Sour Cream Pound Cake Recipe (Moist Old-Fashioned Pound Cake)
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This Sour Cream Pound Cake Recipe is rich, buttery, moist, and perfectly dense with a soft crumb and crisp golden crust. Made with simple pantry ingredients and full-fat sour cream, this classic old-fashioned pound cake has the smooth texture and homemade flavor people love.
Sour cream helps create a tender cake while adding richness without making the batter too thin. The result is a moist pound cake that tastes even better the next day.
Whether served plain, topped with berries, or finished with whipped cream or glaze, this classic Southern pound cake is perfect for holidays, family gatherings, potlucks, and Sunday desserts.
More reader favorites that you have to try are the classic pound cake recipe and Praline Croissant Bread Pudding.
⚡Why Use Sour Cream in Pound Cake?
Sour cream adds moisture, richness, and tenderness to pound cake. Why sour cream improves cakes, because sour cream is thick and high in fat, it helps create a soft crumb without thinning the batter too much. The slight tang also balances the sweetness and enhances flavor.
🚨What Makes a Good Pound Cake?
Good old-fashioned pound cake recipes should have:
- a buttery flavor
- dense but soft texture
- moist crumb
- golden crust
- even baking throughout
Traditional pound cakes are known for their rich flavor and simple ingredients. Many bakers prefer sour cream pound cake because it stays moist for days and slices beautifully.
Pan Information
I bake my pound cakes on a cookie sheet. Setting the pan on a cookie sheet may affect the baking time. Also, using a light versus a dark tube pan will affect baking times. For the record, I bake my pound cakes in a dark-colored
Your
I’m not a fan of using a non-stick spray for pound cakes. Some of the sides always stick pulling off that crust that I worked so hard to create. Instead, I like to use solid vegetable shortening and follow that with a dusting of granulated sugar. (Yes, sugar. Sugar doesn’t leave any white areas on the cake.) Alternately, I like the Wilton cake release. (When I started this pound cake series, I did use non-stick spray. However, after making so many and trying other methods, I do not use non-stick spray for cakes now. I have tried to go back and update those posts, but may have missed some.)
🔥Tips for the Best Sour Cream Pound Cake
Use room temperature ingredients
This helps the batter mix evenly and improves texture.
Don’t rush creaming the butter and sugar
Proper creaming creates a lighter texture and better structure.
Use full-fat sour cream
Full-fat sour cream gives the best moisture and richness.
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Avoid overmixing the batter
Overmixing can make pound cake tough instead of tender.
Start checking early
Every oven and pan bakes differently.
Ingredients matter
Always use real
Eggs size
The standard in any recipe is to use Grade A Large eggs. If you use a smaller egg, use this guide for substitutions
🍓What to Serve with Sour Cream Pound Cake
Pound cakes are a basic base for a variety of toppings. Here are a few to try:
- coffee
- fresh strawberries
- blueberries
- fruit sauce
- whipped cream
- vanilla ice cream
- caramel sauce
Fruit-flavored pound cakes make another tasty option when considering baking a pound cake.
❓Frequently Asked Questions
Sour cream adds moisture and creates a softer crumb texture.
Pound cake freezes nicely. You can store it as a whole or in slices. Wrap it tightly in aluminum foil or plastic freezer wrap, then store it in the freezer for 4 to 6 months.
Cream cheese pound cake is richer and denser, while sour cream pound cake is slightly lighter and softer.
Store it tightly covered at room temperature and avoid overbaking. I recommend storing leftover pound cake at room temperature on the counter in an airtight container. I usually wrap it in plastic wrap, as well as, keep it on a covered cake plate. It will last anywhere from 3 to 4 days at room temperature.
Here you can find all my homemade pound cake recipes and classic dessert recipes. A few of my specialty pound cakes are Butter Beer Pound Cake, Coffee Cake Pound Cake, Orange Creamsicle Pound Cake, and Sheet Pan Pound Cake.
