Pound cake is a top tier dessert as far as I’m concerned. It’s a simple base that can be topped with anything from a powdered sugar dusting to a pile of fresh fruit and whipped cream, or you can cut it up and make a trifle or a layered cake. I love the soft, fine texture and the density and the sugary crust on top.

This is a cream cheese version, which brings a boost of fat that gives the cake a lovely luscious texture and the perfect flavor. It won’t taste too much like cream cheese, but it has the perfect balance. Let me show you how to make it!

How to Make Cream Cheese Pound Cake

This recipe was developed and tested in my home kitchen at 5,400 feet above sea level. This is a really simple recipe with a short ingredient list and it comes together easily.

Cream Cheese Pound Cake with a slice taken out showing the inside of the cake

To start, beat together softened butter, softened cream cheese, a little bit of vegetable oil, and sugar until very well combined and smooth. I like the addition of oil in this cake because it helps create a more moist finished cake that has a really lovely texture.

Butter, sugar, and oil in a bowl for Cream Cheese Pound Cake

After adding in the eggs to the batter for Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Add in your eggs one at a time, mixing well between each addition, until you have a smooth mixture. Then add in the vanilla extract. This is a simple cake, so it’s a great time to use some nice vanilla extract or paste.

Then it’s time to add in the dry ingredients and mix until you have a thick, smooth batter. We’re using all purpose flour, salt, and some cornstarch here. The cornstarch helps create a soft, silky texture in the cake without fully swapping to cake flour.

Adding in the dry ingredients for the batter for Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Fully mixed cake batter in a bowl for Cream Cheese Pound Cake

I like to wait to grease my bundt pan until right before I’m about to pour the batter in, and I prefer using a baking spray with flour in it which helps avoid sticking of course, but it’s also just much easier to apply to the pan than a butter/flour dusting. Once your pan is prepared, spread your cake batter evenly into the pan.

Then it’s off to the oven to bake until the top is puffed and deeply golden brown, and a cake tester comes out with just a few crumbs clinging to it. Cool the cake for 15 minutes in the pan, and then carefully turn it out onto a cooling rack or cake plate to cool completely before serving. Enjoy!

Tips & Tricks for the Perfect Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Here are my tips to help along the way:

Use room temperature ingredients to ensure that everything mixes together well. This is particularly important for the cream cheese, which can clump up and will not incorporate if it’s not at room temp.
Do I have to use the oil? The oil contributes to the overall texture so I do not recommend skipping it in this recipe.
Can I flavor the cake with anything else? Yes, you can swap in any extract that you prefer here, or you can also use citrus zest to make the cake a bit brighter in flavor. Optionally, you can also toss some berries or chocolate chips with 1 tbs. of the flour mixture and fold them in at the end.
How do I know when the cake is finished baking? The cake will have puffed up and become golden brown all over the top and a cake tester inserted into the cake should come out with just a few mostly dry crumbs sticking to it.
What can I serve this cake with? It’s lovely plain with coffee or tea, or you can dust the top with powdered sugar, a simple icing, or fresh fruit with whipped cream. You can also frost the cake if you prefer- whatever sounds good to you!
I’m at about 5,000 ft. above sea level and I find that most people who live between about 3,000-7,000 ft. above sea level do not need to make any adjustments to my recipes.

Enjoy!