Cream Cheese Pound Cake Recipe

This cream cheese pound cake is just as great for dessert with whipped cream and fresh berries as it is for breakfast with jam and coffee. Plus, it’s absurdly simple to make, requires only a handful of pantry and fridge staples, and yet it’s impressive enough to dress up for any dinner party.

To make it, this version replaces half the butter used in a typical pound cake recipe with (what else?) cream cheese. The tangy dairy renders the crumb supremely supple and, dare we say it, moist. A word of caution: You must use full-fat cream cheese. Lower-fat substitutes are often rife with fillers that can make the cake bitter or negatively impact its texture. You’ll also notice there’s no baking powder or baking soda in this recipe—neither leavener is traditional in pound cake. Instead, a high ratio of eggs and whipping the butter, cream cheese, and sugar until fluffy give it lift. For a quick finish, drizzle on a powdered sugar icing once it cools or paint it with a rich cream cheese frosting while still warm and watch it melt into a glossy shellac.

Note: No Bundt pan? Split the cake batter between two 9×5” loaf pans or halve the recipe to make a single loaf; oven temperature and baking time remain the same. Load a slice with ice cream and sorbet for sundaes, or add on meringue for baked Alaska.