Name: Cream Cheese Pound Cake
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 90 min
Total time: 110 min
Ingredients: 1 ½ cups unsalted butter (room temperature); 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil; 8 ounces cream cheese (room temperature); 2 ¾ cups granulated sugar; 6 large eggs (room temperature); 3 cups cake flour (sifted); 1 teaspoon kosher salt; 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract; Powdered sugar ( for garnish)

By: Jill Mills Updated: Jan 11, 2026

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Ultra moist and dense with a tender crumb, this Cream Cheese Pound Cake offers a rich buttery vanilla flavor. The perfect cake to accompany coffee or tea any time of the day.

a slice of cream cheese pound cake on a spatula

Cream cheese pound cake is typically considered to be “plain” pound cake, but this recipe is anything but plain! It’s made in a bundt pan, like my chocolate bundt cake, instead of a loaf pan, but the texture is definitely that of a pound cake. (I also included notes below on how to bake it in a loaf pan if you prefer.) It’s moist and dense yet tender, and the flavor is incredibly buttery. The leftovers stay moist for days too!

Why I Love This Cream Cheese Pound Cake Recipe

There’s so much to love about this recipe, but here are a few of my favorite things.

Ulta moist and dense. One of the hardest things about making pound cake, in my opinion, is making sure it’s moist and dense, not dry and dense. The cream cheese, oil, and butter in this recipe ensure that the final cake is super moist with a dense but tender crumb.
Buttery flavor. Another issue with many plain pound cakes is the flavor. They can very easily be bland and boring. This cream cheese pound cake, with its rich buttery vanilla flavor, is far from that.
Easy to make. Finally, this recipe is incredibly easy to make. All you need is a couple of bowls and a hand mixer. It takes about 20 minutes to prep the batter then it’s just a matter of (not so) patiently waiting for it to bake and cool.

Ingredients needed to make cream cheese pound cake

Recipe Ingredients

The ingredients in this recipe are primarily pantry staples, plus the cream cheese. Scroll down to the recipe card below for the exact measurements.

Butter – I recommend unsalted butter, especially since this recipe uses a cup and a half of butter. Salted butter may add too much salt to the cake, depending on the brand of butter.
Vegetable oil – Adds moisture to the cake.
Cream cheese – Make sure it’s full-fat cream cheese and at room temperature ahead of time.
Granulated sugar
Large eggs
Cake flour – No cake flour? No worries! It’s easy to DIY. For every cup of cake flour, measure one cup of all-purpose flour, remove two tablespoons, and replace them with two tablespoons of cornstarch. Sift together three times for the best results.
Salt
Vanilla extract
Powdered sugar – To dust the top of the pound cake before serving.

How To Make Cream Cheese Pound Cake

One of the things I love about this recipe is that the hands-on time is just 15 to 20 minutes. The printable version of the instructions can be found in the recipe card below.

Prep. Preheat the oven to 325F. Grease and lightly flour the pan.
Cream the wet ingredients. With a mixer, cream the butter, oil, and cream cheese for 3-5 minutes until smooth and fluffy. Add the sugar a half a cup at a time, making sure to beat well after each addition until the sugar dissolves into the mixture and turns creamy and light. Mix in the eggs in one at a time.
Add the dry ingredients. Gradually add the sifted cake flour and salt, alternating with the vanilla. Mix until just combined.

Pound cake batter smoothed out in a bundt pan

Bake. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, tapping lightly on the counter to release bubbles. Bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the thickest part comes out clean.
Cool. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 15-20 minutes, then invert it onto a wire rack to cool completely. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving. Enjoy!

a slice of cream cheese pound cake on a plate

Tips & Variations

Below are a few key tips to making the best cream cheese pound cake, as well as some ideas for customizing this recipe.

Room temperature ingredients. Using butter, cream cheese, and eggs at room temperature helps create a smoother batter and better texture in the baked cake.
Avoid overmixing. Mix the batter gently and only until the ingredients are just combined. Overmixing can lead to a dense cake.
Add a mix-in. Fold in mix-ins like chocolate chips, fresh berries, or chopped nuts at the end of mixing. Keep in mind that wet add-ins like berries may slightly alter the baking time.
Adjust the flavor. Swap out the vanilla extract for almond extract, lemon extract, or rum extract for a twist on flavor
Use loaf pans. If you don’t have a Bundt pan, divide the batter between two 9×5-inch loaf pans for about 45-55 minutes.
Another topping option. Besides powdered sugar, try icing your cake with a glaze made from powdered sugar, milk, and a splash of vanilla. Topping with cream cheese frosting is also another great option.

A cream cheese pound cake on a wooden board

Proper Storage

Counter. Store the cream cheese pound cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Fridge. It can also be stored in the fridge for up to a week, also in an airtight container.

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