This is, without a doubt, the best sour cream pound cake I’ve ever tried. It’s soft, moist, and buttery with a delicious vanilla and sour cream flavor. I love it simply dusted with powdered sugar, but it’s equally as delicious topped with a yummy glaze.
So why add sour cream to a cake batter anyway? Sour cream not only adds a delicious tangy flavor, but the added moisture, fat, and acidity give you an incredibly moist, rich, and tender cake that’s just irresistible. See my step-by-step recipe tutorial below with all the tips you need to make it perfectly. It’s so easy you’ll want to make it again and again!
A reader, Coleda, says: “I baked this excellent sour cream pound cake. It was a big hit. The cake was easy to make and looked beautiful like the picture. I paired it with sliced strawberries and whipped cream. Definitely a keeper!” ★★★★★
Key Ingredients & Substitutions
These are the main ingredients you need to make sour cream pound cake. You can find the full list of ingredients and measurements in the recipe card below.
Butter – I use unsalted butter so if you use salted make sure to reduce the amount of added salt to ¼ teaspoon. Also, make sure your butter is at room temperature to avoid any lumps in the batter.
Sour cream – the sour cream gives the cake a very tender and moist crumb, plus a delicious tangy flavor. Don’t have sour cream? You can make your own by following my homemade sour cream recipe, or you can swap it for creme fraiche or plain Greek yogurt (2% to 5% is ideal).
Eggs – large eggs are a key component of a properly textured pound cake. The proteins in the eggs give the batter structure and lift, so the cake has the right density. Without them, the cake would turn out incredibly dense and gummy.
Vanilla extract – make sure to use vanilla extract and not essence, which is synthetic. You can also add in different flavored extracts to taste. I often like to add ¼ to ½ teaspoon of almond extract to pound cakes for a nutty flavor. A citrusy kick, like lemon or orange, would also be delicious!
Baking soda – not all pound cakes use an added leavener. When developing this recipe, I chose to add a little bit of baking soda for two reasons: it kept the pound cake from being too dense, and it helps form a nice crust. Baking soda aids in browning so the cake develops a delicious, crisp, sugary crust.
Using Other Pan Sizes
If you don’t have a Bundt pan, you can bake this recipe in loaf pans, a tube pan, or muffin pans! Here’s how:
- 10-inch tube pan: Bake as directed in the recipe. When removing the cake, flip it out of the pan and turn it top-side up again, rather than inverting it.
- 8½x4½-inch loaf pans: Divide the batter among two loaf pans. These will bake for roughly the same amount of time as the Bundt pan, 1 hour and 15 minutes.
- 9×5-inch loaf pans: Divide the batter among two loaf pans. These will be wider and shorter than the smaller loaf pans, so they will bake a bit faster, about 1 hour. (This version will turn out similarly to my classic pound cake!)
- Muffin pans: You can divide the cake batter into muffins if you prefer; they’re great for breakfast on the go. Use ¼ cup of batter per muffin cup and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.
Do I have to use a metal pan?
For the best pound cakes, you should use a metal pan. Metal conducts heat well for even browning and rising. A reader commented on this post and asked me this question: “I used a silicon bundt mold, and the bottom is not flush like yours. Did I mess something up? Tasted great, but didn’t have that professional look on the bottom.”
There are all kinds of silicone pans on the market now, but silicone won’t bake up the same way as metal because it doesn’t conduct heat well. Instead, it insulates the cake from the heat, so the batter can rise irregularly and doesn’t allow the crust to get as caramelized.
How do I get the cake to release cleanly from a Bundt pan?
Make sure to grease your pan with baking spray or coat it with butter and flour so the cake is easy to remove once baked. The key component here is the inclusion of flour. This light dusting of flour ensures the pound cake releases cleanly from the pan. Baking spray is a nonstick spray with flour already mixed into it.
Also, check the pan for any sticky spots before you start. Bundt pans can be a bit tricky to clean, and if any part is sticky, it may cause the crust to stick when the cake is released.
Pro Tips For The Best Sour Cream Pound Cake
Make sure your ingredients (especially the butter) are at room temperature before starting. The butter needs to be softened so that it can be beaten with the sugar until light and fluffy. Check out my tips for softening butter quickly if you don’t have time to leave it on your counter. When you add the eggs, you don’t want them to be cold either, or it can cause the butter to clump up.
Make sure to scrape down the bowl after each stage of mixing. This ensures everything is incorporated properly and you don’t end up with chunks of butter or flour in the batter. They can bake holes or gummy spots in the cake.
Don’t overmix the batter once the flour is added, or it’ll be dry and tough. Just mix it enough until the dry streaks are gone and everything is just combined.
If you want to glaze this cake with icing, you can mix powdered sugar with water or citrus juice like lemon or orange until you achieve the desired consistency, then pour it over the cooled cake.
How To Make A Sour Cream Pound Cake
Below, I’ve highlighted portions of the recipe in step-by-step process images along with instructions for making homemade sour cream pound cake. You can find the full set of instructions in the recipe card below.