Sour Cream Pound Cake Recipe
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter no substitutions
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 6 large eggs room temperature
- 8 ounces sour cream room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract I use this.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
- Coat a 10-inch tube pan or bundt pan (12 cup) with solid vegetable shortening and granulated sugar or cake release spray.
- In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides. Mix to combine.
- Add eggs one at a time beating each one in before adding the next. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides. Mix to combine.
- Stir in sour cream.
- Combine flour, salt, and baking powder in a small bowl then add to batter 1/2 cup at a time until combined.
- Stir in vanilla. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides. Combine again.
- Spoon batter into prepared pan.
- Bake 325°f for 80 to 85 minutes. I always like to start testing at 75 minutes. Carefully insert a long wooden pick into the center of the cake. The cake is done when dry crumbs or no crumbs stick to the pick. (I recommend you Calibrate your Oven once a year so that the time showing is the actual temperature inside. The cooking time stated is for my oven and my pan both affect cooking time. Therefore, I recommend you watch your cake closely the first time you bake this recipe. Make notes for when you make it again. As well as using the toothpick test to determine when a cake is done, you may want to get this cake thermometer. It is done when the cake reads 210°F
- When you remove the cake from the oven, run a thin knife around the edge. Then place the cake (in the pan) on a wire rack.
- Allow the cake to cool in the pan on a wire rack for 20 to 25 minutes before inverting on a tray to cool completely.
Hi Paula, I need some advice here. I just made your sour cream pound cake today. I followed the directions exactly. I kept careful watch on the thermometer in my oven to make sure temp was correct throughout. I checked after 75 minutes and it was done. Could have taken it out a bit sooner, but it did not burn. Problem: it stuck to the pan when I tried to take it out. It did not look pretty, but tasted ok. I have always used Crisco and flour on my pans instead of spraying oil. Would that have helped?
When I first started the review I sprayed the pans, then I changed to using Crisco and flour (or sugar) and that works much better. I thought I had gone back and amended all the recipes. I’m so sorry that I missed this one!
A Pound cake series? Wow! Sounds like a great idea. All of your cakes look delicious!
I love a dense but still a little moist pound cake.
I made this cake and it came out SO DRY. What could I have done wrong? Do the eggs HAVE to be room temperature and added 1 at a time? Could I have possibly overbaked it or at the wrong temperature? Could ANY of these things have an effect?
More than likely your oven is baking at a higher temp than it is reading. You can check and adjust it, if that’s the case. Read this post to see how. https://www.callmepmc.com/how-to-calibrate-your-oven/ The other thing would be having too much flour. Flour always should be sifted before measuring.
What a nice sour cream cake baking recipe. Thanks for sharing it here. I must try this at new years party. Thanks for it.
Can i use yoghurt instead of sour cream for this recipe?
yes, regular or greek yogurt
I mad this yesterday and I have to say, it’s THE best pound cake I have EVER made! I had made it my mission to perfect the pound cake. Over the almost 8 years I have been married, I have made many a pound cake. Most (almost all) weren’t great. I stumbled onto this recipe and it’s impeccable. I added a couple extra things here and there to make it my own, while still following the original recipe. My husband raved over it. This is now my go to pound cake! Thank you so much for this recipe!
I am so happy you like it! Pound cakes are my favorite thing to make and that’s why I started this series.
Hi Paula, I was searching the net for a pound cake recipe to make for my daughter to take to work for her Christmas luncheon and came across yours which I settled on, I made the Sour Cream pound with just one change, I used cake flour instead, it came out nicely, it rose beautifully, the cake was moist, I added a simple glaze to the top and they loved it.
I’m so happy you liked it!
Hello Paula,
How many loaves would this recipe make if I used a Bread loaf pan?
two 9×5 inch loaves
Thanks, I hope you like it, I love this stuff.
This recipe came out perfect. Best pound cake I’ve ever tasted. Really easy and simple to make even if you don’t bake often. I tried using an electric mixer but it was better to stir everything by hand. The smoothest looking cake I’ve ever made too. Everyone that ate some loved it. Will definitely make on holidays in the future.