Sour Cream Pound Cake

This Sour Cream Pound Cake is a timeless classic that’s rich, moist, and perfectly dense with a tender crumb. It’s easy to make, great for gatherings, and pairs beautifully with fresh fruit, whipped cream, or top it with a simple dusting of powdered sugar.

Ingredients to Make Sour Cream Pound Cake Recipe

Sour Cream Pound Cake has a dense but incredibly soft and rich butter interior while the outside is slightly crispy from caramelized sugar. This is a beautifully sweet cake with a slight tang by blending sour cream into the batter. Topped with a dusting of powdered sugar, this cake is perfect on it’s own or serve with whipped cream and fresh fruit. It’s a winner every single time! Ingredients you’ll need to make Southern Sour Cream Pound Cake: (Scroll down for the full printable recipe card.)

• Flour – All purpose flour forms the base of the pound cake batter.
• Leavening – Baking soda and salt give lift to the batter.
• Sour Cream – Full fat sour cream for a creamy texture.
• Butter – Unsalted butter for richness.
• Sugar – Granulated sugar for sweetness. Southern pound cakes are classically and unapologetically, sweet.
• Whole Eggs – Large eggs stabilize the cake batter.
• Extracts – Vanilla extract and a dash of almond extract expands the flavor profile.
• Garnish – Powdered sugar for dusting the pound cake.

How to Make the BEST Sour Cream Pound Cake Recipe

• Heat Oven and Prepare the Pan: Preheat the oven and spray the cake pan with baking spray. . 
• Sift the Dry Ingredients: Use a whisk to sift the flour, baking soda and salt together. 
• Cream the Butter and Sugar: Using an electric mixer cream together the butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, around 4-5 minutes. This adds a light and airy texture to the cake batter.
• Add Eggs and Extracts: Add the eggs, one egg at a time, then add the vanilla extract and almond extract, mixing to combine.
• Combine the Flour and Sour Cream: Add the sifted flour mixture alternately with the sour cream beginning and ending with flour, beating just until no streaks of flour are visible.
• Spread in Pan: Pour batter evenly into the prepared bundt pan.
• Oven: Bake per the recipe until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes back clean.
• Cool the Cake: Flip the cake onto a wire rack to cool completely. 
• Serve: Once cooled, sprinkle the top with powdered sugar and serve with fresh fruit and whipped cream. 

Tips for Making Southern Sour Cream Pound Cake

• Kitchen Equipment You’ll Need: One 10-12 cup bundt pan, stand mixer with paddle attachment or electric hand mixer, large bowl, medium bowl, measuring cups and spoons, rubber spatula and wire rack.
• Why Beat the Butter for an Extended Time? When you whip the butter for a longer period you actually whip air into the butter which gives the cake a lighter texture and more rise. This technique is not uncommon in the South when making pound cakes.

Recipe Variations and Substitutions

• Butter: You can use salted or unsalted butter in this pound cake recipe.
• Sour Cream Substitution: If for some reason you need to replace the sour cream with an alternate ingredient I would recommend using whole fat buttermilk or plain Greek yogurt.
• Glaze:  There’s plenty of room to customize a glaze for this pound cake. You could drizzle it with a lemon glaze, a simple vanilla cream glaze, orange glaze or even chocolate. If you prefer, you could serve it without the glaze simply dusted with additional powdered sugar. (confectioner’s sugar)
• Pan Options: This recipe makes a ton of batter so you’ll need a minimum of a 10” bundt pan. Any smaller and you’ll risk spilling in the oven. You could divide the cake batter and bake it in two loaf pans. You could also adapt this recipe using a large angel food cake pan.

Storage and Leftovers

• Leftovers: This cake will keep in an airtight container, covered with plastic wrap or wrapped in heavy duty aluminum foil either at room temperature (3-4 days) or chilled in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. As with any cake, chilling will lengthen the shelf life.
• Freezer: This Sour Cream Pound Cake freezes like a dream. Bake and cool completely then wrap in freezer wrap. You can store it frozen for up to 3 months. You can freeze this cake, either whole or individual slices. 
• How to Store a Whole Cake: If freezing whole, wrap the cake in plastic wrap then wrap in heavy duty foil for extra protection. 
• Freezing Sliced Cake: You may choose to follow the same technique and wrap each slice prior to freezing. You can also, place slices into an airtight container. If you are stacking, place parchment paper between the layers. Freeze for up to 3 months. 

More Southern Pound Cake Recipes to Make

• My recipes for Million Dollar Pound Cake never disappoints.
• This decadent Pecan Praline Buttermilk Pound Cake is moist and tender to the very last forkful.
• Banana Pudding Cream Cheese Pound Cake  remains a fan favorite and one more way to enjoy one of my all time favorite Southern desserts.
• Scratch made Orange Pound Cake.
• You may also like my Lemon Sour Cream Pound Cake Recipe.
• White Chocolate Cherry Cream Cheese Pound Cake is a delightful way to say “I love you!”
• Blackberries and Cream Mini Pound Cakes for individual servings.
• Sweet Potato Pound Cake from Southern Living.

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Helpful Kitchen Items:

• Bundt Pan
• Stand Mixer
• Mixing Bowls
• Silicone Spatulas