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Easy Cream Cheese Pound Cake Recipe (One Loaf Pan)
This cream cheese pound cake is baked in a single loaf pan, so it’s the perfect size for a family dessert or a weekend treat. Cream cheese is beaten into the butter and sugar, which makes the crumb extra tender and velvety, with a gentle tang and a golden, slightly crisp crust. It needs just eight everyday ingredients and keeps beautifully for days.
Below you’ll find the ingredients with weights, step-by-step instructions, how to tell when it’s done, my tips for a tall, even loaf, and variations. The printable recipe card is at the bottom.
Ingredients for Cream Cheese Pound Cake
- Unsalted butter, ½ cup (1 stick / 113 g), softened to cool room temperature.
- Full-fat block cream cheese, 4 oz (113 g), softened. Don’t use the spreadable tub kind; it’s too soft and wet.
- Granulated sugar, 1¼ cups (250 g).
- Large eggs, 3, at room temperature.
- Vanilla extract, 1½ teaspoons.
- All-purpose flour, 1½ cups (188 g), spooned and leveled.
- Baking powder, ¼ teaspoon, for a little extra lift in the loaf pan.
- Fine salt, ½ teaspoon.
Equipment
- A 9×5-inch (23×13 cm) metal loaf pan
- Parchment paper, a stand or hand mixer, and a long skewer
How to Make Cream Cheese Pound Cake (Step by Step)
1. Prepare
Heat the oven to 325°F (165°C) with a rack in the center. Grease the loaf pan and line it with a strip of parchment that hangs over the long sides, so you can lift the cake out later. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl.
2. Cream the butter, cream cheese and sugar
Beat the butter and cream cheese on medium speed for about 1 minute, until smooth and lump-free. Add the sugar and beat on medium-high for 4 to 5 minutes, until very pale and fluffy. Scrape the bowl twice.
3. Add the eggs
Add the eggs one at a time, beating for about 30 seconds after each, then beat in the vanilla.
4. Add the flour
With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture in two parts and mix just until no dry streaks remain. Finish by folding with a spatula, scraping the bottom of the bowl. The batter will be thick.
5. Bake
Spread the batter in the pan and smooth the top. Bake for 60 to 75 minutes, until golden and a skewer in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. The center should read about 200 to 210°F (93 to 99°C). If the top is browning too fast, lay a piece of foil loosely over it after 45 minutes. A crack down the middle is normal and a sign of a good rise.
6. Cool
Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then lift the cake out with the parchment and cool completely on a rack before slicing, about 1½ hours.
Chef Emma’s Tips
- Soften the cream cheese properly. Cold cream cheese leaves little lumps in the batter. Leave it on the counter for about an hour, or unwrap it and microwave it for 10 seconds.
- Room-temperature eggs matter. Cold eggs can make the batter look curdled and the cake dense. Warm them in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes.
- Don’t rush the creaming. The 4 to 5 minutes of beating is what gives the loaf its rise.
- Use a metal pan. Glass pans bake slower around the edges and can leave a gummy center.
- Trust the skewer, not the clock. Loaf pans vary a lot; start checking at 55 minutes.
- Don’t taste the raw batter. Raw flour and eggs can carry harmful bacteria; see the FDA’s advice on handling flour safely.
Why Cream Cheese Makes a Better Pound Cake
A traditional pound cake is made with roughly equal weights of butter, sugar, eggs and flour. Replacing part of the butter with cream cheese adds moisture and a little acidity, which keeps the crumb tender and fine and gives a subtle tang that balances the sugar. It also helps the cake stay soft for several days, so it’s ideal for baking ahead.
Pound Cake Troubleshooting
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix next time |
|---|---|---|
| Gummy streak near the bottom | Underbaked, or cold ingredients made the batter separate | Bake until 200°F inside; use room-temperature eggs and cream cheese |
| Dry, crumbly slices | Too much flour or overbaked | Weigh the flour (188 g); start checking at 55 minutes |
| Dark, thick crust | Dark pan or oven running hot | Use a light metal pan, check your oven temperature, tent with foil |
| Flat, heavy loaf | Butter too warm, or creaming too short | Butter should be cool and hold a fingerprint; beat 4 to 5 minutes |
| Small lumps of cream cheese | Cream cheese was cold | Soften it fully and beat it with the butter before adding sugar |
Variations
- Lemon: add the finely grated zest of 1 lemon with the sugar. Glaze the cooled loaf with ½ cup (60 g) powdered sugar whisked with 1 tablespoon lemon juice.
- Almond: replace ½ teaspoon of the vanilla with almond extract and sprinkle sliced almonds on top before baking.
- Berry: toss ¾ cup fresh blueberries with 1 tablespoon of flour and fold them in at the end. Add 5 to 10 minutes to the bake.
- Big Bundt version: triple the recipe and bake in a well-greased 12-cup Bundt pan at 325°F for about 75 to 90 minutes.
How to Serve and Store
- Serve slices plain, with fresh strawberries and whipped cream, or toasted in a skillet with a little butter.
- Room temperature: wrap the cooled loaf tightly in plastic wrap and keep it for up to 3 days.
- Refrigerator: keep it wrapped for up to 1 week; let slices come to room temperature before serving.
- Freezer: wrap the whole loaf or slices in plastic wrap and foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the wrapping at room temperature.
Love simple bakes? For a no-mixer fall dessert, try our apple dump cake. Or try our one-bowl chocolate cake, a from-scratch pineapple upside-down cake, or browse all our cake recipes.
Cream Cheese Pound Cake FAQs
Why did my pound cake sink in the middle?
It was probably underbaked or the oven door was opened too early. Bake until a skewer comes out clean and the center reaches about 200°F (93°C).
Why is my pound cake dense?
The butter and cream cheese weren’t creamed long enough, the ingredients were cold, or the batter was overmixed after the flour went in.
Can I use cake flour?
Yes. Use the same weight, 188 g (about 1¾ cups), for an even finer, softer crumb.
Can I double the recipe?
Yes. Make two loaves in two pans rather than one bigger loaf, and bake them on the same rack with space between them. The baking time stays about the same.
Can I use low-fat cream cheese?
Full-fat block cream cheese gives the best texture. Reduced-fat (Neufchâtel) works but makes a slightly drier cake; avoid fat-free.
Cream Cheese Pound Cake Recipe Card
Calories are an estimate per slice (1/10 of the loaf) based on USDA FoodData Central values for the ingredients.
Cream Cheese Pound Cake (Loaf)
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Heat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan and line it with a parchment sling. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt.
- Beat the butter and cream cheese until smooth, add the sugar, and beat 4 to 5 minutes until pale and fluffy.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla.
- On low speed, add the flour mixture in two parts, just until combined.
- Bake 60 to 75 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean and the center is about 200 to 210°F (93 to 99°C); tent with foil after 45 minutes if needed.
- Cool 15 minutes in the pan, lift out and cool completely before slicing.
