Made with pantry staples and prepped in just fifteen minutes, this classic sour cream pound cake is a simple and satisfying dessert option that’s equally at home on the breakfast table.
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What Is Sour Cream Pound Cake?
Sour cream pound cake is a moist, buttery baked dessert made with pantry staples like flour, sugar, vanilla extract, and, as the name suggests, sour cream. Sour cream is a fermented dairy product that is created when lactic acid bacteria is introduced to cream, denaturing the whey proteins in the cream and thickening the liquid. Sour cream makes a great addition to baked goods, thanks to its creamy mouthfeel and pleasant acidity. The addition of this tangy, high-fat ingredient results in a rich, ultra moist cake that can be served with a cup of coffee at breakfast or dressed up for a crowd-pleasing dessert.
4 Tips for Making Sour Cream Pound Cake
This simple, fuss-free cake is suited for bakers of all experience levels. Use these tips to create the best sour cream pound cake possible.
- 1. Use real vanilla extract. The simplicity of this cake allows each flavor to shine through. Use high quality pure vanilla extract over artificial flavoring to achieve the best vanilla flavor.
- 2. Experiment with ingredients. This simple cake can be customized with a wide variety of ingredients. Flavor the batter with different spices, like cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger; and extracts, like peppermint, orange, and almond extract. Or add lemon juice, lemon zest, or lemon extract for an easy lemon pound cake. Add chopped nuts, like walnuts, pecans, and almonds to the batter for some textural contrast.
- 3. Have fun with garnishes. Dust the top of your sour cream pound cake with powdered sugar, or top it with cream cheese frosting. For a classic presentation, serve slices of the cake with a dollop of whipped cream or scoop of vanilla ice cream, along with fresh berries or sliced stone fruit.
- 4. Make individual portions. To bake this recipe in single-serving portions, pour the batter into a muffin pan lined with cupcake liners and bake the sour cream cupcakes for 25–30 minutes.
Sour Cream Pound Cake Recipe
makes
1 cakeprep time
15 mintotal time
1 hr 30 mincook time
1 hr 15 minIngredients
- 1
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and grease a bundt pan or large cake pan with butter or cooking spray.
- 2
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda until combined.
- 3
In a large bowl, combine the sugar and butter. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until the mixture is fluffy and light yellow, about 5 minutes.
- 4
With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs one at a time to the batter, mixing until each egg is well combined and using a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- 5
Add the vanilla extract, sour cream, and half of the dry ingredients to the batter, and stir until combined. Add the other half of the flour mixture to the batter and stir until just combined.
- 6
Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan.
- 7
Transfer the pan to the oven, and bake until the cake is set and a toothpick inserted through the center comes out clean, about 75 minutes.
- 8
Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning the bundt cake over onto a metal rack to continue cooling. Serve warm or room temperature.
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