If you’re looking for the best sour cream pound cake, look no further. This rich, buttery pound cake is the perfect dessert for any occasion. The moist crumb of this dense cake makes it a pound cake lover’s dream come true.
![slice of sour cream pound cake taken out of whole cake.](https://www.askchefdennis.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/sour-cream-pound-cake-hero-10.jpg)
My sour cream pound cake recipe has been well-tested by family and friends across the country, and they all say the same thing. It absolutely delicious and a great cake for cookouts and family get-togethers. It’s also a delicious afternoon snack or breakfast treat with a cup of coffee or a glass of milk.
![slices of sour cream pound cake on a white platter.](https://www.askchefdennis.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/sour-cream-pound-cake-hero-12.jpg)
This buttery cake is one of my favorite cake recipes and one I’ve been making for over 30 years at home and at the restaurants I’ve worked at.
If you’re looking for another delicious pound cake, check out my lemon pound cake.
Ingredients to make sour cream pound cake
![ingredients to make recipe.](https://www.askchefdennis.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/pound-cake-ingredients-10.jpg)
Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make my delicious sour cream pound cake. In Chef Speak, this is called the “Mise en Place,” which translates to “Everything in its Place.”
Not only does setting up your ingredients ahead of time speed up the cooking process, it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.
Made with simple ingredients
- unsalted butter
- sour cream
- large eggs
- granulated sugar
- all-purpose flour
- baking powder
- vanilla extract
- salt
If you want to substitute cake flour for the all-purpose flour, add an additional 2 tablespoons of flour per cup or 6 tablespoons of additional cake flour for this recipe. Cake flour has a lower protein count than all-purpose flour, which makes a tender cake that is lighter and fluffier, but it also weighs less, which is why you need to add the extra flour.
How to make sour cream pound cake
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
- Grease a 10-inch tube pan or bundt pan and coat it with sugar. Or use pan-release spray.
![collage showing how to make recipe.](https://www.askchefdennis.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/sour-cream-cake-6.1.jpg)
- Add the all-purpose flour, table salt, and baking powder to a medium bowl.
- Whisk to combine the dry ingredients. Set aside until needed.
- Add the unsalted butter and granulated sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or electric hand mixer and large bowl).
- Cream the mixture until light and fluffy at medium-high speed. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl as needed using a rubber spatula.
- Add the room-temperature eggs one at a time to the creamed mixture at medium speed.
- Beat each egg into the creamed mixture before adding the next. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl between each addition.
![collage showing how to make recipe.](https://www.askchefdennis.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/sour-cream-cake-6.2.jpg)
- Add the room-temperature sour cream to the butter mixture.
- Mix until fully combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the mixture, one-half cup at a time.
- Mix on low speed just enough to incorporate. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
- Add the vanilla to the cake batter.
- Mix until just combined.
![collage showing finished recipe.](https://www.askchefdennis.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Sour-Cream-Pound-cake-3.3.jpg)
- Pour batter into the prepared cake pan.
- Place the cake pan on the center rack of a preheated oven and bake for 80-85 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. *If you have an instant-read thermometer, the cake is done when it reaches 210°F.
- Remove the cake from the oven, and run a thin knife around the edge. Then place the cake (in the pan) on a wire rack to cool.
*I used a tube pan with a removal bottom, but you can also use a bundt pan.
![slice of sour cream pound cake with vanilla ice cream and blueberries on white plate.](https://www.askchefdennis.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/pound-cake-LS-10.jpg)
Serve this classic sour cream pound cake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and fresh berries.
Store any leftover pound cake in an airtight container. It can be refrigerated or left on the counter. If you refrigerate my sour cream pound cake, make sure to let it warm up to room temperature before serving.
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This is the tube pan with a removable bottom that I recommend and use in my kitchen. I also love my KitchenAid mixer with the pouring shield.
Recipe FAQ’s
Sour cream is an easy way to add moisture to a cake batter without thinning it out the way a liquid would. That helps create a cake with a very tender, very fine crumb.
The usual reason a pound cake is dry is simply from overbaking. Using too much flour (or not enough butter or sugar) can also result in a dry-pound cake.
Sour cream does add a little tang to the flavor of the cake, but it’s hardly noticeable. The good news is the fat from the sour cream contributes to the moistness and richness of the cake and helps create a tender crumb.