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Hi Bold Bakers!
I love this sour cream pound cake recipe! If you’ve never tried baking with sour cream before, this is the perfect recipe to convert you to a sour cream believer!
My homemade Sour Cream Pound Cake is the perfect amount of sweetness and so satisfyingly dense! The sour cream is great to use instead of milk in recipes like this because its creamy texture makes sure you always get an incredibly moist cake! I also love the flavor the sour cream gives this pound cake. There are lovely subtle notes of vanilla and almond, and it mixes so well with the slight tang of the sour cream. It’s the perfect everyday cake!
[ And if you’re looking for a festive pound cake, try my Vanilla Pound Cake recipe! ]
A note on this one! This is a very large pound cake! It can feed up to 16 people, which is why it calls for so much sugar, flour, eggs, etc. You can divide the recipe by half and bake it for less time. You can also bake this cake in two 9″ x5″ loaf pans instead of a bundt pan, so be sure to check out my tips below!
What Is Sour Cream Pound Cake?
Sour cream pound cake is a pound cake that is guaranteed to be perfectly moist every time you bake it because of the key ingredient — sour cream! It’s a wonderfully vanilla-y, slightly almond-y, dense cake that goes great with a hot cup of coffee.
What You Need To Make Sour Cream Pound Cake
- Measuring cups and spoons
- 12-cup bundt pan (or two 9″ x5″ loaf pans — see notes below)
- Electric mixer
- Mixing bowls
How To Make Sour Cream Pound Cake
This is a great recipe to have in your back pocket to please a big crowd or to just enjoy with your morning coffee! Here is how you make sour cream pound cake (and don’t forget to get the full recipe with measurements, on the page down below):
- Preheat your oven to 325°F (165°C). Prepare a large 12-cup bundt pan with butter and flour and set aside.
- Using an electric mixer, blend the butter and sugar on medium speed for 5 minutes until it is pale and fluffy.
- Add the vanilla, almond, and lemon extracts, then the eggs, one at a time, until blended. Stir in the sour cream.
- Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl and gradually add it to the wet ingredients until it is thoroughly combined. Be sure not to over mix.
- Pour the pound cake batter into the prepared pan and firmly tap the pan on the counter to remove air bubbles.
- Bake in the preheated oven on the center rack for about 65-75 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. It’s a big cake, so it will take some time!
- Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 15 minutes and then invert it onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- Just before serving, dust the cake with powdered sugar.
Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips For Making Sour Cream Pound Cake
- Be sure to butter and flour your pan very well to prevent the bundt cake from sticking.
- For the best rise, make sure you allow all your ingredients to come to room temperature.
- No sour cream? Try making this cake with Homemade Sour Cream!
- I use a combination of vanilla, almond, and lemon extracts because these flavors together mix wonderfully with the sour cream to create the best flavor – but you can just use all vanilla extract if that is what you have on hand. It will still be delicious!
- I like to serve this with powdered sugar and a side of homemade whipped cream and fresh berries, but you can also make a simple glaze to drizzle on top: mix 1 cup of powdered sugar with 4-6 teaspoons of water, or until your desired thickness is reached, and then drizzle over the cooled cake.
- If you want lemon flavor but don’t have lemon extract, you can zest 1 lemon instead!
- This makes a large cake, but it freezes very well. You can slice this into individual portions before you freeze it so you can easily defrost only what you want to eat.
- This batter can be divided into two 9″ x5″ loaf pans and baked for roughly 45-60 minutes.
- If your pound cake is browning too much, cover it with foil for the remainder of the cooking time.
How Do I Store Sour Cream Pound Cake?
Leftover sour cream pound cake can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. If you’d like to keep it fresh longer, it can be stored in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Make More Cake!
- Pound Cake With Sprinkles
- Citrus Olive Oil Cake
- Best-Ever Chocolate Cake with Whipped Dark Chocolate Ganache
And don’t forget to buy my Bigger Bolder Baking Cookbook!
Full (and printable) recipe below!
Try These Recipes!
Sour Cream Pound Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup (8oz/225g) butter at room temperature
- 3 cups (24oz/675g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract*
- 6 large eggs room temperature
- 1 cup (8oz/225g) sour cream room temperature
- 3 cups (15oz/426g) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C) and butter and flour a large 12-cup bundt pan. Set aside.
- With an electric mixer, blend the butter and sugar on medium speed for 5 minutes, until pale and fluffy.
- Add the vanilla, almond, and lemon extracts, then the eggs, one at a time, until blended. Then stir in the sour cream.
- In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt, and then gradually add to the wet ingredients until thoroughly combined but taking care not to over mix.
- Pour into the prepared pan and then firmly tap the pan onto the counter to remove any air bubbles.
- Bake on a center rack for 65-75 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. This is a very big cake so it does take some time.
- Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- Just before serving, dust with powdered sugar. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. For longer storage, freeze for up to two months.
Hi,Gemma. I’m a huge fan of your wonderful recipes. I already made this cake 3 times after the recipe came out lol I am Japanese and live in japan so usually it is not easy to find sweets like you make at stores but I can make them by myself because of your perfect recipes!! I am really inspired by you and thanks so much for great recipes .
By the way, my favorite one is your oatmeal cookies!!
Have a nice day and waiting for your new recipes ❤️ (my English is probably awful , sorry )
Can I use yoghurt instead of sour cream?
What can I use as an egg replacement in this recipe. Since we have bird flu here in India and we are not consuming eggs anymore. Thank you
This is/was my first pound cake. I just received a stand mixer for my birthday a few days ago and wanted to try it out. This recipe was AWESOME. The cake was so moist and the outside crust was perfect. Just sad that a little piece stuck to the pan. Thank you!
Hi Gemma I just recently, and I do mean recently like a week ago discovered your recipes. I am totally in awe of your recipes. So far I’ve made your level up pineapple upside down cake today I’m making your sour cream pound cake I also made the vanilla sprinkle pound cake all of them 7 days. You are awesome and amazing! And thank you so much for sharing. I will share my pictures of my sour cream pound cake as soon as It cools and is out on the plate. Thanks again
Crystal
Hi Gemma, I want to bake this tomorrow, my Bundt tin is 8 cups, how far up shall I pour the batter? (I assume I won’t use all of it) Thank you.
Hello can I make this one like a round cake and frosting?
Can you come up with a loaf pan size pound cake, please.
Hi Gemma,
I am always confused when it comes to 12 cup bundt pan? What does it mean ? Is it a 9 or 10 inch bundt pan?
Please let me know.
Thank you.
How do I keep the cake from rising too much so that it has a flat base to stand on when using a Bundt tin