1. Start by mixing your dry ingredients together. Combine the flour, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl, and set aside.
2. Next, add the sugar and butter to a mixer and cream together on medium speed until very light and fluffy. The butter should turn pale yellow and feel airy. Stop to scrape down the bowl as needed to ensure the sugar is well incorporated.
3. Then, beat in the eggs, one at a time. Make sure each one is well incorporated before you add the next, so stop and scrape down the bowl whenever needed. Beat in the vanilla.
4. To mix the final batter, start by adding a third of the flour mixture and follow it with half of the sour cream.
5. Repeat with another third of the flour, the rest of the sour cream, and then the rest of the flour. (By alternating between them, you add the flour in three additions and the sour cream in two additions. This helps prevent overmixing the batter.) Give the batter bowl a final scrape to make sure everything is fully mixed.
6. Spoon the batter into the greased Bundt pan and tap it a few times to settle the batter into the pan in an even layer. This will also remove large gaps or air bubbles trapped in the batter. Bake at 325ºF for 1 hour and 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center of the cake. Cool for a few minutes in the pan, then invert it onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Sour Cream Pound Cake Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (360g)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt or ½ tsp fine salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature (226g)
- 3 cups granulated sugar (600g)
- 6 large eggs room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup sour cream room temperature (240g)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Butter and flour a large Bundt pan (12- to 16-cup). If you want to use baking spray or nonstick spray instead, coat it right before you add the cake batter.
- In a medium bowl combine the flour, salt and baking soda and whisk to combine.
- In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Continue beating on medium speed while adding the eggs in, one at a time, waiting until fully incorporated before adding the next. Stop occasionally and scrape down the bowl as you incorporate the eggs. Once fully combined, add in the vanilla.
- With the mixer on low, add one third of the flour mixture alternating with half of the sour cream. Repeat with another third of the flour, the rest of the sour cream, and the final bit of flour. Mix just until combined, stop to scrape down the bowl and mix once more if needed. (Coat your pan with baking spray now, if needed.)
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and gently tap it on a towel-lined counter or a cutting board to settle the batter and knock out any large air bubbles. Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely. The cake will last for 3 days in an airtight container.
Notes
- If you use baking spray to grease the pan, spray the pan right before you add the batter to it. If done at the start of the recipes, the spray can slowly drip down the tall sides of the pan and collect in the bottom. This can cause the sides of the cake to stick or the spray to leave a mark on the top of the cake’s crust.
- Partially cool the cake in the pan before removing it. You only need 10-15 minutes, but this gives time for the outer crust to cool just enough to contract and firm up a bit. If you remove it right away, the crust can stick, or the cake can break. Alternatively, don’t let the cake cool completely in the pan, or it can steam and stick to the pan, and it won’t release cleanly.
- Make sure to let it cool completely on a wire rack before slicing. Cutting a hot pound cake can actually dry it out. Steam will release from the cut sides as it cools off, causing the cake to lose moisture.
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions
This cake is delicious served for breakfast with a cup of tea or coffee (you can also make it into muffins) or as a dessert with a dollop of whipped cream and fresh fruit like berries or peaches in the summer.
You can also glaze the cake by mixing powdered sugar with water or citrus juice (lemon, orange, lime, grapefruit etc) until it’s slightly thick but pourable. Check out my Orange Pound Cake and Lemon Poppy Seed Pound Cake for glaze ideas.
And simply dusted in powdered sugar is sometimes all you need!
This cake will keep well covered at room temperature for around 3 days or will keep for a few days longer in the fridge. Make sure to bring it to room temperature before serving (it tastes much better).
Yes, this is a great cake for freezing just make sure to wrap it in plastic wrap and foil tightly then thaw it completely before serving.
More Cake Recipes To Try
A Southern Sock it To Me Cake is made of a tender butter cake with a ribbon of pecans and brown sugar-cinnamon streusel running through the middle. This Bundt cake is so delicious!
My rum cake is baked in a Bundt pan using cake flour, so it turns out with an incredibly tender texture and a caramelized crust. It’s soaked in a rum syrup for flavor inside and out.
You can beat a slice of sour cream coffee cake with morning coffee! This recipe is a huge reader-favorite and often described as the best coffee cake—make and I know you will agree!
My classic Black Forest Cake is made with layers of rich chocolate cake, fluffy whipped cream frosting, and boozy cherries. Leave it simple or finish it with a ganache drip and chocolate shavings for a stunning cake.
A simple vanilla Bundt cake is the perfect cake to have one hand from a casual afternoon catch-up to a dinner party dessert. It’s a buttery cake coated with vanilla glaze that is simple to make but always impressive to serve!
If you’ve tried this Sour Cream Pound Cake recipe, then don’t forget to rate it and let me know how you got on in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
Maya says
Easy and delicious cake. Made this a few times, all family and friends enjoy it. Thank you for sharing the recipe John ❤️