb will be slightly firmer.
• Two loaves: divide the batter between two greased and floured 9×5-inch (23×13 cm) loaf pans and bake 60–75 minutes.
• Bundt pan: use only a 15-cup Bundt pan; a 10- or 12-cup pan is too small and may overflow.

Make ahead

Pound cake is an ideal make-ahead dessert because its flavor and texture improve after a day. Bake it up to 2 days ahead, cool completely, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and keep it at room temperature, adding the glaze on the day you serve it. To freeze, wrap the unglazed cake in plastic wrap and foil for up to 3 months and thaw it, still wrapped, at room temperature for 4–5 hours.

Storage and reheating

Store the cake covered or tightly wrapped at room temperature up to 4 days, or in the refrigerator up to 1 week (bring slices to room temperature before serving). Individual slices freeze well for up to 3 months. For a special treat, toast a slice in a buttered skillet over medium heat 1–2 minutes per side, or warm it in the microwave 10–15 seconds.