If there’s one cake every Southern cook keeps in the back pocket, it’s a recipe for a cream cheese pound cake. Cream cheese sneaks extra moisture into the batter, cutting the sweetness just enough while gifting that famously tight, velvety crumb.

Recipe Snapshot

• Classic Southern-Style Dessert: This cream cheese pound cake bakes up rich, buttery, and dense with that old-fashioned bakery texture people love in a true homemade pound cake.
• Ultra Moist Texture: The cream cheese adds extra richness and moisture, helping the cake stay soft and tender for days without drying out.
• Simple Ingredients, Big Payoff: Using pantry staples and a straightforward mixing method, this recipe delivers a beautifully golden pound cake that works for holidays, gatherings, or everyday dessert cravings.
• Best For: Holiday dessert tables, Sunday dinners, brunch spreads, bake sales, family gatherings, strawberry shortcake bases, and coffee break treats.

David’s Tip: Make sure the butter, cream cheese, and eggs are fully room temperature before mixing. Cold ingredients don’t blend smoothly and can create a dense uneven texture instead of that velvety classic pound cake crumb.

I make it with Swan’s Down cake flour for a fine texture and a gentle rise. It is the cake I bake for holidays, potlucks, and “just because.” The outside bakes up with a golden, crackly crust you’ll fight over, and the inside stays tender for days—meaning you’ll nibble it at breakfast, dress it up with berries for dessert, and still find excuses for “one more sliver.”

Nothing reminds me of home back in Georgia than a homemade cream cheese pound cake. I remember my Aunt Stella making this for me all of the, as well as making them for friends and neighbors! I just could never remember the recipe. Well, lo and behold my good girlfriend Shelly has the recipe memorized, and man, am I forever grateful that she did!  

The Ingredient Breakdown

Step-by-Step for the Perfect Rise

1. The Room Temp Check: Your butter, eggs, and cream cheese must be soft to the touch. If they are cold, your batter won't aerate properly, and your cake will be flat and dense.
2. Creaming the Base: Beat the butter, cream cheese, and sugar until the mixture is pale and fluffy. This should take about 5 full minutes. We are literally beating air into the fat—that’s your “rising agent.”
3. The Flour/Egg Dance: Alternate adding your flour and eggs. Don't dump it all in at once! This gradual incorporation keeps the emulsion stable.
4. The Long Bake: This is a thick batter that needs a low and slow bake at 325°F. Chef's Note: Every oven is different, but expect this to take between 1 hour 15 minutes and 1 hour 45 minutes. Start checking at the 75-minute mark with a toothpick!

David's Pound Cake Tips

• Room temp matters: Butter, cream cheese, and eggs should be not shockingly cold and soft.
• Take your time creaming: Light, airy batter equals a fine crumb and a lovely lift.
• Scrape often: Hit the bottom and sides so everything blends evenly. You don't want dry flour pockets.
• Watch the bake: Pull when a tester has moist crumbs and the top springs back. You can use a toothpick to test.
• Clean slices: Use a serrated knife and wipe between cuts.

To be honest, this recipe took me two times to make. The first was a slight fail, but the second was a huge success!  Here's a great big hint before getting started with the recipe: the butter AND the cream cheese must both be at room temperature, or you will get these little chunks of yellowish hints that look “wet” but it's not…and the rest of your pound cake will be dry and over cooked.

Your toothpick or knife, when testing the cake of “done-ness” will always come out sticky. This is where I failed with my first attempt! They weren't completely room temperature, and I just went to town lol. I hope you enjoy!

Storage, Fridge, and Freezer Tips

• Room temp: Wrap tightly and keep up to 3 days. The flavor is even better on day two.
• Fridge: Up to 1 week, well wrapped. Bring to room temp before serving.
• Freeze: Slice, wrap individually, and freeze up to 2 months. Thaw at room temp.

More Delicious Recipes To Love

• Mini Lemon Bundt Cakes
• Lemon Ginger Bundt Cake
• Instant Pot Creme Brulee Cheesecake
• Butterfinger Lush
• Homemade Oatmeal Cream Pies
• White Chocolate Cranberry Macadamia Nut Cookies

David Murphy

Cream Cheese Pound Cake Recipe

5 from 2 votes

You'll love the dense delicious flavors in this Southern style cream cheese pound cake recipe made with Swan's Cake Flour.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 45 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs

Servings: 12

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x?

• 1 8 oz cream cheese
• 6 eggs
• 3 sticks of butter
• 3 cups of swans down cake flour
• 3 cups of sugar
• 1 tablespoon of vanilla or lemon flavoring

Instructions

 

1. Pre-heat oven to 325.
2. Cream sugar, cream cheese and butter add 1 cup of flour and two eggs cream together and keep adding eggs and flour until creamed together smoothly then last add flavoring and mix well. Your mixture will be super rich and thick. Don't worry! This is how it's supposed to look.
3. Poor mixture into your favorite bundt cake mold (be sure that it is buttered and lightly floured to make sure it won't stick to sides).
4. Bake for approximately 1 hour and 45 mins or until a fork or toothpick inserted comes out clean. (Different altitudes will have different cooking times).
5. Allow time to cool. Since this is very thick, it will need a lot of time to cool. Though, I do like cutting a slice when it's warm.

Tried this recipe?

Let us know how it was!

One slice is like I'm back home on my dirt roads and sitting on my family's porch swing out in the yard. I hope you enjoy this and my other recipes! Be sure to Pin this Pinterest for later!

FAQ: Solving Your Pound Cake Problems

Why is my pound cake dry?

Overbaking is the #1 culprit. Because this cake bakes for a long time, the window between “perfect” and “dry” can be small. Pull the cake as soon as a toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs—not completely dry.

Can I use All-Purpose flour instead?

You can, but the texture will be significantly different. All-purpose flour has more protein, which produces more gluten, resulting in a “tougher” bite. If you want that silky, bakery-style crumb, stick with Swan's Down or a similar cake flour.

My cake stuck to the pan—help!

Pound cakes are notorious for sticking due to the high sugar content. I recommend a “double-duty” prep: butter the pan generously, then dust with flour. For extra insurance, use a baking spray that contains flour (like Baker's Joy).

Why did my cake sink in the middle?

This usually happens if the oven door is opened too early or if the ingredients weren't at room temperature. The sudden temperature change can cause the delicate air bubbles we worked so hard to cream into the butter to collapse.